Moonbeam Library - Where it All Began

In the quietest corner of the Moonbeam Library—commonly called the History Nook—sat Index. Noble, silver-striped, and wise beyond nine lives. Today, her mission was clear: to locate the comfiest nap spot in existence.

Sunlight filtered through a lace curtain, and dust motes danced like tiny spirits in the air. It was a perfect day for exploring.

Index stretched luxuriously, loosed the mightiest yawn known to cat-kind, and flicked her tail with purpose. She leapt from her usual perch—the window seat in the History Nook—and padded across the wooden floor with the determined grace only a cat on a nap quest can possess. She stalked past the stacks of books, occasionally pouncing on nothing in particular, as if to remind the library who was boss.

From somewhere beyond the shelves came a familiar voice:

“Oh, Leo, the Epic of Gilgamesh is floating again…”

Floating books were common in the Moonbeam Library. Leo had a habit of bringing home curious—and probably haunted—volumes. This never bothered Index. If anything, it meant more shadows to chase along the floor.

Her humans were busy with a task far beneath her interest. Likely something dull, like shelving books or alphabetising parchment. She made her rounds, starting with the obvious: Signa’s desk. With a regal "prrrrp"

, she stepped across the keyboard like it was a runway.

This was usually an excellent napping spot. Warm, elevated, and just inconvenient enough to guarantee attention. But lately, her slumbers had been cut short by mutterings of “Index, please, that’s my only draft.” Unacceptable.

Next stop: the sunbeam warming Leo’s favourite chair. Promising, yes—but also frequently disturbed by ghostly lectures, quiet laughter, or affectionate scritches. All lovely, of course, but not conducive to truly uninterrupted rest.

Where next…?

Ah.

She snaked past the crescent-moon shelf and around the corner into Signa’s Cabinet of Curiosities—and there it was. A curious green cushion, tucked between a basket of bones and a very large ammonite. The humans often whispered about it, calling it cursed with hushed delight.

Index, naturally, had never paid attention to a single word of human nonsense.

With perfect confidence, she leapt onto the cushion.

The moment her paws touched it—poof!—the cushion shimmered, shivered, and shook beneath her. Index closed her eyes, unbothered. But when she opened them…