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roared in
approval.
    “ You pawned us off on
wombats!” I shouted.
    The faculty witches roared in
approval.
    “ Give them a punishment,”
Madison suggested.
    “ You have to stay in this
library,” I shouted.
    The faculty witches shouted in
approval.
    “ Come up with something
worse,” Madison said.
    “ You cannot leave this
library,” I shouted.
    The faculty witches shouted in
approval.
    “ Punish them,” Madison
hissed.
    “ Until you have read all
these books,” I shouted.
    The faculty witches howled in
disapproval.
    Professor Coffin stuck his head back in
the door.
    “ Have you gone mad, man?” he
demanded. “These witches don’t know how to read.”
    “ What are they called?”
Madison asked.
    “ Stitches,” Professor Coffin
said. “They make sails.”
    “ I suspected as much,”
Madison said.
    “ Makers of sails,” I
practically shouted.
    “ It explains a lot,” Madison
laughed.
    “ What were they doing inside
the books?” I asked.
    “ They tried to burn the
books,” Professor Coffin explained. “The books devoured
them.”
    “ We know that,” Madison
snapped.
    “ Why did they try to burn
them?” I asked.
    “ How should I know that?”
Professor Coffin demanded.
    “ They didn’t learn anything
while they were in there?” I asked.
    “ Of course not,” Professor
Coffin said.
    “ You can’t teach them?” I
asked.
    “ Of course not,” Professor
Coffin said. “They’re stitches.”
    “ Why did you put them in
charge of the school?” I asked.
    “ The pirates abandoned ship
and the stitches were underfoot,” Professor Coffin said. “You don’t
need sails if you don’t have sailors.”
    “ Where is the pirate
faculty?” Madison asked.
    “ I don’t know,” Professor
Coffin shrugged. “They’re on Coffin Island somewhere.”
    “ What are they doing?” I
asked.
    “ Drinking rum and horsing
around,” Professor Coffin said. “Why do you ask?”
    Madison laughed.
    “ What about you?” I asked.
“Why were you in that book?”
    “ I climbed into my book
because I couldn’t abandon ship because I was Headmaster,”
Professor Coffin said. “The doldrums were preferable. If you’re
going to be a rum bum where else would you do it?”
    “ We have a book in here?”
Madison asked. “Just like a coffin?”
    “ Where do you think your
life story is written?” Professor Coffin demanded.
    “ You knew this was coming?”
I asked.
    “ Our life stories are
already written down?” Madison demanded.
    “ I couldn’t get through the
doldrums,” Professor Coffin grinned. “Your book won’t let you skip
ahead. My life remains an open book because I closed
it.”
    “ Professor Coffin must teach
you how to read,” I shouted. “Then you must read every book in the
library starting with your life story. Only then can you leave this
library.”
    The stitches said nothing.
    “ I think you stunned them,”
Madison said.
    “ Let’s get out of here,” I
said. “I don’t want to know my life story.”
    “ I’m right behind you,
chief,” Madison said as we backed out of the room and quietly shut
the door of the library behind us. Stitches were already reentering
the library from the coffin room. They were passing through the
closed door against their will. Flash came roaring down the hall.
He had recovered in his flaming coffin. He put himself through the
keyhole. A great struggle to learn could be heard from within. It
sounded like Professor Coffin was throwing his pupils against the
wall. Flash was letting out hearty roars of approval. Flame on, my
brother. Flame on, you cantankerous beast. Be light on your
feet.
     
    Chapter
     
    “ How do you like the skull
and bones room?” Madison asked.
    “ It’s lovely,” I said. “I
like it when the dead come back to life.”
    “ Particularly after the
vultures have done their dirty work,” Madison snorted.
    We were walking through a world of
bones. Skeleton war horses were stamping around with skeletal
horsemen aboard.