Chapter 2
New Friends
When I was nineteen, my mother and father were in a car accident. They both died shortly thereafter. My close friend, Alissa, was a big help during that time.
Then, on my 21st birthday, I opened a bookstore called Happy Everendings. Fortunately, people in Everendings like to read and watch movies, so it was a huge success. I built an apartment above, and a warehouse behind, Happy Everendings so I could always be around stories. Ever since I had discovered my story fixing ability, books and movies were my best friends.
About six months after I opened the store, I found more best friends. I discovered them one night as I was going to bed. I heard a squeaking coming from the back library. I decided to go check it out.
I turned on the light and saw two dozen brown mice cuddling up under a book. Smiling at their cuteness, I went over to them. I decided to leave them until morning.
When I awoke, I went to the back book room and found them still under the book. I knelt down and lifted the book. One mouse looked up in panic. "Don't be afraid little one," I cooed. "A bookstore is no place for mice, but I can help you find another place to live."
"Actually, we are from a book," the mouse who had looked up replied.
I gasped. A talking mouse? "You wouldn't happen to be from Narnia, would you?" I inquired. The mouse shook its head. "No, we are from a book that is being destroyed," she explained. "I can help," I smiled. "I'm a Figetrix." The mouse seemed to smile, but then she shook her head sadly. "Our story is not being destroyed, our book is being destroyed," she countered. "Our book is burning right now. The story has been banned all around the world, and every copy is being burned. We managed to escape, because the last copy was here. It is here no longer because someone bought an empty book with our title on it. When all the characters leave the book, you know, the book becomes blank."
I nodded. "Well, in that case, you can all stay here with me. There is plenty of room, and I often get lonely. Just try to stay out of the front when people are here. Humans are afraid of mice, and I don't want them getting suspicious. The mouse happily agreed. She then introduced herself and Matilda Mouse. "Pleased to meet you Matilda," I smiled, shaking her tiny paw.
Over the next few days, the mice became restless. I decided I needed a job for them. I asked Matilda if all her companions could talk as well. "Oh, yes," she replied. "We can also read and write," she added.
"You can?" I exclaimed. "Well, then I have a job for you." I explained to her that I would like her and her companions to read or watch every book and movie in this store and write down the plot in a notebook. She replied that she and her companions would be glad to do it. I told her I would be reading and watching, and writing down plots, too, but that it would go much faster if 25 of us were working on it, as opposed to one. She agreed.
By the time my 23rd birthday rolled around, we had copied every book and movie in the store, and only had to copy if new books came in. I wanted every single one copied so that in case I forgot the story of one, and it had changed, I could look in my notebook and find the right story. I had written them in special notebooks I had designed that kept out thoughts of alterations, so the stories in there were always safe.
Also by this time, I had become known as the owner of a magical bookstore that could fix stories. I was glad that the bookstore had been the one associated with fixing the stories and not me. I did not have to be so wary of the humans that way.
