the Boy in the Book

Chapter 1 ~Hello Arisa Charming~

Arisa’s long dark bangs swept over her piercing blue eyes. The cold nipped at her pale skin and she pulled her cloak tighter around her small body. Tufts of messy brown hair pulled into red bows at either side of her head blew into her face with the strong and biting wind. Snowflakes fell from the sky in slow motion and powdered her hair. The frosted ground crunched under her boots as she made her way through the forest, a basket of cold berries tucked under one arm.

Suddenly, Arisa stopped, staring down at the ground. A leather bound book sat in the snow. There was only a very fine coat of snow dusting its cover, which meant it had only recently been left. Arisa reached down, her fingers closing around the spine of the book as she lifted it from the snow.

It was beautifully bound with soft brown leather engraved with spirals of ivy. It smelled of sharp winter air and rich old musty books.

“It looks like a diary, or a journal…” she muttered to herself, her small voice echoing through the silent forest. But upon flipping through the pages, she realized that the entire book was empty. Not even a single letter or name graced its pages.

She thought of leaving it where she had found it encase its owner came looking… but there was something very strange about this book. It seemed to be calling to her. Despite the fact that it had been sitting in the snow, its pages were warm to the touch.

Arisa glanced around to see if anyone was watching before quickly pushing the book into the inside pocket of her cloak.

The sky was growing darker as she walked and she knew if she didn’t get home soon she might be stranded outside the village for the night. She quickened her pace. Soon the trees began to thin and she could see the tall wooden gates of her village up ahead. The lamps were being lit, and their soft red glow did nothing to light the darkening winter sky.

“Thank goodness, the gates are still open…” she whispered as she started off at a run, her blood red cloak billowing behind her.

Every night when the sun goes down the village closes its gates and refuses entrance until morning. Anyone stranded outside at night and in the cold would have to stay there and wait for the sun to rise.

Arisa glanced over her shoulder at the forest as it got farther and farther away. A shiver ran down her spine at the idea of being stuck outside during the night… especially knowing what kinds of creatures lurked in the cold and dark…

Arisa shivered, noticing a pair of glowing white dots in the trees, accompanying the terrible feeling that she was being watched. She quickly turned away from the forest and made her way briskly through the tall wooden gate.

“Just in time, Arisa!” called one of the gate keepers from his post high up on the wall. He was a young man, about 20, with fiery red hair and an attitude to match. His name was Yakov, the watchman’s son, and Arisa knew him all too well. “Any later and we would have locked you out!”

“Yes, I know.” Arisa called back. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

“You better…” Yakov muttered, to quiet for Arisa to hear from such a great distance.

Arisa made her way through the quant village in darkness as the lamps were just being lit. Finally, she was home… or at least, as close to home as she could get. She walked all the way around to the back of the house and to the back door. She winced at the sound of glass crashing on the floor and yelling. Her master was certainly not in the best of moods…

As quietly as she could, she opened the door and stepped into the kitchen. She pulled off her boots and cloak as quick as she could before unbuckling the knife from around her waist and hanging it on a post. She quickly pulled the leather bound book from out of her cloak and shoved it into the deep pocket of her apron, holding the basket over the small bulge to hide it. She was just about to start the dishes when suddenly her master appeared in the entryway to the hall.