5 Books For Eveline

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2

The book, within its brown paper packaging sat upon the kitchen table as Purdy made her evening meal. A simple plate of conchigilie pasta with lashings of mature, grated cheddar on top. It was by no means healthy, but it tasted satisfying and easy to prepare. Sitting at a heavy, solid wood table for six, she ate in silence, not even music playing. She found it easier to deal with, this way.

In a house far too big for herself, the silence felt like a comforting blanket, wrapping around her in centuries old stone and plaster. Wooden beams and low ceilings helped to make the house feel smaller, though she need only step out into the entrance corridor, see the wide stairs and the number of doors leading from it, to have a physical reminder that the house had space for far more people than herself alone.

Dropping the plate, fork and the pan into the dishwasher, she kicked the door closed and grimaced. She still forgot that she couldn't move with as much ease as she used to, though she couldn't recall a time when she could. Collecting her walking stick, hanging from the back of the kitchen chair, she picked up the book and made her slow, halting journey upstairs to the bathroom.

Once she had filled the bath, she put the unopened book to the side and undressed, before stepping over the lip and lowering herself into the soothing, prickling hot water. She didn't really need to bathe. She had installed a sit-down shower in the en-suite bathroom, in her room, if she only needed to wash away the dirt and cares of the day. The bath helped with the constant pain of her hip.

In the bath, without any weight upon her legs, it almost felt as though she didn't still suffer from her injury. It felt freeing and she allowed herself to float within the deep, roll-topped bath, leaving only her face poking out from the surface of the water, staring at the ceiling. She could lay there for hours, were it not for the water turning cold far too fast for her liking.

With reluctance, she climbed out, after a good hour of soaking, and watched the water flow and circle and gurgle from the tub, sweeping the remaining bubbles up towards the plug end, before wrapping a towel around her, picking up the book and heading towards her room to change for the night.

In silk, full-length pyjamas, a Japanese-style dressing gown and thick, calf-length socks, she carried the book into her library, where she turned on the wood-effect gas fire and collapsed into the huge Chesterfield chair, leaning her walking stick against the nearby wall. Now she could take the time to read.

Her finger ran under the folded lip of the paper bag, popping the sticky tape. She laid the bag aside as she removed the book and, once again, flicked through the pages. She couldn't understand why the book had no identifying features. It was new, she felt certain about that, and should have everything a new book always had. A barcode, an ISBN, copyright text. The book had none of these. Not even the author's name.

As she began to read, she found herself immersed within the story from the very beginning. It didn't contain the best prose, she noticed several spelling and grammar mistakes, but she found it compelling. Before long, she didn't even notice the poor editing. The book had captured her imagination and drew her in to a familiar, unfamiliar world. A world where a young girl, called Eveline, lived in and around Bishop's Fall. The town Purdy once called home, but where she now only lived.

It wasn't a long book, only around the length of a novella, but still Purdy finished reading it far faster than she had expected to. Or, at least, she thought she had. A quick look at the large, mahogany bodied clock, on the mantlepiece above the fire, Purdy noticed she had stayed up into the small hours reading.

It was as though the book had drawn her into Eveline's life, painting a picture with words of the girl and her many adventures as she explored the town and the landscape surrounding it. They weren't even particularly exciting adventures, either. Events no different, Purdy supposed, than any other young girl's life. The author, however, had a way of describing Eveline's feelings to perfection. The interactions with Eveline's mother and father, with the other people within the town. The names of some of those people familiar to Purdy, though she couldn't say she knew them.

Her hand rested upon the final page as she gazed into the flickering flames of the fire. The forefinger of her other hand played across her lips as she thought about the places mentioned within the book, the illustrations bringing some of them to detailed life. She knew of these places, though she couldn't recall ever going to them.

A yawn escaped her lips as she arched her back, rising an arm towards the ceiling. Almost too late, she realised she had let the book slip. It began to slide from her knee and her hand flashed out to catch it and, as her hand caught it, she heard a light cracking sound and saw the very back, blank page, split into two separate pages.

The two pages still connected along two sections of the edges and, with great care, she slipped her finger inside, tapping outwards to open the pages completely. What she saw almost made her gasp. There, within the hidden two pages, were more words. A few paragraphs on one side and a long list of place names and numbers upon the facing page. And, there at the top, she saw, handwritten, '2 of 20'.

She began to read the revealed words.

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There are five books detailing the story of Eveline, of which you hold in your hand the first. It was my intention, from the very beginning, that the story of Eveline would reach only the eyes of those that would appreciate it. Therefore, if this story is not for you, then, please, pass it on to someone who may appreciate it.

The number of copies of this book are very limited. Only twenty were printed and there will never be a second printing, the original manuscript no longer exists.

As I have said, there are five books in this story. The remaining four books await you, if you feel you have the necessary information to find them. Within the pages of this book, you will find one hundred places mentioned within the text, the list you can see on the opposite page. Of these one hundred places, only in fifteen of those places will you find the second book of Eveline's story.

Clues within the text of this first book will lead you to the correct fifteen places, other clues will tell you where to look in those fifteen places. There, you will find a copy of the second book for Eveline. Please only take one of the books, even if you learn the locations of all fifteen.

In the second book, there will be another hundred places and clues leading to the third book. There are only ten copies of the third book. From the third book, you will find clues to the fourth book, of which there are only five copies. From the fourth book, you will find clues to the fifth, and final, book for Eveline.

There is only one copy of the fifth book for Eveline.

I hope and trust that the continuing story of Eveline, and her life as she grows from a child into a young, vibrant woman, will make you want to search for the other books.

Happy hunting!

Forever yours, the Author.

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Purdy felt a thrill of excitement pass through her, the kind of excitement she had not felt in so very long. An excitement born of finally finding something that interested her more than for a morbid sense of reconnection with a past that she wasn't even sure she could ever regain. Nor was she sure she even wanted to regain it. This was something new. Something that interested her.

And, along the way, it may even rekindle her sense of optimism for that morbid past. The book was set within Bishop's Fall. The locations where the next book could be found were within the town, also. This was a chance to walk through a forgotten past, hand-in-hand with the character of Eveline. A character that Purdy felt a deep affinity for in a way she had never felt for a story character before.

Although 'For Eveline' would never win any literary contests, the way the author had described Eveline, her emotions, her hopes and her dreams, her sadness and her happiness, all resonated with Purdy. Resonated deep within her soul. With that in mind, she had no other option but to find the second book 'For Eveline', and hope that she had luck on her side to find that precious one of fifteen.