Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time - Chp 2

Milton. North of London.  

Three and a half weeks prior.

John drove easily through the lazy Sunday afternoon traffic. With so few cars on the road, his journey took less than fifteen minutes; five minutes less than usual he thought. He shielded his brilliant blue eyes then adjusted the visor, while heading towards the store at the very eastern part of Milton. For the last week, he had wanted to go there, but could find no opening in his work schedule. It was just as well, as the factory business had to be seen to first.

Pulling into the small parking space in front of the store, he had no worries the books Nicholas mentioned were already sold. His friend had set them aside, giving him the opportunity of first perusal before unleashing the rest to the public. The antique store had remained successful, despite the uneasy economy. Branching out into many different items, Nicholas and his daughter made certain there was something, whether large or small that would draw attention and interest.

The sign above the doorway had not changed since the day the store changed hands over thirty-five years ago. As John inherited the family business so did his friend Nicholas. It was known as Higgins Antiques and Collectibles under the man's father and so it would remain as such with his son and later on with the granddaughter. Very few things changed in Milton.

Entering, John only caught a glimpse of his friend, as the man helped out a customer. There was no need apart from a friendly hello wave to acknowledge his presence. Making his way towards the northeast corner of the store, John walked with a single, minded purpose, for he knew exactly where the new books would be located. As promised, the newly purchased ones were placed on the fourth shelf, just above waist level.

John's eagerness to look through the lot, hoping to find some first editions filled the next hour. He was not disappointed. Though only two first editions were available, a few others caught his interest as long sought after titles were discovered. He was always in awe of his friend finding such, even when the market for them had lessened considerably over the years. Nicholas had his sources he would often say and John was glad of it.

After nearly deciding on the four he wished to purchase, he had been too engrossed in reading a small section from one book, unwilling to wait when he heard and then felt something small hit his leg. Closing the book in his hand and setting it down with the others, John looked to the floor and saw a book that had fallen.

There was nothing remarkable about it. Small, old and beaten, the smell of age and mold emanating from within its closed pages it was just a book, and yet John opened it instead of setting it back on the shelf, taking a quick look inside.

"Hmmm... no title?" John spoke to himself but suddenly wished there was someone close by he could relate his findings to. "Weird, there's no author listed either."

Frowning; the furrow in his brow appearing, he looked in earnest now, carefully searching the flyleaf and the first few pages for any information. Only the handwritten price of two pounds in the top, right corner was found. There was nothing else.

Flipping towards the very back, even there the back page was blank. The rest of the book however, was written in. Letting the pages glide among his fingers, he saw the printed words but still frowned. John tried to reason why there was no title and could only assume it was a diary of sorts.

"Sorry, not interested in diaries."

The book went back towards the shelf. John had lifted it up, ready to slide it in an open slot when he stopped and pulled it out again. He blinked twice, not understanding himself why he acted that way.

It was opened; pages were turned until the first words appeared. When he saw the opening line, he gave a small laugh and felt foolish at reading what was obviously a fairytale.