Dream Books

Where Dreams Are Made

Hello everyone, 

Thank you for reading this story! I do hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. I look forward to reading your comments and seeing what you guys think. 

Thanks again 

C xxxx 

......................................................................................................................................................................

Twenty years later 

Lilly stood gazing into the paneled frosted glass. Snow fell lazily around her as she stood, a soft warm glow illuminating her cold pale face making her eyes shine like caramel gems. 

Smiling to herself, she saw a vision of her mother like a ghost smiling at her, coaxing her, towards the shop  door and to the magical worlds waiting to be explored inside. 

Lilly loved to read. She had always done  so ever since she was a little girl. But now it was apart of her, ingrained in her even. Getting lost in a book meant she didn't have to face the reality of life.  For life was stressful and painful she had learnt that the hard way. 

Now she enclosed a safety net around her, a barricade between her and the outside world. That barrier protected her like a shield from that scary and frankly cruel world that she had no intention of being apart of. 

 Her Job as an editor meant she didn't actually have to go out, they sent her the manuscripts to edit via email which she would willingly get lost in, spending hours sifting though each of them, touching them up to perfection, then with a ping she would send them back to the company ready for them to be published. 

She had never met any of her colleagues in the office, only meeting her boss once when she took the job, but she had no desire to meet them or converse with them. The truth was,that ever since she was little she had, had a phobia of people. Meeting people terrified her, walking down the street almost sent her delirious with fright. Her heart would go into overdrive and she would sweat bucket loads and find it hard to breathe, once she had collapsed,her heart almost stopping. 

When her mother had been at her side she felt she could tackle anything and felt brave enough to venture out but now she was gone Lilly found it harder and harder to be brave, locking herself  away in her apartment, with the curtains firmly drawn. 

The only place that would calm her was "Dream books"  and the owner Gary who had been a family friend of her mothers. He knew about her condition and  so opened it especially in the evenings for her, so she could sit alone and get lost in the world locked between the book shelves. 

Anticipating what she would read tonight, she felt her excitement growing. Wrapping her navy blue, woolen  scarf tighter around her neck, she grinned and went to the door opening it, she heard the familiar chime of the old fashioned bell, tinkling above her head  signalling her arrival. 

The place felt like she was stepping into some fairy-tale. Fairy lights sparkled different colors above the brown oak book shelves that filled the place from the floor to the ceiling.  Leather red sofa's , were placed in the corners and small rickety three legged tables stood with stakes of books on, all artistically placed, making vibrant patterns . 

Wooden beams crossed the low ceilings and a long oak counter was at the back of the room, its marbled dark surface,gleaming in the shimmering light. Books filled the walls on the shelves behind it. 

The place felt old but it felt like home to Lilly. With it's musty smell and there was an atmosphere of coziness and magic. This was where she belonged as she walked down the lines of book shelves she ran her fingers across the spines of each book  glancing at each title, whispering its name like it was a forbidden pleasure. Smiling to herself she saw one that grabbed her attention.  She reached out... feeling its soft leather cover between her fingers, she gently pulled it off the shelf.