Between Dark and Light

After walking in the never-ending woods for hours, I felt like I should give up trying to find my way out. The sun shone hard, making me sweat from the heat. I desperately wanted to find some shelter. My satchel was resting upon my hip, starting to feel heavier and heavier with each step I took. The woods almost acknowledged my wish as I saw a large old castle appear no more than a thousand meters in front of me. I gathered up my energy and ran to the door.

When I opened the door and walked in, the most calming music I have ever heard seemed began. The lights rose into a warm yellow that casted light upon thousands of books squished into any part of the room possible. Every corner of the room was filled to the brim with stories, maps, legends, almost anything you could think of.

I started walking around the room, my eyes drifting towards a section with old spines barely staying together. The covers felt like they held a mysterious energy. When looking at the face of the book, I could feel the energy of the story.

The light followed my gaze to highlight the title of whatever spine I was looking at that particular moment. I saw books written in different languages that had notes scribbled along the margins. I picked up one thin book, but when I opened it, it was very empty. With no words, the drawings stood out and captured my attention. It showed someone with a satchel skipping through the woods. Then next page showed nothing, as if it was never finished. Upon placing it back on the shelf, the wood glowed a soft lavender, as if it was returned to its rightful place.

The farther I walked in the massive room, the more mysteries appeared. Vines sprouting from the ceiling perfectly draped over reading nooks filled with chairs, beds, blankets. The ceiling felt like it touched the sky, with dark columns and arches all around. When you looked up, you could see different floors that kept going and going. There were spiral staircases that brought you up from each floor to the next. Some books seemed to be floating down from another floor to go into a new bookshelf, declaring it a new home. There were stained glass windows that scaled the walls.

One nook seemed to stand out to me. It appeared to be more closed off than the rest. It was still well lit but was dark enough that you could still feel enclosed in your own area of the library. There was a dark tone tablet floating as you entered the area that rose up to eye level when you stood in front of it. The music floating around me began to b as the tablet rose. The lights dimmed until the only thing I could see was the tablet.

Gold shimmering letters formed into the face of the cold stone in front of me. Characters I had never seen floated and rearranged themselves until I was able to understand what they said. A breeze floated around me pushing me forward until I was so close to the tablet that any step forward would have pushed me right into it. My eyes opened wide like saucers as I began reading the gold shimmering words:

You have entered the eternal story

Move forward or behind but you will never leave

You are part of the room, accept the glory

Never once have we been told no; do you wish to be the exception?

Yes or no

After saying no, I felt like I was floating away. My eyes closed naturally, and once they reopened; I had entered a forest. It seemed familiar with its trees as tall as mountains and sun piercing through the sky to attack you. A hand on my shoulder grasped my attention, and when I saw who it was, I began to cry.