The Library

Writer: John O'Bryan

Director: Giancarlo Volpe Guest Stars: Hector Elizondo (Wan Shi Tong), Raphael Sbarge (Professor Zei)

Synopsis
The scene opens with Aang sitting in the ground looking over a vast open savanna type landscape. The scene then shifts showing the gang standing behind the seated Aang, who is holding a flute in his hand and Sokka asks “What’s out here?” As Toph bends down to touch the ground, she responds “A lot actually.” Just as she’s about to elaborate, Aang interrupts her telling her not to ruin the surprise. Aang make a musical note with the flute and then a ground-hog type creature emerges and repeats the same note. After several more notes, a frustrated Sokka pus his finger into the end of the flue and states they need to make plans. Toph points out they are making plans - mini-vacations plans. Sokka doesn’t feel they have time for vacations. Aang points out he is working his “arrow off” diligently with Toph and Katara to master the elements and Katara agrees there’s nothing wrong with enjoying themselves during their downtime. Sokka is very concerned they have no inside information about the Fire Nation and that even if Aang masters the elements then what do they do as they have no idea how to even find the Fire Lord let alone defeat him. Sokka states they need intelligence (information) in order to win the war. Katara aptly states “All right, we’ll finish our vacations and then we’ll look for Sokka’s intelligence.”

For her mini-vacation, Katara chooses the Misty Palms Oasis from Aang’s map. However, the gang soon finds out the Misty Palms Oasis has gone downhill in reputation in the past 100 years. They go into a bar-like establishment where an employee prepares a fruit beverage using broadswords in almost a teppanyaki style preparation. The customer being served accidentally bumps into Aang spilling some of his drink onto Aang. Aang uses his airbending to dry himself. The customer, excited to meet an airbender, introduces himself as Professor Zei of the Ba Sing Se University. He begins quizzing Aang as though Aang is a science specimen. Sokka inquires as to whether the Professor has a more recent map and the Professor unrolls a map showing a vast desert with routes marked where he has gone in search of the Knowledge Spirit's library. With the possibility that the library may have information to be used against the Fire Nation, Sokka dramatically announces his choice for the next mini-vacation to be the library. The Professor states it is impossible to cross the desert and the gang then introduces him to Appa. Sandbenders, who are Earthbenders who specialize in bending sand, are trying to take Appa, but the Professor shooed them away.

The group heads out in search of the large library. After a long search, Sokka finally spots something that looks like a tower sticking out of the sand. Just as they are about to give up, a fox carrying a scroll walks up the side of the tower and into a window at the top and Sokka realizes this is the library. Devastated that his life long dream of finding the Knowledge Spirit's library is buried, the Professor drops to the ground and begins to excavate. Toph puts her hand on the tower and announces the library is intact under the sand. All but Toph and Appa head into the library.

After entering the library, they hear something approaching and hide behind ornate columns. A huge black white-faced owl comes out. After a few moments taking in his surroundings, the owl speaks, telling the group he knows they are there. Professor Zei comes out excitedly and introduces himself. The owl is less than impressed and tells the Professor he should leave or he will stuff him like an animal trophy. The others come out from hiding and Sokka asks if he is the spirit who brought the library to the physical world to which the owl says yes. The Knowledge Spirit then informs them that humans are not permitted in the library anymore because they abuse the knowledge in his library. After Aang promises they will not abuse the knowledge, the owl relents but only after each provides some knowledge for the library. The Professor offers a first edition book; Katara offers a waterbending scroll; Aang offers his wanted poster and Sokka offers a specialty tied knot. After accepting these donations to his library (some of which he is less than impressed with), the Knowledge Spirit descends into the lower levels allowing the group to look around.

Meanwhile, Toph attempts to make small talk with Appa outside. She explains to Appa how because the sand is loose her “seeing” abilities are blurred (similar to when a person who wears glasses removes them).

Back inside the library, the group looks around and we learn that in a previous life, Aang was once left-handed. Sokka finds a parchment stating the darkest day of the Fire Nation with a date. The group then goes in search of a Fire Nation wing of the library. Once they find it, they are shocked to discover everything has been destroyed by firebenders. From nowhere a fox appears and indicates that it will lead them to where they can get more information. The fox opens a door to a planetarium and shows them how to use it. Katara suggests putting the date from the parchment and then run the machine. Once this is done, they realize a solar eclipse will incapacitate the firebenders in a manner similar to how the removal of the moon affected the waterbenders. Just as Sokka is gloating about how the firebenders going down, the Knowledge Spirit appears. Understandably angry, he flaps his wings and begins sinking the library. The group begins to flee with the owl chasing them.

Outside, Toph realizes the library is sinking. Her initial attempt to stop the sinking proves fruitless as she begins to sink herself, but she then manages to solidify some sand around her feet while using her fists to slow the library’s decent.

As the chase inside the library continues, Sokka has Aang come with him back to the planetarium so they can see if or when the next solar eclipse will happen before the return of Sozin’s comet. The spirit continues to chase Katara and the Professor as Aang and Sokka head back.

While continuing to hold up the library, Toph becomes aware that others are there. Sandbenders arrive, but Toph can not make out who is there or where they are.

Aang and Sokka begin checking dates from that day to the arrival of Sozin’s comet and eventually find the date of the next solar eclipse, which is in a few months away.

Alternating between holding up the library and shooting random shots at the sandbenders, Toph loses her battle to protect Appa while continuing to hold the library up from sinking.

The Knowledge Sprit catches up to Katara and tells her he is versed in all types of waterbending styles and her bending will do her no good. Suddenly Sokka drops down on the owl and knocks it out. As they begin to ascend the rope, Sokka calls to the Professor who refuses to leave. The spirit regains consciousness and shakes Sokka and Katara off the rope, but Aang manages to catch them and flies them out of the library. Realizing they are out, Toph releases her grip on the library and it vanishes into the sand. Although initially happy at the discovery of a weakness to the Fire Nation, the mood changes once hey realize Appa is gone. A tear goes down Aang's face and the camera pans to the sun and fades to black.

=Translation=


 * The writing on Professor Zei's map reads 萬知堂神祕圖書館, meaning "Wan Shi Tong's Mysterious Library". Wan Shi Tong 萬知堂 (wàn zhī táng) means "He Who Knows 10.000 Things".
 * The parchment documenting the Fire Nation's Darkest Day reads 培治龍年七月九日烈火國最黑暗的一天, which means "The 9th day of the 8th month of the Cultivate Rule Dragon Year was the darkest day in Fire Nation history."
 * The Chinese characters around the calendar wheel read 氜武, 淳泰, 坧元, 烱裕, 氜隆, 溢文, 培治, 昆德, 氲貞, ?明, ?平, 煬崇,  ?安, 渾順, 坦正, 焯光. Some of the characters are no longer used in modern Chinese.
 * The date of the Day of Black Sun is set on the dial as "the 1st day of the 8th month of the Superior Military Monkey Year" (氜武猴年八月一日). This translates to August 1st in the Gregorian Calendar. However, if the world of Avatar uses the Chinese lunar calendar, the date would fall sometime in mid to late August or September.