Once Upon His Time... [On Hold]

Chapter Two

Chapter Two 

Last Words

I only stare at my mother's excited face. "Callisto?" I snort, knowing I had said the name wrong.  

Her expression quickly changes to a scowl. "No, Callisto. Ca-leese-toe." She separates each syllable.  

I sigh, "What's it about?" I ask, hoping to get a summary out of her before writing it up as my own.  

She smiles, "I know what you're thinking. You are my daughter, after all. No, you aren't getting a summary out of me only to write it as your own."  

Damn, how did she know?  

I sigh once more before looking right at her. "Where is it?" I ask. If she's so keen on me reading it, it is possible that she owns the book.  

She gestures for me to follow her and I obey. As we walk down to the basement, I realize where we are going.  

She's leading me to her sacred office! She never lets anyone go inside, and has that room under lock and key. No one can enter or else they must face my mother's wrath, and that is not something worth seeing. Or feeling, for that matter.  

I get to see it! I feel so special.  

She produces a fairly large brass key from her pocket before slipping it into the keyhole. It is an unusual lock; with brass colouring and the shape of a pentagon. The center of it being the keyhole.  

As she turns the key, a hollow sound echoes from the room beyond the now opening door. A small smile crosses my mother's lips as she pulls the thick, wooden door open completely.

A gasp escapes my lips as I stare in confusion at the hundreds of shelves that stocked the room, all filled with books of different kinds. "This is your sacred room? This is practically a library!" I shout, my voice echoes across the large room. This is what I've always wondered about? A stupid library?  

"What's so special about this?" I ask, crossing my arms. I make no move to step inside.  

My mother gives me a gentle push into the room before closing the door behind us. She walks a bit in front of me before spreading her arms out. "This is my sanctuary. I come here whenever I need to take my mind off things. When your father passed away, this is where I went after work. This is how I cope with things. I've read all these books, Emerae, and I'd like you to read them as well." My mother smiles at me, an unusual sparkle in her eyes.  

I huff, "Just tell me where that book is." I demand, clearly not happy about the whole ordeal.  

"It's in the far corner of the room. Don't worry about passing it - you can't miss it." She tells me.  

I nod and walk in the direction she said.

She was right - no one could miss this corner.  

Its bright purple walls and deep blue couches give a teenage vibe. Wooden shelves line the walls, filled with novels and novels as far as the eye could see.  

I sigh again; searching for this book will be hard.  

But something - some kind of force had me looking to my left, and there it is. A stone shelf with only one book resting upon it. The thick edge has only one word written on it in a golden mass of cursive writing.  

"Callisto," I whisper, my hand reaching out to grasp the thick novel.  

It rests in my hands heavily as I examine the outer cover.