The Time Agents: Convergence of Cats

"Hello? Is someone there?", comes a woman's voice. "I'm sorry to bother you but I need your help - the fate of the Library is at stake..." Boldly, you answer the woman on the phone. "I'm here..." A swift "shhhhh" comes back at you. "You're in a library, please do keep your voice down." "Oh, sorry," you mumble, looking around again at the lack of people to be bothered by you speaking normally. "No, no, I must apologize. Let me explain. My name is Ethel and I was THE Librarian at the Ashtabula Public Library back when your great-grandparents were kids. But I am also an agent for the interdimensional Librarians Against Meddling - or LAM. "To be brief, I have been assigned, along with my partner P.R. Spencer, to guard ACDL against the most dangerous villains of all of time and space - Crash's Feline Fiends. It is imperative that we act as soon as possible. Will you join me and the Librarians Against Meddling?" Your eyes widen and a chill shivers down your spine as you hear about these dangerous villains. You immediately become aware of just how quiet it is in the Library. This is crazy… [[She sounds like she really does need help. You ask, “What can I do to help?”]] [[I better find someone else to handle this.]]

"Excellent! The process is simple. I have calculated the Interdimensional Pass-Through Point--" "The bookdrop?" you interrupt. The cutout of Platt R. Spencer sighs. "Yes. The Bookdrop. I've calculated it to accept an item that will anchor our timeline against the convergence wave that will hit in approximately... thirty minutes." "So to fix a world ending wave of... somthing, I put a book... in the bookdrop..." you say skeptically. "That's the plan?" "To put it simply, yes," Spencer confirms with the matter-of-factness of a person who does this sort of thing all the time. "But, of course, you must select the right book! Pick one that has a rich history or story set in the real world. That should reinforce the timeline. I recommend a riveting biography or a local history book." Hmm... simple... right... You ponder this situation for a moment. As unbeleviable as all this seems you've come this far, and Ethel and Spencer both seem to feel you can do it. "Yes, sir! I bet I can find the right one!" you say attempting to match his confidence. [[Go search for a book]]

You reach down to pet the orange cat again and the kitten hops onto the floor, scooting closer to you, eager for attention. Obligingly, you sit down on the floor of the Bookmobile. The orange cat starts playing with your untied shoelace. The kitten climbs into your lap and promptly falls asleep and you know the rule is that you can't move when a kitten is sleeping on you. As you pet the cats, you gradually forget what you're supposed to be doing. You forget what time it is. You forget which ACDL branch you're even at. But gosh, these cats are just SO CUTE. And then, suddenly, a wave of purple light ripples through the Bookmobile. That was weird. The cats both jump up and scurry away. "No, wait!" you yell, but they've already disappeared. You think you hear something that sounds like laughter as they vanish but it's not a very nice laugh. Disappointed, you stomp out of the Bookmobile and go inside the Geneva Public Library. It feels somehow different. What were you looking for again? Oh right, a phone to call Spencer. [[Maybe the Librarian can help]]

Ignoring the adorable kitten for the moment, you hurry over to the bookdrop and slide in the book. As soon as you do, there is a flash of purple light and everything goes a little hazy for a moment. That was weird... You blink, rubbing your eyes, and look around. At first nothing seems to have changed. All seems right with the world, but then details start to catch your eye. All the Music CDs on racks have bright pictures of different colored stars like the ones from space telescopes that you see in science books. All the books are, well, kind of boring looking, though that might be because you can't make heads or tails of them. You flip through them and see big blocks of text broken up with little diagrams. Everyone in he Library is sitting quietly reading, or scanning over looooong sheets of paper with squiggly lines on them. Some are sitting quietly with headphones on, their eyes closed as they listen intently. You turn around and where the cutout of Spencer once stood is a different one. This one of a kind, but determined and studious-looking woman. Someone had cheekily put one of those “Hello my name is” stickers on her chest with the name “Jocelyn” written on it. You’re not entirely sure what’s going on, but you get the feeling that might not have been quite the right book. Still, you suppose, it’s could have been worse… [[The End]]

Ignoring the adorable kitten for the moment, you hurry over to the bookdrop and slide in the book. As soon as you do, there is a flash of purple light and everything goes a little hazy for a moment. That was weird... You blink, rubbing your eyes, and look around. There don't seem to be any more pictures. Anywhere. The posters now are all white with weird mismatching fonts, in all kinds of colors. You look over at the book displays and they have all changed too - white covers, with lots of words on the front. You come up to the Librarian at the front desk and read their nametag. "I AM A MONKEY," you suddenly blurt out loud. You didn't mean to say that... The Librarian puts a finger to their lips and goes "shhhh". But you can't help it. Now that you have started seeing words everywhere, you just have to say them! "My feet are made of BLUEBERRY PIZZA! OH NO!" You gasp. You slap your hand across your mouth. Of course, your feet are just feet but you can't stop saying the silly things you read and the silly things are everywhere! "AND. NOW. I. AM. SAYING. THIS. IN. MY. ROBOT. VOICE. BECAUSE. I. AM. A. ROBOT! MY. NAME. IS. ROBOT. BOB!" You gotta get out of here!

BLEEP!BUUURRRRR!!!

BOOP! BOOP! BOOP!

BA-DONGA-FACE!

The whole world now is cluttered with silly words that everyone has to say all the time. Conversations have descended into utter silly chaos. And there are no pictures to be found anywhere at all. [[The End]]

Ignoring the adorable kitten for the moment, you hurry over to the bookdrop and slide in the book. As soon as you do, there is a flash of purple light and everything goes a little hazy for a moment. That was weird... You blink and rub at your eyes and look around. And everything seems...perfectly normal. Nothing seems to have happened at all! The Librarian at the front desk smiles nicely at you and says "Oh, we seem to have found a letter here with your name on it. Here, this is for you. It looks very old. Isn't that strange?" They slide a yellowing envelope towards you and your name is on the front in a beautiful flowing handwriting that you almost can't read. You open it. "Thank you, brave reader. You've picked the exact right book and we are all safe and sound in the correct timeline. Well done! Stay alert. The Librarians Against Meddling may need you again one day and we have made you an honorary Time Agent. Our thanks to you again, Ethel and Spencer" [[The End]] Time Agent Ethel

You go back to reading the back cover of the book and words like 'Fangs of Dang' and 'Jewels of Anniera' pull your attention away from the cat in the library. This is definitely an interesting book and you make a mental note to ask the Librarian to put a hold on it for you so you can read it as soon as possible. Then you put it into the bookdrop. As soon as you do, there is a flash of purple light and everything goes a little hazy for a moment. That was weird... Hopefully that meant it worked. You step back from the bookdrop and look around the Library and it's changed! Before, it was light and bright and modern. Now the walls are all wooden and it's a lot smaller and it's hard to see in here because the lights are all...candles?! Whoah! You go to talk to the Librarian but the nice lady you spoke with earlier is gone! Instead, it's a large toothy cow standing there, glaring at you, little fangs poking past its lips. Uh oh, better get out of here... You back away from the toothy cow, the ancient floorboards creaking under your steps, and step outside and OOF! You step into a person. You turn to apologize but the words freeze in your throat. The person you just bumped into is a tall lizard creature with a flickering tongue and a mean expression. Better RUN AWAY! The world has become a wild fantasy adventure land. Guess you better go find a gang of unlikely friends and a grumpy grandpa pirate - they probably have a quest for you to join... Maybe they can help you get your universe back. [[The End]]

You hang around inside the Bookmobile for a moment to browse the shelves. They have all kinds of things to check-out - books, movies, wifi hotspots! Your fingers come to rest on the spine of a book that has caught your eye when you sense movement from behind you. You whirl around and see.... nothing. There's nothing there. You laugh to yourself at your silly imagination and turn back to get the book you wanted but come to an abrupt stop. There's a cat sitting on the shelf now, staring at you, its tail swishing from side to side. It gently meows at you. You think you can hear purring anxiously. It seems to want something. [[Pet the Cat]] [[No time to waste. Go Inside.]]

You grab the phone and raise it to your ear. [[...Hello?]]

You hurry to a nearby shelving cart that seems to have been abandoned. There are all kinds of books here - so many to choose from. Your fingers hover over a few different titles before you pull your selection. [[Hidden History of Ashtabula County]] [[Listening to the Stars: Jocelyn Bell Burnell Discovers Pulsars]] [[The Book With No Pictures]] [[On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness]]

Hidden History of Ashtabula County, by Carl E. Feather, seems like the most boring book in the world but surely a history book will be the best option for keeping the timeline safe, right? You flip through it and some of the chapters catch your eye. Underground Railroad? Tinker Hollow? Those sound-like interesting things... Maybe you'll have to check out this book when this whole fiasco is finished. Cutest Calico

As you walk towards the front desk, movement catches your attention. A Feline Fiend?! You spin around and see... Just a cute little calico kitten. You chuckle to yourself. A kitten? Not very scary. It mews up at you and you notice it sitting on a book on the floor. [[Pet the Kitten and Pick Up the Book]] [[Continue to the Bookdrop and put Hidden History in the slot]]

With the phone in the distance, you head to the service desk to find a librarian. You don't recognize the librarian standing there. They're wearing a purple checkered sweater that sheds little hairs as they come to the desk with a cat-like smile. "Yes, can I help you?" purrs the librarian. "No, wait! Don't tell me - you're looking for the purrrfect book for your school project!" You aren't working on a school project because it's summer but you nod anyway because the librarian seems to have whiskers growing out of some impressive facial hair and it's very distracting. The librarian moves with surprising grace to lead you towards the non-fiction section. Is that a tail you see behind them or just a trick of the light? This place is a lot weirder than you remember... The librarian paws across the spines of several books before stopping to pull one out and hand it to you. [[Take the Book]] [[Go back to answer the phone]]

You ignore the phone and promptly scurry away, deeper into the Library. You spend an hour reading comic books when suddenly, a wave of purple light ripples through the building. That was weird. You're about to go back to your comic book but realize that the pages have lost their color. The pictures are blurry. The words aren't in English. This is really weird! And in a blink of an eye, the superheroes on the page turn into...cats? The phone starts buzzing again. Maybe you should go back and answer it this time. What's going on? [[Go back to answer the phone]] [[I better find someone else to handle this.]]

You look wildly around for the source of the whisper and notice now that there's a faint shimmer to the wooden cutout. "Mr. Spencer?" "Is she gone?" he repeats. The mouth seems to be moving but you're not sure how that's possible. You suppose this is no weirder than anything else that's happened today. "She's gone," you assure him. "Ethel sent me. Are you Mr. Platt?" "It's Spencer," he corrects firmly. Then earnestly he continues, "I'm glad Ethel got through to you. We've been worried! Are you ready to complete the mission?" [[As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this!]]

Listening to the Stars: Jocelyn Bell Burnell Discovers Pulsars

A picture book with a bright pink and purple swirl of color and a girl catches your eye. You pick it up and begin to get caught up in the story of an Irish girl who loved to read and learn about science and... Then you shake youself. You have a job to do. Spencer did say that a biography would work. Perhaps this one? Cutest Calico

You head to the service desk to find a librarian. You don't recognize the librarian standing there. They're wearing a purple checkered sweater that sheds little hairs at they come to the desk with a cat-like smile towards you. "Yes, can I help you?" purrs the librarian. "No, wait! Don't tell me - you're looking for the purrrfect book for your school project!" You aren't working on a school project because it's summer, but you nod anyway because the librarian seems to have whiskers growing out of some impressive facial hair and it's very distracting. The librarian moves with surprising grace to lead you towards the non-fiction section. Is that a tail you see behind them or just a trick of the light? This place is a lot weirder than you remember... The librarian paws across the spines of several books before stopping to pull one out and hand it to you. [[Take the Book]]

"Very good! I have summoned the Bookmobile to collect you. It should be just outside, even now. Please send Spencer my love, and please hurry, dear reader. Our fates rest with you!" You hang up the phone and head outside to find the Bookmobile rumbling to a stop. The doors open wide. As you climb the steps, you notice that there's no driver, or anyone else, inside. Suddenly the doors clap shut. You quickly take your seat as, seemingly on autopilot, the Bookmobile pulls away and takes you safely on the 20-minute drive to the Geneva Pubilc Library. Pulling up to the curb in front of the library, it stops, and the doors open again. The bookmobile seems to wait almost anxiously for you to step out. [[No time to waste. Go Inside.]] [[Explore the Bookmobile]] Bookmobile Interior

You step into the Geneva Public Library and take a good look, scanning from the treehouse to the rows and rows of adult books, not sure where to start. A friendly looking Librarian is standing at the desk, her nametag reads "Lauren". "Can I help you?" Lauren asks brightly. "Yes, I'm looking for..." but you hesitate. How do you ask for a device that allows you to talk to people across time and space? "Spencer," you finally say. "I think his first name starts with a 'P'," you offer. "Do you mean Platt R. Spencer?" You snicker. If ever there was a name for a time traveler from the future, it would be Platt. "Yes, I think that's him," you affirm. Lauren smirks at you and leads you towards the back of the Library. She comes to a stop in front of a life-sized cutout of a man. "Here he is - Mr. Platt R. Spencer." "Oh. This is it?" you ask, hesitantly. This was not what you expected to find. "This is it. But if you would like to learn more, there is a group that meets weekly at the Library to practice Spencerian Hand Writing. Is there anything else I can help you with?" she asks. "No, thank you," you say, politely. She gives you a cheery wave and leaves you with the tall plywood figure. "Well, now what?" you mumble to yourself. Then a whisper catches your attention. "[[Is she gone?]]"

You don't mean to forget Platt R. Spencer's advice but you pull out a book with a very interesting looking cover of a brave looking kid with a dragon in the clouds and you can't help yourself. You grab On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson and scurry away. Cutest Calico

As you begin to skim the words in the book, the purple wave of light passes over you again and the world begins to change right before your eyes! OH NO! ''The whole world is now run by the Feline Fiends - a race of Hyper Intelligent Cats - and the Library only circulates cat toys, catnip seeds, and every single rendition of the musical CATS by Andrew Lloyd Webber.'' Pictures of a handsome orange cat adorn all the walls, the name 'Crash, the Illuminated' printed under each one.

You try to get a library card but sadly do not qualify because you do not speak cat. You spend three hours trying to mimic noises you've heard from your neighbor's cat but the Hyper Intelligent Cat Librarians only look at you judgmentally and you feel very silly, leaving the Library with a mumbled apology. On the way back home, you come to discover that your neighbor's cat is now your landlord. There is only fish in the refrigerator for dinner. You hate fish. [[The End?]]

You reach out to stroke the soft ginger fur of the cat. It meows happily and you can feel the purring vibrations as you gently pet it. The cat arches it's back under your hand and hops off the shelf to weave between your legs. Cutest Calico

A soft mew comes from your left and you see a young calico kitten trying to get your attention from the driver's seat. How adorable! [[Pick up the kitten]] [[Continue petting the orange cat]]

You reach down to gently pet the kitten and it starts to purr. How adorable! You scoop the kitten up and settle on the floor to play with it for a little while, hardly noticing the time at all. The kitten bats at your fingers and jumps at your shoelaces and eventually settles down in your lap to sleep. Dancing with Cats

You know the rule. You can't move when a cat is sleeping on you. You remember the book it was sitting on and pick it up. The spine label says '636.8 SILVER' and the shiny cover looks hardly touched. The title is emblazoned across a picture of a cat leaping high: Dandcing with Cats. [[Open the cover]]

You reach over to pick up the calico kitten and it immediately begins purring, but the orange cat wants your attention too. Obligingly, you sit down on the floor of the Bookmobile. The orange cat starts playing with your untied shoelace. The kitten promptly falls asleep in your arms and you know the rule is that you can't move when a kitten is sleeping on you. As you pet the cats, you gradually forget what you're supposed to be doing. You forget what time it is. You forget which ACDL branch you're even at. But gosh, these cats are just SO CUTE. And then, suddenly, a wave of purple light ripples through the Bookmobile. That was weird. The cats both jump up and scurry away. "No, wait!" you yell, but they've already disappeared. You think you hear something that sounds like laughter as they vanish but it's not a very nice laugh. Disappointed, you stomp out of the Bookmobile and go inside the Geneva Public Library. It feels somehow different. What were you looking for again? Oh right, a way to talk to Spencer. [[Maybe the Librarian can help]]

You step into the Ashtabula Public Library on a bright sunny afternoon, thinking of all the fun adventures you might have today. Will you find a new book to read? Maybe you'll get to play Fortnite or Roblox with your friends! As you head inwards, a noise catches your attention - a persistent, tinny ring ring ring. It's coming from the café! Curious, you move towards the buzzing and bend down to look under a table. It's a phone receiver with a curly cord trailing after it like a tail. You've seen something like this at your grandparents’ house but it's no cellphone, that's for sure! RING RING RING You frown. Surely this is something a librarian should handle but there are no librarians around. You gingerly reach for the phone. It's unusually cold as you pick it up and hold it to your ear. [[...Hello?]] [[I only text, sorry.]]
Super Old Phone

"Oh thank goodness," Ethel breathes. "Here's the situation..." She explains to you that ACDL is heading for an interdimensional convergence event and that a race of Hyper Intelligent Cats known as Crash's Feline Fiends are looking to take over the whole universe during the convergence. To stop that from happening we must send the right book to the right era, just in time, or else it will all collapse and we'll all be stuck in the Darkest Timeline forever. "Spencer has already fine-tuned the Book Drop to serve as your Interdimensional Pass-Thru Point. Simply find the right book and slide it through the book drop. But you only have an hour. Please do your research before choosing the right item. Spencer can give you some places to start but I'm afraid my window of communication is closing, and I must get back to my shift in 1939 - we're taking a staff photograph today. Do you have any questions?" You shake your head. About a million, you think. But... [[Why can't you put a book in the IPTP Book Drop yourself?]] [[Who is Spencer and where can I find him?]] [[Who are Crash's Feline Fiends?]] [[No questions, I'm ready! Off to find Spencer!]]

The spine label says '636.8 SILVER' and the shiny cover looks hardly touched. "This is our favorite book," the librarian purrs. And then they quietly pad away, slinking around a corner. You glance down at the book, the title is emblazoned across a picture of a cat leaping high: 'Dancing with Cats. [[Open the cover]]

A thin white book grabs your attention, and you pull it from the cart. The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak. That doesn't sound very interesting. Books with no pictures? That sounds like a boring adult book to you. You take it anyway because maybe a boring book with no pictures is best to keep the universe on the right timeline. As you walk towards the front desk, movement catches your attention. A Feline Fiend?! Cutest Calico

You spin around and see... Just a cute little calico kitten. You chuckle to yourself. A kitten? Not very scary. It mews up at you and you notice it sitting on a book on the floor. [[Pet the Kitten and Pick Up the Book]] [[Continue to the Bookdrop and put 'The Book With No Pictures' in the Slot]]

We hope you enjoyed this silly adventure story. Congratulations on completing it! You earned a Time Agent Badge! Please go to the Front Desk and tell them that you are a Time Agent for the Librarians Against Meddling to collect your badge. The adventure begins at your library! Happy Reading!

Back to the Summer Reading Club Page

We hope you enjoyed this silly adventure story. Congratulations on completing it! You earned a Feline Fiend Badge! Please go to the Front Desk and tell them that you were bamboozled by Crash the Library Cat to collect your badge.

Back to the Summer Reading Club Page

The adventure begins at your library! Happy Reading!

Ethel lets out a disgruntled huff as you ask about Crash's Feline Fiends. You can hear her hesitate. "The Fiends...Where do I begin? Well, I suppose we ought to start with Crash the Library Cat. From all I’ve heard, Crash the Library Cat was a lovely resident of the Geneva Public Library for many years. He was a stray cat, brought in out of the cold one day in 2006. By all accounts he was a delightful cat, but at some point after his retirement as a library cat something seems to have... changed. All we know is that at some point he disappeared down the Interdimensional Pass-Thru Point. LAM makes it it's business to keep track on those traveling between dimensions and times. It was guessed, correctly, that he found a new home in another dimension. Crash the Cat

We failed to predict that Crash would become the leader of a race of Hyper Intelligent Cats. It's obvious he didn't just spend his time at the Geneva Library sitting around looking cute. He'd been gathering information and learning. He's using all that knowledge he gained to build an organization determined to take over the entire universe. They have been planning now for quite some time. After all, time travel gives you all the time in the universe. So do be careful, reader. I like cats, but these are no normal cats. They may appear friendly, but from kittenhood they wish for nothing less than to take over your entire timeline. And they will stop at nothing to do it. Be mindful that you stay on course and do not get distracted. The Feline Fiends are dangerously clever and know time is on their side." "Do you have any other questions?" [[Who is Spencer and where can I find him?]] [[Why can't you put a book in the IPTP Book Drop yourself?]] [[No questions, I'm ready! Off to find Spencer!]]

"Ah yes, my good friend Spencer. His full name is Platt Rogers Spencer - so you can imagine why he preferred going by Spencer. He is incredibly gifted at teaching and writing and invented his own style of cursive handwriting called Spencerian Script. To the credit of the mission, Spencer established many libraries and schools in the Northeast. You can learn more about Spencer on the Library website or speak to the lovely Spencerian Historical Society* to see more about his history. He will reach out to you from his timeline at the Geneva Public Library," Ethel informs you. "He's very clever so be on the lookout for something unexpected." "Do you have any other questions?" [[Who are Crash's Feline Fiends?]] [[Why can't you put a book in the IPTP Book Drop yourself?]] [[No questions, I'm ready! Off to find Spencer!]]

"That's a fair question, dear reader," Ethel affirms. "You see, the Librarians Against Meddling always travel in two's - that's the rule. When my partner and I traveled from the year 2182, our coordinates were somehow bamboozled by the 2024 total solar eclipse and we were separated, in both years and distance. It damaged all my equipment and I am, alas, stuck permanently in this time. But it's not all bad. I've gotten to see major events in history and have had plenty of opportunities to put my skills to use. I've been the Librarian for many years and will likely be here the rest of my days." She sighs wistfully over the phone and you can imagine the years spent behind the old Conklin Library desk. "Any other questions?" [[Who is Spencer and where can I find him?]] [[Who are Crash's Feline Fiends?]] [[No questions, I'm ready! Off to find Spencer!]]

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Ashtabula Public Library

Geneva Public Library

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