Several times did I blink my eyes, yet the illusion I was seeing right before them never seemed to go away. In fact, was it even my imagination in the first place? Well, it has to be! I mean, I am in my room; where else would I be, right? I'm sure I'm just imagining things… but then again…
Endless rows of neatly-aligned shelves filled with books lined what I had thought was my room just a moment ago; all arranged in an orderly manner. Finding it hard to believe, I approached the shelves and glanced through the never-ending books; some dusty and old like ancient tomes while others untouched and fairly new.
Where am I, actually? I asked myself. Never before have I come across a place with books in quantities as infinite as this; not one library I have ever been was as big as this.
There was a sepulchral silence in the room that I have never thought possible before, so much that it started to feel really eerie. And then slowly and softly, the sound of dragging feet caught my attention. I closed my eyes and listened as I knew keeping them open would be pointless if the end of this huge library was not even within my line of sight.
Slowly and gradually, the sound grew louder, followed by slow but heavy panting. I could feel a presence coming closer by the second...
The sound stopped as I watched in horror; an old lady -looking old enough to be my great grandmother- came into view and looked right at me. Her body was thin- no, emaciated. Her face was pale as snow, as if she had been sick for ages, and her hair was a slight, faded violet, all untidy and unkempt. All she had on was an old, torn and dirty pair of purple pajamas. Her back was as hunched as the hunchback of Notre Dame.
Slowly, the lady shuffled her way towards me...
"Uhh- err- I- uhh..." I began stammering as the woman looked right into my eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm lost, can you help me?" I finally blurted out but was ignored.
The old lady squinted her eyes and reached out to my face. My eyes filled with pure terror when I thought she had gotten me. I felt relieved when she did not grab me as I thought she would. Instead, she was only trying to reach out for a book on the shelf behind me. I let out a sigh of relief.
I decided to look around a little bit more as the woman shuffled her way back, into the distance and out of my sight. I realised how many different types of books can be found here in all sorts of languages, ranging from old literature such as Shakespearean classics, to cooking books, to even what had seemed like books about witchcraft and sorcery. I could not believe my eyes, what I could easily find on the bookshelves.
But then I told myself that was enough. I had to find my way back home, no matter how impressive that place was. Yet I had no clue where to start...
"Ma'am?" I called out to the lady. "Is anybody else in here?" I asked but was promptly ignored.
I searched everywhere, high and low, past every bookshelf, one by one, for even the slightest hint of life, but to no avail. I fell to my knees and began to weep endlessly in the dark, mute library. I thought about going back home. I wanted the comfort of my own room, the warmth of my own bed. I may have hated my life back at home but no matter how you look at it, nobody would feel comfortable knowing they are in a foreign place. I kept questioning myself how I got there but my mind was a total blank.
I could only remember entering my own room. And then I switched on my computer. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But that was the last thing I could remember. Everything else was a blank... Hold on, the mirror!
Yes, I vaguely recall finding a strange mirror in an antique store. Yes… and I recall looking into it before winding up here. But even so, that was the last thing I can pull out from my head. Perhaps... could it be that mirror that had brought me here? Or was it all just a coincidence and all of this was just merely a dream?
Yeah, a dream… most probably... Yeah, that's right. I'll just have to pinch myself to wake up, right? Well, I tried… several times even. To be honest, it hurt every time. But if this were a dream, why would it hurt?
I could feel my throat dry up and fear seeping into every last bone in my body. Everything felt so real. Deep inside, I knew -yet I tried my best to deny it- that I was still in reality...
Not long after, I heard the door creak open somewhere as it echoed throughout the endless library. A mysterious and elegant voice followed the sound of the large doors…
"Lady Patchouli, I brought you t-"
"Shh! Silence in the library! No food and drinks allowed!" said another voice, this one rough and dry.
"Pardon me, then. I'll just leave it out here..."
The door closes as even more questions began arising in my head...
Where am I exactly? How did I wind up here? Who was that? Did she just call a name that I'd found familiar? Am I still imagining things? Am I… where I think I am?...
I don't know at all. Though the one thing I am sure of, this is only just the beginning...