Chapter 1
‘He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late.’
Harris Burdick
Emily was 15 when she found the book. Inconspicuously lying on a shelf in the old library, its cover peeling and faded. So small to be hiding such a big secret. Of course she had no idea of its significance at the time. To her it was just another great story to read. What she didn’t know however was that she would play a bigger part in the story than she ever expected.
‘Emily’ My mum yelled up the stairs.
‘Yes. What?’ I yelled back
‘School time, that’s what!’ Mum replied ‘Now get down stairs.’
I quickly dragged a brush through my thick dark hair, grabbed my school bag and ran downstairs. I shouted a hurried goodbye to my mum and hurtled out of the door, not pausing to draw breath until I turned the corner at the end of my road and slowed to jog. Turning down a side alley away from my usual path to school, I started to run again, afraid of meeting someone I knew on their way to school. Soon however I see the small dark library under its tatty sign: ‘Mr Linden’s Library’. With a quick look around I duck through the dark doorway and entered the building.
‘Ah Emily you have come, I shall be out in a minute.’ said a voice from the back of the shop.
‘Yes, Mr Linden’ I replied, edging my way into the dark musty library. ‘I brought back the book I borrowed as well.’
I stood there shiftily for a few moments, glancing around at the many dark bookshelves surrounding me; until the dark form of Mr Linden appeared before me, pushing his glasses up his long thin nose and peering at me through them.
‘I assume that as well as returning my book, you wish to borrow another? ‘
I hesitated ‘Um... yes please, Mr Linden’
‘That is, or would be, all very well, except you have been coming here for so long that you have run me dry I have no more books for you that you haven’t already read I am afraid’ Mr Linden exclaimed.
‘What? All of them?’ I replied ‘What about that big one over there. Didn’t you say that it was a book of fairytales?’
Mr Linden froze
‘No, not fairytales exactly and I’m afraid I do not lend that one out. To anyone. Now I think you, missy, have had enough time off school’ He began steering me out of the shop.
‘But-‘
‘No buts’ he cut me off. Just then a customer entered and Mr Linden hurried to see to them.
I bent down quickly scrawled a note on a post- it, then grabbed the forbidden book and headed out of the shop breaking into a run, when I reached the main street.
When Mr Linden found the note 5 minutes later he sighed and murmured:
‘I warned her about the book but by now it is too late’ He took one last look at the quickly retreating figure of Emily and settled down in his chair. The book was no longer in his keeping. His job was done. Mr Linden sighed for the last time and his eyelids drooped shut.
