Chapter 5 – Story of Us
“Clarrie! Clarrie!” yelled Aunt Tanny.
I woke to her shouting, which I thought was very unusual because my alarm usually… my alarm. I completely forgot I had broken it yesterday morning.
I groaned and glanced at the clock on my wall. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realised that I wasn’t late. Aunt Tanny didn’t hear my alarm this morning either, so she must have decided to wake me up.
“Yes Aunt Tanny! Sorry, I broke my alarm yesterday and completely forgot about it! Sorry!” I yelled as loud as my morning voice would go.
I got up and dressed quickly, then jumped down the stairs for breakfast.
“Morning,” I said, taking the toast Aunt Tanny had made for me.
“Morning. Remember Dave is coming to look after you. He’ll be here around ten-ish tonight. Can you get tea yourself?” said Aunt Tanny.
“Of course,” I said, really not looking forward to meeting Dave.
Aunt Tanny dropped me off as usual and I tottered off to the library as usual. Mrs Harbaar, the librarian, greeted me with a smile as I entered the library.
Every time it took my breath away, the intricately sculpted shelves, the scent of old paper and the rows of books, towered like a great monument.
I went straight to the old books and started running my fingers along the spines. I stopped at one book and tugged it out, but another book slipped out from behind and fell on the floor.
I put back the book I had taken out and picked up the book on the floor. It was covered in shiny black leather and had a small catch in the center.
I opened the catch and tried to blow off some of the thick dust it was encased in. I opened it to the first page and written in swirly, neat handwriting it wrote, ‘Story of Us’.
I touched the joining of the pages, where they met and wondered why there were no words there. Quick as a flash, a warm hand, seeming to be coming from inside the book, closed around my fingers and tugged.
I went to scream, but I noticed words under the title, it read: ‘Be still, don’t make a sound, I won’t hurt you, I just need help.’
The hand then tugged harder and I felt myself impossibly tumble into the book.
YOU ARE READING
Story of Us
Teen FictionClarrie Walker is 13 and feels so alone. Her Dad ran away and her Mum died from brain cancer. She now lives with her Mum's twin sister, Aunt Tanny. Clarrie escapes her world through books and one day she finds one book which takes her on an incredib...
