The Librarian of Alexandria

An account of the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, and the story of a librarian and his apprentice.

Within the library’s great stone walls, set ablaze by the invaders; a librarian, who had long been loyal to the here collected knowledge of the centuries, ran amongst the shelves gathering the precious pieces of wisdom into his arms. Stored among the numerous shelves were documents from every corner of the known world. Among the halls the ghosts of those great men who had once walked there whispered from their various encasements. Even as he collected, the devouring flames spread to the upper levels and the wooden interior began to collapse in upon itself. Desperate to save some smallest vestige for the future, he ran towards the door arms heavily laden with scrolls and tablets. Once escaped into the street, he entrusted the documents to his trusted apprentice and returned to the growing inferno within the library. With a great shudder, rubble of loosened stone and burning wood crashed upon him, trapping him in a burning death only a few steps in.

Out on the street the young apprentice, having been left to keep guard of the rescued tomes, watched as this temple of knowledge fell to the ravages of flame. When the library toppled and with a roaring blast of inferno and heat the steward of knowledge perished. The young man stood, in horrified shock, staring at the great conflagration before him, even as the city around him burned. Returning to his senses he seized an abandoned cart and loaded it with as much haste as care would allow. This newly ascended librarian pulled the cart through the flaming city to the safe haven that its citizens had found. As he made his way, he felt the addition of personal text collections and weary children into his cart.

He would rebuild that temple to Sophia Herself, it would again be the sanctuary of precious wisdom and he its steward.

Author's Note

Thoughts welcome.