Meanwhile, in an alternate dimension...
I rush as fast as my feet can carry me towards the library, anxious to get away from school. I want to do something calming like shelving books or reorganizing the reality section. I'm desperate to do anything to help me forget about what happened today.
I run past the school's grass fields, stop at the gravel road and look towards the two buildings that make up the school. One is low, made of gray stone with an old wooden door almost falling off the hinges; it only has two windows set in the front with wooden shutters that are the only protection from the wind during the cold months.
This building is called The Dungeon by most and is where the younger kids are taught the realistic things like how to do math and how to read. Most cannot wait till they are old enough to leave The Dungeon and move to The Mind Dome.
The other building (The Mind Dome) is huge and round, made of glistening white stone on top of the stone is a glass dome that glitters in the sun as I stare at it unable to tear my eyes away. The things that started my troubles up to now are the thick enchanted oaken doors, attached to the building with golden hinges. They have moving pictures on them that vary depending on who you are, or so they say.
But today when they were shown to me for the first time I saw nothing, which is punishable by death... or worse. So of course I pretended I'd seen something but I am now afraid I will pay for it. I look away from the accursed buildings and run as fast as I can into the woods, away from all my troubles. Or so I hope.
I reach The Library and sit down on the polished marble steps, my breaths coming in shallow gasps. On either side of the stairs are huge, marble lions with wings spread out as though they may fly away at any second. I look up at The Library, made completely of marble, only one story high, with hardly any windows.
I get up feeling my breath returning to me and open the dull bronze door that leads in to the building. It is as usual, dark and musty. The only light to be found comes from the oil lamps attached to the wall in haphazard places. All the windows are covered with dust, so the light that comes through is dull and lifeless.
On my left is a little desk strewn with papers and books and in a little chair sitting on the other side is Mr. Humphrey fast asleep and snoring, with a book entitled, {How To Not Let Dreaming Take Over Your Life}, sitting precariously over his face. How ironic.
And on my right (and truth be told everywhere in between) are shelves upon shelves filled with old dusty books. There are precarious stacks of books all over the floor and on top of book cases and quite a few of the books are old and worn with pages falling out and covers coming off. It's a mess and has been ever since I volunteered to start working here for Mr. Humphrey.
Though there are sections I've worked on long enough to start seeing progress in some places. I'm quite proud of myself for accomplishing such a feet especially since Mr. Humphrey never helps. He sleeps most of the time either at his desk or at one of the other chairs placed around his private library and when he is awake he doesn't make much sense and normally just pulls a random book from a shelf I've just finished sorting, sit down right where he is and read it. He's a strange old man that's for sure.
I make my way through the library, towards the spot that I'm working on and I am sure to be careful not to knock down any of the book stacks on my way there.
I keep walking until the book stacks turn into huge book pyramids, I turn left and then I step into my little spot of the library. I like to call it the reality section, because I go around and try to find all the books I can on subjects like, math, science, languages and history. I also look for instruction manuals (they're my favorite), dictionaries, thesauruses, ect. They're always really hard to find but it's worth it.
What happened today was a good reminder as to why I like reality so much. Shivers go down my spine and I try to forget about the horrible Nightmares that came after me today in class. I scold myself for thinking of it and get to work, hunting through the stacks and isles of dusty old tomes trying to find things that interest me and bring them back to my little clean spot. I sit down and start going through this book on Dragon Flies, which are small black and orange striped dragons about the size of my hand that live in huge hives stuck to the sides of mountains.
I go to put it on my shelf by the other dragon biology books, when I feel a strong cold grip on my shoulder. I yelp and drop the book on the floor in a flurry of pages. I slowly lean over to pick it up and turn around. Standing there, to no surprise is Mr. Humphrey. His cold blue eyes seeming to stare me down, more alert than I've ever seen them. Unfortunately, that is the only change to his appearance. He is still wearing his old tweed jacket which is fraying around the collar and has ink stains around the sleeves, with a crimson vest underneath that is riddled with holes and has a huge drool stain going down the front. But the worst part is that he doesn't wear shoes and his feet are nastiest, stinkiest things ever.
It is not abnormal for him to sneak up on me, I'll admit. I will still probably never get used to it though. He's so close to me now that I can smell his breath, like rotten fish and see his crooked yellow teeth. His brow furrows and he whispers to me. "Run boy, they are here." He starts to cough and to my horror he coughs up blood right into my face, I try to get away from him but his grip is to strong the last thing I hear him say is "She has the other key".
His eyes roll into his head and he collapses, it is then that I see it, a burning hole in the fabric of his jacket and underneath, a black circle burnt into his skin, the mark of the nightmares. I feel a surge of panic roll up from inside me and my stomach does a somersault, the next thing I know I'm running back the way I came.
My heart is pounding in my ears and my stomach churns and I have to try my hardest to keep myself from gagging. I start seeing little black dots swirling around in my vision and I almost run into several piles of books until, finally I have to stop. I really did not realize how out of shape I was till now. I get down and crawl on all fours to the nearest bookshelf and promptly upchuck all the contents of my lunch from earlier in the day.
My vision starts getting dark around the edges and I think I fainted. Because the next thing I know I'm lying in a puddle of vomit. I think I hear hissing just a few rows away from where I'm laying. My eyes fly open and suddenly I'm alert and don't care if I have puke all over my shirt. I know that sound, it's the sound of a nightmare when it knows there is no escape for its prey. Like a snake about to strike and eat its victim whole.
I get up but this time I'm more cautious, I step around the puke on the floor and slowly tiptoe away from the hissing noises of the nightmares and towards the only other exit I know of. The front entrance is undoubtedly guarded and I do not want to run into anymore nightmares. It feels like an eternity as I creep around huge book shelves and rush through the gaps between them. I'm in the middle of doing just that when I trip over a lone book and end up taking a huge stack down with me. When the books come to a stop, I can feel the silence pressing in on me like something dreadful is about to happen.
I slowly get up and stand as still as I can. When I hear the howling, which lights your bones on fire and sends Icy water down your spine, the only sound known to man to induce such fears as to freeze you where you stand. The panic does not hold me for long, because they are too far and I am too determined. I abandon all caution and flat out run, tripping over books and stubbing my toes so many times that I may as well be an elephant. It doesn't help that it's almost night fall and the lanterns are few and far between.
But I do finally make it to the back of the library and begin to look for that little hidden switch I had found earlier this month hidden under the dusty wallpaper. I feel around the wall rubbing my fingers through the thick dust that clings to everything.
Until I find a little tear in the wallpaper and slide my fingers underneath it. I feel the little impression in the wood and my fingers just barely press down on it when I hear the squeaky little door open. I squint through the darkness and just find it as I hear the howling of one nightmare joined by many others.
I get down and crawl through the small wooden door and find myself outside and without a second thought I sprint home. Knowing that it might be the last time I see it and though I would normally be happy about leaving. Tonight all I feel is dread.
