Have you ever read a book that was so incredible, you wished you could live in the story?
Well, I have.
I read a special book about a hero and his trials. Magic and swords. Kings and dragons. All the wonderful things that made up a fantasy world. Exciting adventures across the lands, heart racing battles against monsters, and friendships I didn’t know could be real.
And the best part is
My wish came true.
***
I was a child born from an affair.
My father was the son of a rich man, and my mother was a maid who worked at his home.
Shortly after I was born my mother passed away, and my father chose to give me away to my grandmother.
My grandmother raised me up all alone in an old rundown home in the countryside.
She barely had enough money to pay the bills.
I remember taking clothes out from the donation bins in school.
The kids who caught me would laugh and tease.
Everyday I ate small meals. Sometimes I'd get lucky and get seconds.
I didn't know at the time, that my grandmother was giving me her share.
None of this made us sad though. We were happy living together.
Highschool was where I find out that I was good at studying. After I graduated, I went into a good college.
I was finally going to pay back my grandmother for everything she had done for me.
I found out life wasn't easy when my grandmother fell sick. I chose to drop out of college, and work in order to pay her medical bills. I could go back to school once my grandmother was healthy again.
I prayed and hoped that day would come soon.
Until one morning when I found my grandmother on the sofa, unable to wake up from her sleep.
***
I don’t recall how I managed to call the ambulance.
Before I knew it, I was sitting in a doctor's office.
The doctors told me she had gone peacefully in her sleep with no pain. While she explained to me the details, I continued to stare down at the floor.
My fingers were trembling, and I was unable to look at the doctor's eyes as she spoke to me. If I did, it would make everything feel real. With my grandmother gone, I was alone in this world.
The next day I was at her funeral. I vaguely remember a few people speaking to me, giving me their condolences.
I wasn’t able to look at any of them in the eyes either. I think a part of me felt guilty.
If I made more money, if I tried a little harder, perhaps she would have lived longer.
I was almost glad that my father never showed up.
I stayed at the funeral until all the guests had left.
When I finally lifted my head, I could see my grandmother’s photo hung up. The smile on her face was so peaceful, it made me angry.
The rush of emotions made the tears that I held in, spill out all at once. I couldn’t tell if I was crying because I was sad or angry.
‘How could you leave me like this?’
I stood there in silence while crying for what felt like hours, until I finally turned around to leave.
I walked out of the funeral home, and along the streets next to the road. I passed by countless stores and restaurants as they were closing for the day.
I had to catch a cab to go back home, but instead I was aimlessly walking down the street. I walked for minutes, and hours, until all the stores were closed.
The only lights I had were the few cars that would drive by.
‘What do I do now?’ I thought.
I had lost my sense of purpose.
Helping my grandmother was my reason to keep going, no matter how hard things got.
All the years of effort I put into helping my grandmother get healthy again, just to find out that it was never enough.
While in my thoughts, I saw a light in the darkness. To my surprise, it was coming from a store.
I looked up, curious to find that one was still open.
As if I was being guided towards the only light, I found myself walking towards the front door and opening it.
Ding ding
I hear the door chimes as I entered the store filled with books. The books were not only lined up on the shelves, but also stacked on the floors.
As I looked around, I saw an old man reading a book by the counter. He looked up, and made eye contact with me through his glasses.
“I didn’t expect a customer at this time of night.”
“…”
“Not much of a speaker are you? Well, feel free to look around.”
I nodded softly, and walked into one of the narrow aisles of shelves.
I looked through the many book spines, skimming through the titles. Until my eyes reached one that was black and empty.
“…”
I reached out for the black book, and struggled to pull it out from the shelf. The front and back cover were also empty.
No author or title. I opened the book and saw a rather normal set of chapters and long bodies of texts. At the very end, I found a drawing of a map.
The map was clearly fiction, with land in locations that were very different from reality.
I sat down on the dusty floor, and turned the pages back to chapter one.
To summarize, the book was about a young boy attending an academy that teaches aspiring swordsmen and mages.
This academy was only for the nobles, however the boy was accepted even as a commoner due to his incredible potential.
Although he faced many challenges, he fought through with the help of his friends. The boy eventually becomes a powerful swordsman, fighting against the hidden darkness in the kingdom.
Behind them was an even darker evil, which the boy also overcomes. He goes through the pain of losing loved ones but never gives up.
By the end of the book, he saved the whole world from all evil.
I closed the book, and noticed it was getting bright outside. For quite a thick book, I was surprised at how fast I read it.
It had been a while since I sat and read without thinking about anything else.
The world in the book was so different from my own.
All the characters felt so free and alive, as if they could do anything.
Especially the main character who was strong and confident.
“I wish I could live in your world.”
As I said those words the book started emitting a bright light.
So bright I could go blind.
As the light slowly engulfed me, and I closed my eyes, I could read letters being carved onto the front cover of the book.
“...Faye Vyn?”
And with that my world turned dark.
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