"Some people say she ran off someplace the book told her too, some say she won't leave the house just to stay with it. I say she's dead."
"Yeah right, Mr. Charlie. That would never happen."
Charlie looked down at Alphonse, the little girl who was covered head-to-toe in dirt and grime. She came to Charlie everyday for one of his world famous sandwiches. It was a new one today, ham, turkey, cheese, and a bit of what Charlie called "special sauce". It seemed like quite a simple combination, but Alphonse had a new favorite.
"She was warned about the book too, but now I guess it's too late." Charlie was telling Alphonse about a town-tale, like he told her sometimes, but this one was new. A girl had been given a book from the old towns library. This one was now abandoned for reasons Alphonse didn't know, but also didn't care, because it gave her a new home.
No one knows what happened to her for sure, but ever since she checked out that book, she has never left the house.
"She checked out the book a little less than a year ago! No way she ain't dead by now." Added Charlie. Alphonse wondered why it was the book that meant so much. Maybe the girl also got a sandwich that day. Maybe it was a bad sandwich.
"You're crazy for thinking that the book did something to her. We never had a funeral for her, least not that I remember. Maybe she just left town. Some people don't really take a liking to a smaller town like this." Alphonse left Old Charlie's and lifted up her hoodie as she walked down the street headed towards the old library.
People around her turned and waved at each other, saying "Good morning!" and "Hey! How are you?". She kept her head down and kept walking. If anyone found out that she lived all in her own, she'd be taken off to the orphanage. Charlie was the only one who knew, but she pinkie promised with him, so there was no way he would tell.
It was a colder day, and it had rained the day before, so Alphonse walked with caution and crossed her arms and clutched to her sandwich bag to keep her warm.
She approached the three-story library, the biggest thing that she had ever seen in her whole entire life. The doors were hard to open, but Alphonse kicked them until the allowed her access. She climbed in and shut the doors as much as she could behind her. It was colder downstairs, so she ran up to the second floor. Sadly, there was no way to the third floor, as all the doors were locked.
The building was tall, but not very big. Each floor was just one room. She looked out one of the windows of the library. The sun began to rise over the small town. She felt important here, the library was her castle. She was a secret spy who protected the whole town. The secret spy reached into her bag and ripped the sandwich in half. One piece for breakfast and one piece for dinner.
It was amazing. The sandwich and the sunrise.
