A Book of One-Shots

YogBooks

*Cackles* I decided to take it upon myself to write the story suggested from here: 

http://sjinfinity.tumblr.com/post/67210636324

and

http://sjinfinity.tumblr.com/post/67214170327

Summary: If you follow the links, you’ll understand it better. But basically, all the Yog’s series and their characters are in books in a shop, and Ridgedog runs it, making sure everything’s in order. One day Nano drops in and stuff happens.

Warnings: Nothing.

Words: 1337

Pairings: None.

This took me a while, but I think it turned out fairly well.

~

The books never collected dust in that library. They were always being examined and read by the shopkeeper, who enjoyed refreshing himself on the stories. At least, that’s what he told anyone who came into his shop. A book had never been purchased from the shop, even if it did have a visitor once in a while. They always felt compelled to leave the books as they were - but left a donation to the shop as they left. Although many people knew of the store’s existence, it was rarely spoken of. If someone happened to mention it, everyone wondered what exactly was in the store - no one could seem to remember.

That was how it was supposed to be. Ridgedog made sure everyone who came in forgot what happened, only remembering that it was a humble book shop with some old novels that deserved to stay open. When asked what kind of books they had found, no one could ever recall. That was the most important part, considering the contents of each book. Readers there had so much power, making it vital for them to never open a cover, never turn a page, never read a word written. Once you understand what these books contain, you’ll understand why no one can read them.

“But perhaps I can make an exception.” The shopkeeper spoke silkily. Everything about him was near perfection, every word carefully chosen even if he only spent but a moment contemplating what it was he would say. His clothes never wrinkled, he never grew tired, his determination never faltered. It disturbed the young girl - though she couldn’t exactly say why. The same goes for why he would tell her such important information, considering they had just met.

“You would do that?” She asked in disbelief. “We hardly know each other, why would you trust me with your secret?”

“Oh, call it a hunch,” he winked. Standing, he made his way around the old mahogany desk to where the girl stood. He was taller than she had imagined, and she was shorter than he had previously assumed. “Let me show you something.” He walked over to one of the many shelves and plucked an old, worn, leather bound book. He carefully turned each page, watching the young girl peer eagerly over his arm. “This one is about a farmer. He’s left his home with his best friend to find a life that is more peaceful than what he has come to know.” He slipped it back into place, noticing the frustrated look on the girl’s face out of the corner of his eye. “This one,” He pulled out a book that looked like it was clad in an iron cover. “Is about a mighty dwarf. Well, not that mighty. He's kind hearted and a wonderful companion, often a bit left out when it comes to more intellectual matters, but always willing to learn." He handed it to her, and she almost dropped it. She had thought that the iron cover was just detail, but it actually was made of iron. Ridgedog laughed and took the book from her, returning it to its place on the shelf.

“How many books are there?” She asked curiously, looking at the shelves that seemed to stretch up into infinity. “And how tall is this place?”

Ridge laughed. “As tall as you are willing to let it be,” he said vaguely. “With as many books as you can imagine.”

“That’s impossible!” She stated, stomping her foot. This only made Ridgedog laugh more.

“Nothing’s impossible, my dear.” He continued walking, and the girl followed with a sigh. They reached what she assumed was the back of the store. A small writing desk sat against the wall with an old leather seat in front. A quill laid next to a pot of ink, and a stack of yellowed paper sat at the ready. Ridge pulled the chair out, waving his hand in offering the seat to her. She sat quietly, flattening out her skirt after sitting. He pushed the chair in gently.

“Now, I’d like you to write a story,” He pointed to the paper.

“What kind of story? What about? Who’s in it? Why -”

Ridgedog shushed her. “That is for you to decide. After all, it’ll be about you, Nanosounds.”

She was staring at the quill intently until he said that. “Wait, how do you -” She turned around, only to find that he had gone. “- know my name?” She sighed. Turning back to face the desk, she gently picked up the quill and dipped it in the pot of ink. The quill began to glide across the paper, writing words before she even thought of them. It was as the mysterious shopkeeper had said, it was her story. Her life was spilling onto the pages before her. The tale of her home and of her parents - of her escape into the world as she ventured from place to place, hoping for a kind shopkeeper to allow her to stay the night. None had ever asked her to do something - let alone something important. Ridgedog was definitely different, that was for sure.

Nano wasn’t sure how long she had been writing, but at some point it had taken its toll and she

quietly laid her head down on the crinkled papers, her eyes finally falling closed. Her sleep was filled with dreams - each one seemed to have meaning, each one seemed important, but they would quickly fade as the next appeared. When she woke, she found a candle burning dimly next to her, a blanket draped over her shoulder, and drool caked to her face. Quickly wiping it away, she looked around, hoping to see the mysterious shopkeeper.

Seeing as he wasn’t there, she stood quietly and began to browse the shelves. What power did she have that was so immense that she couldn’t even look at the words on the page? Perhaps a glance wouldn’t hurt. Nano was intelligent, there probably wasn’t much she didn’t know. Therefore this phenomenon intrigued her even more. She gently pulled a black book from the shelf, feeling the wonderfully soft material. She pulled at the purple ribbon around it, freeing the cover. Turning the pages, she briefly scanned each one. She didn’t read, didn’t think, that was what Ridge had said was powerful. She simply took in the form of the pages and the sounds they made as they turned. Then she noticed something, a - a stain? Nano peered closer - yes, it was definitely a stain. It was midnight black, and looked fresh, even though she knew that couldn’t be true, considering there was no mirror of it on the other page opposite it. She gently poked it, yelping quietly when she found it wet, pulling back her hand. The liquid clung to her finger, burning. The book dropped to the ground, and suddenly the stain spread. It spread until it took up the center of the two pages, and a giant purple hand reached out of the gaping hole in the book.

“No!” she screamed as it grabbed hold of her legs. “No - no no no!” She felt the panic searing through her as she was dragged into the book, the hole closing after her, the stain disappearing.

Ridgedog walked down the aisle, picking up the book and quickly closing it. Shaking his head, he let out a light “tsk” sound as he returned the book to its place. “Oh, Nano. You would have done so well.” He sighed and walked off.

There was the sound of pages rustling - all the books. Their pages shuddered and ruffled, they wiggled on the shelf. The books were agitated, worried, - and excited. A new character to add to the library, to add to their world.

Gold lettering glittered and appeared on the spine of the black book. It read: “The Tale of Nanosounds.”

The rustling ceased.

Ridgedog laughed as he returned to his desk.