Prologue
In the basement of a long closed library, a criminal was hiding. He was a young man, no older than twenty. However, this man looked like a nervous wreck. There were dark bags under his eyes, his hair was messy and had not been washed in a week. The man himself stank like week-old roadkill. His stomach groaned fiercely because he had not eaten in two days.
A siren passed by. For a moment, the boy felt a surge of panic. Luckily for him, the sound of the siren faded. He let out a sigh of relief.
"This is not how I wanted my life to go." The young man moaned. "I wanted to live a long, decent life." He clenched his fists. "If only… If only that bastard had not been my father! If my father had only been someone who did not hate me, I would never have become a murderer."
This young man was guilty of murdering his father. However, this was not the crime, nor the tragedy one would think. His father was a monster of a man who never did anything for his son. All the young man ever received from his father was abuse and sorrow. Every time the young man felt even a shred of joy, his father destroyed it. In simplest terms, the young man was hated by his father. From the abuse and hate the young man's father inflicted on him, a powerful hatred was born in the young man's heart. Over the course of his life, the young man had come to have nurtured a hatred for his father that went to the core of his very being.
Despite its raw fury, the young man suppressed his hate. Only one thought kept the young man from acting on his grudge. The dream of leaving his father behind and obtaining a bright, beautiful future. Everyday, he went to school and returned home only to eat and sleep. On the weekends and holidays, the young man always found somewhere to go. Sometimes, when the thought of going home was too repulsive, he would sleep on a park bench, or even up in a tree.
Unfortunately, no matter how long he stayed away, his father was always at home, waiting for him. At the age of seven, the young man learned a bottle hurts worse than a fist. At the age of twelve, he learn what it felt like to have his ribs broken. At the age of fifteen, he received a concussion as a birthday present.
As the years progressed, the young man suffered more and more. However, the dream of breaking free from his father and his abuse kept the young man from doing anything in retaliation. Worst case, his attempt at revenge would fail and his father would increase his abuse. Best case, his action would lead to him being put in a prison. Either way, the young man would be risking his future and he refused to do that. Until four days ago, that is.
On that day, his father tore-up his high school diploma and told him he had no future. The next thing the young man knew, his father was laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. In his hands, the young man held a bloody knife. Knowing the crime he had committed, the young man took what he could from their apartment, which was not much, and fled. Not even a full day had passed before the young man saw his picture on a news broadcast. Deciding a hotel too risky, as well as too costly, the young man hid in this old, abandoned library.
"Is this really my life now?!" He shouted in sorrow and frustration. Then, he did some cursing and swearing. "This is not what I imagined at all.
Then, what did you imagine?
The young man sprang to his feet. He looked around for the source of the voice, but saw no one. Then, he noticed a faint light in the corner of the basement. Carefully moving around the neatly stacked piles of books, he made his way to the light. The source of the light turned out to be a closed book. For some reason, the book was glowing with a white radiance.
Do you want to change the course of your story?
"No way…" The young man exclaimed.
The source of the voice was the glowing voice was not threatening or angry. Instead, it was kind and soft. Out of pure curiosity, the young man picked up the book. From the moment he touched it, a strong yet gentle warmth filled his body. His hunger was forgotten and his tiredness disappeared. This warmth was exactly how he had always imagined a mother embrace felt like. All his fears and worries seemed to melt away.
Please, answer my question. Do you want to change the course of your story?
The young man answered this time without any hesitation, "Yes!"
At that moment, the book burst opened. A near blinding light surrounded the young man. After a few seconds, the light faded. When it had, the young man and the book had disappeared.