This was an average day, filled with average people, average 8 hours of slaving work…. Rain…… crying children on the street………… My chronic back pain, which is something that’s quite NOT average, it’s quite extraordinary painful actually… And finally, BOOKS!!! I’m quite the reader, it the one thing that keeps me going. Name’s Martyn by the way. I’m 18 years old and I work part time at a comic store down the street from my small 1 room apartment. I recently moved here, far away from my hectic family. Trying to find a new place to fit in. But apparently “fitting in” is something that’s quite hard for a guy who would sell a child for a book. I wonder why that is? I mean, we sell like animal babies and stuff like that all the time? Isn’t that quite a normal thing? Oh well, back to me. I’m working at this store, trying to get every last drop of delicious experience reading books! Well comics, but nonetheless literature!

I did send in a job application for the library instead, hoping to get access to more advanced and teaching literature. Wonder why I didn’t get the job? It’s not like I don’t know how read, how to sort books, how to “BEEP” a book and handing the customer their chosen piece of literature? Man, I even taught myself a way to shut a crying child up by asserting my supremacy with an evil glare. I’m perfect!

As I thought of how much of an amazing piece of man I actually am, while moving in between the only two real bookcases in the store, a hooded figure bumped into me. I tripped, fell and broke the stores very trusty dust remover “Mr. Broom”. Even though my heart ached at the thought of the fine piece of broom, and my only real friend. Which had now been destroyed under my bum. I hurried up on my feet, ready to chase the culprit of this murder.

However I didn’t get to run for much more than 5 seconds before my scrawny body decided the murder of Mr. Broom, wasn’t worth the hassle of moving. I went back inside the store, past the remains of Mr. Broom, and stumbled upon a book which was dropped on the floor. It looked like the murderous culprit had dropped it out of their bag or something.

I looked inside, but didn’t understand a single word, it didn't even contain a single letter which I understood. I thought this might be either a diary wrote in code, or an expensive old relic. Whatever it was, it might have some value to the owner, and if he or she ever do come back to get it, I’ll be here, ready to confront them!!

An hour went by and no one had asked for the book. Just a few obviously underaged guys who came to check out the “Funny section”.

I started daydreaming about the future, far away from sitting behind a comic store counter, and selling stuff which I would be able to write in a heartbeat. I want to one day share with the world my enormous creativity, and talent for writing books! I want to write all kind of books!! Novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, poetry… EVERYTHING!!! Everything but damn comics!!

My daydreaming was rudely and abruptly interrupted by a childish figure, who poked my cheek.

Childish figure - "Excuse me kiddo, have you seen my Caulis?"

Me being the very patient, understanding and absolutely reasonable man that I am. I looked at the child and simply said.

Martyn - “Who the f… Ehem… Who might you be? You don’t go around poking peoples faces, that’s a bit rude. And you shouldn’t be calling other people “Kiddo” when you’re barely old enough to visit the store yourself”

Childish figure – “Oh that’s right, in this world people are stupid… Let me try again. H E L L O, D O, Y O U, U N D E R S T A N D, M E?

I rolled my eyes and then came to my sense. This kid was the person who ran into me an hour ago! I pushed the persons hood off to see the kids face, and long beautiful blue hair fell out, and suddenly I noticed a quite mature and beautiful female face. I had to break out of the state of shock that this caused and quickly gain my calm again.

This was when I noticed her face looking quite angrily at me. I wondered what was wrong, and before I had the chance to ask, she punched my belly. Forcing me to the ground for the second time today.

Girl – “Who said you could touch me you creep?”

Martyn – “Hey, you touched me first! You even punched me now, that’s illegal you know!”

Girl – “Why would I care?”

Martyn – “Because!.....”

Martyn – “Because I got your book! And if you don’t act nice, then you won’t get it back!”

Girl – “Book? Oh you mean my Caulis. Where is it?”

Martyn – “Right on the counter over there”

The girl moves over to the counter, picking up the book, and starts to move towards the exit

Girl – “Thank you, see you around”

Martyn – “…. WAIT A MOMENT!”

The girl ignores me and leaves the store. I start to run after her, this time forcing my pathetic body over its limits, just to keep up with her.

She walks into a alley way, and I follow her in there.

I lose sight of her whereabouts, and start to slow down. But suddenly she comes from around the corner and puts a hand on my mouth to keep me silent. Her body is very close to my own, last time a female was even remotely this close to me, it was my mother throwing me out.

She whispers to me.

Girl – “You gotta be silent, or else they’ll find us”

At this point in time, I start to panic. “Is this some kind of horror book?!” I start thinking to myself.

Girl – “Tsch, they found me”

Two huge lizard looking beings came around the corner and attacked us. She pulled us both to the side, to avoid them. But their moves are swift, and they are in close pursuit of us.

Girl – “Damn, I can’t fight them like this, in this world”

The girl pushes the two lizards back which a swing of her hand. Then she hastily opens the book. A strong flickering light lights up the whole alleyway. And before I could blink, my world turned upside down, and I was falling from the sky.

“This is it” I thought, as I was remembering my sad life which included no girls, no friends, I didn’t even read all the books I wanted to read… And I never finished my first book either, what a sad time to leave the planet.

I closed my eyes, waiting for my inevitable pending doom.

“Squiiish”. I had hit something extremely bouncy, which saved me from death.

Martyn – “Is this some kind of gel?”

I looked up, and I saw the girl. But she looked older, around my age now, she even got taller. She pointed towards something. I looked in the same direction, and saw the two lizards… WHO HAD GROWN FIVE TIMES IN SIZE!! This gel might had saved me once, but my inevitable doom was never gone, even for a moment.

But at the very least I wouldn’t want to die a coward, this was my chance to actually be someone cool for once. I hurried up on my feet again, and did my best to run through the gel. I ran towards the girl, and stood right in front of her and the two raging beasts, who had started to gallop towards us.

Martyn – “RUUN!”

Girl – “What are you doing?”

Martyn – “Huh?”

A metallic substance had been created from the tip of the finger. And a blast was shot right under my elbow, shaving every hair I had saved up the last 18 years of my life.

I looked forward to seeing the two bloody remains of the ginormous beasts lying on the ground. She had killed them effortlessly.

I fell to the ground in shock. “This is the third time she made me fall to the ground, pathetic” I thought to myself.

Girl – “I’ve never seen a being from your world being transported to ours”

Martyn – “My world? What do you mean?”

Girl – “Oh right, your kind are stupid. This is the world of Sokan!”

Martyn – “And what country is that in?”

Girl – “You don’t get it, this is a whole other dimension”

Martyn – “…….”

“Alright, so either I’m going crazy, or I just ended up in a cliché anime plot…”

Martyn – “And how can I trust that you’re telling me the truth?”

Girl – “Well, look at your body, it’s obviously quite happy to be here”

In a rush I pulled my hand down to cover my pants.

Girl – “Idiot… Not that kind of happy, look at your body”

I looked at myself, starting with my arms, who had suddenly grown in size, now I looked like a normal human being, instead of the weak vegetable which I looked like before.

The rest of my body had grown in size as well. It was as if my body had been filled with nutrients and became strong.

Martyn – “How is this possible? I’m the weakest guy I know, and suddenly I look like the average adult, if not even a bit stronger?”

Girl – “Well, I guess you have a talent for maigc, just like me. You saw how I changed as well, right?”

Well she isn’t lying… Every single detail about her has changed to some degree. She has become a beautiful young lady, instead of the annoying brat she was before.

Girl – “Well, you don’t have to worry, I can transport you right back into your own world”

Wait… A whole new world? Doesn’t that mean it will be a world with a whole new culture of literature? This is a gold mine, I should abuse this chance as long as I can!

Martyn – “WAIT! I got an interest in books, would you mind letting me have some of them on my journey home? Or maybe stay for a bit to read some of them?”

Girl – “Books? Oh, you mean Caulis! Well, you can’t really read other peoples Caulis, so I don’t know how that would be possible.

Caulis? That's what they call them here I guess.

Martyn – “But what about libraries, or book stores? I mean Caulis stores? Aren’t any of those accessible to the public?”

Girl – “I’m sorry, but we don’t have any of that here”

Martyn – “Don’t you write stories down, or at the very least draw them in picture books?”

Girl – “We do have paintings, but not about stories. Stories are things we talk about, isn’t that how your world does it?”

A world without books. This is such a sad place. I can’t leave a world like this, it would be against my morals as a write!

Martyn – “Let me stay, I’ll enlighten this worlds people with books!”

Girl – “Sorry, Can’t let you stay, even if I wanted to. It’s against this worlds laws to let anyone not from here come, it shouldn't even be possible in the first place.”

She opens her Caulis once again, she looks at me and starts chanting.

Guess I’m going home again, I can’t really fight against another worlds laws, and there’s no proof that they would what I wrote anyway… Oh well, goodbye new world, and hello old.

She stops chanting.

Martyn – “Eeeh…. Why did you stop?”

Girl – “Yeah, here’s the thing. I guess the world has chosen you as its hero or something? Basically, I can’t send you home even if I wanted to…. Oh yeah btw, my name is Zaran, my friends call me Z!!”

Martyn – “Wait what?”

To be continued