Tap, tap, tap. Alex thumped her foot impatiently on the carpet so that little puffs of dust would occasionally circle her ankles. She squinted through her bright blue eyes, nibbling on the end of a short pencil stump. Finally! Mrs Parker jumped up from her desk and reluctantly waved a hand in dismissal. Alex raced out of the classroom and down the corridor. She hastily swung her bag over her shoulder and wrapped a woolly scarf around her neck. The girl began to sprint down the shady streets, her strawberry blonde hair rippling in the light breeze. In the blink of an eye, her hands were twisting the shiny doorknob that opened to her particularly favourite library.
The little girl sauntered over to the aisle embroidered with the words 'Fairy Tales' and her freckled face lit up. Alex loved to explore, and this was her first time in this section of the library. Bookshelves adorning the empty passage all held precious inky treasures. The very last bookshelf was most ornate, as if carved by a person with a profound love of literature. She eagerly scanned the books and novels. There it was! Her heart was beating erratically and she shook. Carefully, as if it was something so fragile, she slid the book onto her lap, and sat cross-legged, leaning against a shelf.
A mere glance at the cover enchanted Alex. Swirling golden letters shone like stars and spirals intertwined along the border. The engravings were of leaves, autumn berries and birds on the wing - so sublime as to invite the fingers to take it in just as much as the eyes. The book opened as sweetly as spring flowers. Alex took a deep breath, inhaling the ancient smell of musty paper. Each page was gentle to the fingertips and warming to the eyes. Aloud, she began to read 'The Treasury of Fairytales and Folklore', forming the words on the very tip of her tongue before letting them roll out of her mouth like a cascading waterfall. Completely immersed in her own words, Alex closed her eyes, letting the printed words dance around her. She continued to read on into the night, that was, until her vision suddenly faded into the darkness...
YOU ARE READING
Fairytales & Folklore: An Adventure in the Fairytale World
Fantasy'She blinked. Rivers snaked all around her and colourful flowers popped out of the ground, it was such a picturesque scene. Almost as if it was plucked straight out of a book....' Alex has the rare ability to bring what she reads aloud to life . On...
