DAYDREAMER

PROLOGUE

The inside of the building wasn't any less intriguing than the peculiar sight of the exterior, it was the size of a compact bedroom, decked with several outlandish trinkets and relics that lined the many shelves that sat on the greying walls, the room was illuminated by a small silver chandelier that coloured the room a dim hazy yellow. Sitting before me was a man behind a dusty wooden counter, he looked to be in his thirties with slicked black hair that he held tied in a ponytail, with dull blue eyes that stared into nothingness. He wore a black tailored shirt with a white tie which was neatly tucked in. He wore a badge that sat on his patch pocket with the name "Colton D. Flynn" written in golden cursive. He was immersed in an old book and upon hearing my steps he raised his head to look, his face lit up at the sight of a new customer.

"How can I help you?" He grinned; I forced a smile

"Just looking around." I replied.

His face lowered at my response, and he returned to his morose demeanor, clearly unimpressed with the answer. I glanced around the room once again, scanning the novelties that sat on the shelves, one item caught my attention. It was a black leather-bound book that had queer inscriptions and symbols bordering it, in the centre of the book lay a Greek painting of a sun with an eye in the middle of it. I picked it off the shelf and blew the dust off.

"How much is this?" I ask. Spluttering from the dust particles scattering across the enclosed space.

The man looked up at me once again, and then my choice of purchase, his sullen face warps into something of a sinister grin. I began to fidget.

"That'll be £10.99." He responded, switching glances between me and the book.

"What's it about?" I ask, scrutinizing the book further.

"Bunch of nonsense really, speaks of the mysteries of the universe, how to tap into it, I was never quite into that sort of thing,"

"You wouldn't expect a book of that nature to come as cheap as you sell it," I chuckled.

"You'd be correct, but I don't put a price on these things," he admitted.

Reaching into my pocket, I count the change I had, £7.00, not enough. The man had seemed to acknowledge this and whispered,

"I'll tell you what," he grabbed the book, and began to rip some pages out, stacking them in a pile by his desk.

"You can pay £7.00 for this," He pointed at the book, "When you're ready, you can pay for the rest of 'em, they'll be right here," His grinning now ear to ear. Peculiar way to go about business, I did not put too much thought into it, however.

"Well, thank you! I appreciate your help," I was unsure of how to respond appropriately.

"Anytime, pleasure doing business with you... Mr?"

"Filmore." I answered, the idea of giving my name to just anyone irritated me, but it is common courtesy to answer a question, especially from a person of service.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr Filmore." He raised his arm for a handshake, sceptical, I took it and headed for the door.

13:45

I returned home after a rather productive shopping spree; unsurprisingly, my arms gave out and I dropped the grocery bags on the floor of the entryway, I contemplated the rest of the house from where I stood with the same familiar warm homely feeling I always felt. It was nice to see my house; I wouldn't stop enjoying the sight, regardless of the amount of time I spend away from it. I step into the lounge and sit on the rocking chair, warmed by the glow of the fire dancing in the fireplace. Silence, just the way I'd have preferred it, if I had things my way. Preparations for the flight needed to take place soon, but I had a reasonable amount of time left before I needed to be at the airport. I dug into my rucksack and retrieved the quaint book, starting to slowly flick through the aging pages, all written in gibberish and more symbols, nothing that I had ever seen before, yet alone understand in the slightest. The pages were worn and cream, some pages were missing completely after the odd business transaction with the strange shopkeeper. After flicking through all of them, I made it to the back of the book. The dark leather binding was intact and cleaner in comparison to the rest of the tome; stuck onto the interior of the binding was a small brooch, golden, with the same Greek-sun eye I saw on the front of the book. It was an attractive trinket, making for a nice gift. I examined it further, analysing every minor detail I could find. It was a fascinating novelty, I pinned it on my jacket and strode over to my study to continue my work before I prepared for the journey ahead of me.

16:00

The sun was starting to set, falling below the horizon, replacing the azure skies with a faint rosy gold aura that outstretched for miles. Twilight hours were upon me. During the time, I had retired into my bedroom to prepare my suitcase for the journey ahead, harder than expected; many of my possessions were either too small or too delicate to fit into such a small suitcase, and I wasn't too fond of letting them go either, a lot of compromises had to be made in the end; it wasn't ideal, but it was necessary. After I had eventually finished the packing, I collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. I finally had time to myself to relax and tend to my own interests, heading downstairs, I grabbed the book and brought it with me to my bedroom, the chiming of the clocktower bells ringing once again as I moved. I inspected the book once more... Something had changed, I couldn't see any visual changes, yet I felt a difference.

20:00

I had been reading for far too long, so long in fact, that I did not regard the time, my flight was set to leave in an hour, yet I felt glued to my bed, eyeing the pages with inauthentic interest, as if I were reading for the sake of the book and not myself. It felt as if the symbols are communicating each in their own unique way, though I tried to digress from the hypnotic trance the book had me in. I couldn't take my eyes off it. Not for a minute, not for a second. I simply couldn't bring myself to. This curious sensation fascinated me, I brought the book down to my office and started jotting down notes in my journal. Occasionally I would contemplate the brooch I wore, it glistened against the illuminating glow of the small desk lamp, I had pondered many questions.

24:00

Many questions indeed, though, not all my questions had an answer. Well, at least answers that satisfied me, some of the more pressing questions that existed needed to have answers for my sake, while all the others could remain up for debate. Mine? They were the former, and these questions were mesmerizing. Naturally after reading for as long as I did, I began to feel my body breaking down due to the exhaustion of the day. Perchance, the answers I was looking for were to be found at dawn of the new. All I needed was a rest to clear my mind, or by some chance the answer would come to me during my slumber, I just need to rest for a little while.

24:01?

Go to sleep.

∞

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