Alex put down the book, feeling dazed and a little scared. She
flipped through the pages to find odd tales and texts of many kinds, but
she noticed that even though there were what looked like chapter labels on
the tops of the pages, she never did seem to come to the chapter
interfaces. She studied the pages between each chapter, and saw, deep in
between the pages, what looked like fine, gently tear lines from pages that
were seemingly ripped out. The book had stopped glowing, and was now as
dull and lifeless as the other books of the study. She lifted the front
cover and slammed it shut, then prepared to walk out and try to fix the key
to search the upstairs a bit. Something caught her eye. It was a frame
just to the right of the door. There was no picture, but a piece of paper
in it. It was glowing in the same benign, heat-less way that the book had
been at first. She decided to pick up the frame and pry it open. She
gently slid the paper out, which was almost soft, and certainly very old.
The writing was barely legible, but she could now see that it was written
in the same manner as the book. She looked at the top of the page, and
sure enough, it had the chapter heading. At the uppermost center, it had a
larger, bolder print, which was presumably showing the beginning of another
chapter. She sat down again and opened the book, flipping through the
pages until the headings matched that of the book. She found the neat tear
where it had been torn out and placed it inside the book. The book began
to glow again. The began reading the text, and the whole world blacked out
before her.
