Traveler

Reader

I stepped inside the door that loomed so magnificently above me, framed in a dark mahogany that contrasted beautifully with the birch-colored engravings along its length. It reminded me of a portal, and as beautiful as the door was, I knew that what lay inside it must have been even better.

It was.

The room had walls of birch with mahogany engravings that portrayed stories. Maybe they were just swirls and floral designs, things that seemed to be common here. But to me, the "swirls" took on the shape of a mother and her daughter, lying on the floor together and laughing down at a book. The sharp-edged designs showed peril and danger. A man lost at sea in a storm.

My violet-tinted eyes scanned the walls, awe taking over.

The walls weren't even the best part.

Below that rested tall, dark bookcases. I felt my breathing grow shallow simply at the sheer number of books that rested on their shelves, hundreds upon thousands, all in different sizes and colors and yet somehow fitted together beautifully and perfectly.

The room was circular, and the bookshelves seemed to be fitted to the walls, wrapping around the room smoothly and leaving as much space as possible in the middle of the huge library.

There, several tables of dark wood rested, each with four cushioned chairs around it. The chairs had a base of some wood even paler than the birch, and dark cushions that matched the table.

I realized suddenly that I could live here for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy.

As I stared in awe at the magnificent array of books, a voice sounded from behind me.

"Like it, dear?"

It took a moment for her words to register, but I didn't wait, caught entirely off guard. "Wha—oh, yes," I replied softly as I spun around to face the voice.

An elderly woman smiled up at me. Her white hair was pulled back into a braid, and she was paler than anyone I'd ever seen. In fact, the only things about her that weren’t white were her eyes. They were a beautiful chocolaty brown, and I just had to wonder how they still were as clear as they seemed to be.

She was smiling knowingly at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. "It's...beautiful," I added, suddenly at a loss for words.

The woman nodded, her eyes lighting up. "It is." Then her gaze darkened. "And yet they try to take it away."

"They? Who's 'they?' What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "That I cannot tell, but you will know. Oh, you will know when you see them." Then she started mumbling, almost to herself, "They try to take away the books, but they do not know the power words hold. I must protect them...” she continued in her mutterings, and I stood off to the side, a bit awkward but mostly still in awe of the magnificent library.

"Do you have any favorites, dear?"

The sudden question threw me off guard again. I started before answering. "Oh! Um, no, actually. I...I didn't really grow up with books like these."

She made a clucking sound with her tongue. "Oh, dear, that won't do."

Before I could even open my mouth, she had moved away from the desk and was scanning the vast isles of books, running her hand along their spines as she walked, muttering the names to herself. "The Messenger, Legends, The Searcher..."

Finally she let out a little cry of happy recognition. "Yes! Here we go."

She pulled down a book with a deep red cover and handed it to me. I took it, blinking in surprise. "You'd just...give this to me?"

"Well, now, every reader needs a favorite book. I think that this one may just find a place in your heart." As she said it, she gently placed one papery hand over my heart.

I blinked and smiled. "Thank you."

She simply waved my words away. "Now, take that and go do something beautiful."

When I left the library, I tried to turn around to wave at the woman, but she had already buried her nose in a book. I smiled and headed out. Maybe I’d do something beautiful, like she said. But for now, I was going to settle down someplace and read.

~*~*~*~

Wow! My wonderful readers have made it this far! Thanks, guys!

Sorry again for the slow start...Chapter Five should finally bring some action in for you guys. Get ready to meet the Speaker!

I hope you've enjoyed this new world my characters are in. Without giving too much away, there seems to be two sections: the City and everywhere else. We really have only received a name for the City, but we know that it is the only place we've seen so far that actually has a government, and therefore, laws. It's a utopia. Isn't it?

Thank you guys so, so much for reading this far! I hope for some follows, reviews, and (dare I say it?) votes soon!

Keep reading!

~Raine