36 Actually a Journal

Knock. Knock.

"Nolan, it's me, are you in there?"

After a couple of seconds, the door opened ajar. Nolan then opened the door widely for his brother Nathaniel.

"What is it?" he asked, glancing curiously at him.

"Here," Nathaniel handed him the black book, the one Nolan picked from his library yesterday. "I guess you were reading this?"

"I was about to yesterday," Nolan responded as he took the book, its printed name on the cover invisible unless light reflected on it at an angle. "Where'd you get this book? I have not seen this before."

Nolan wondered, though it wasn't as if he had actually read through his brother's books in the library. With Nathaniel's vast collection—well over a thousand books—Nolan often marveled at how he had managed to acquire so many and where they had all come from.

"Mother gave it to me. I haven't read it yet, but I wouldn't mind lending it to you for now."