University of Glasgow Library

The University of Glasgow Library is where Ollie arranges to meet Shay the morning after a performance, and where their meeting moves from a public rendezvous into a small private room. The library’s upper floors provide the setting for Ollie to prepare a camera and show Shay a dated portrait, turning the visit into the beginning of a disclosure.

Appointment at the Library

Ollie sends Shay a message asking him to meet at the University of Glasgow Library the following day at 11 a.m. Shay is surprised both by the invitation and by the fact that Ollie has obtained his phone number, though he assumes the meeting is for work. Still recovering from the previous night’s performance and a long sleep, he wonders whether the message might be a dream before recognizing that its possibility feels welcome.

The Upper-Floor Room

At the library, Ollie leads Shay upstairs. They take a lift to the eighth floor, where Ollie selects books, then climb the stairs to the highest level. He uses a key to enter a private room, smaller than the room they had used in Belfast: it has no windows, and two chairs are crowded around a compact table. The space is too small for the stack of books Ollie has carried up four flights, so he leaves them on the floor and places his laptop on the table.

Camera and Sketch

Ollie becomes absorbed in the laptop, then sets up a tripod and camera while Shay waits. On the screen is a black-and-white pencil sketch of a long-curly-haired woman, dated 1694. The image gives the library meeting a specific purpose beyond their reunion: Ollie has brought material for Shay to examine, and the private room provides a controlled space for showing it. The scene ends with Shay asking who the woman is, just before Ollie offers to explain.