Behind The Scenes(ON HOLD)

chapter 8 - Mark

I waved goodbye to Anna as my mum's car pulled up in the driveway.

On the way home we both stayed silent. I sat in the back seat, consumed by my own thoughts, while clutching my schoolbag which contained the 'recipe' book. I felt excited and to be honest also a little terrified at the thought that I could possibly find some answers. I didn't want to get my hopes up though. After all, it could have just been a coincidence. But how did my cousin come to own this book? It was in such a terrible condition, therefore it must have been old. Why were the pages empty? Had there ever been words written on them, in pencil perhaps, and then been rubbed out? 

All these questions circled around in my head, up until I finally reached the safety of my room. I set the old book on my desk and began to study the blank pages.

The way they were slightly crumpled up reminded me of a detective book I had once read.  In the story, the heroine came across an old sheet of paper that had no writing on it, but after she warmed it up over the fire, a map appeared. The map had been drawn using lemon juice instead of proper ink. Lemon juice dries fast when applied to paper and fades making it look as though the page is blank, however it can reappear when heated.

Even though I knew that was a cliché part of a lot of stories I had read in the past, I felt the sudden urge to try it out myself. I didn't really have any other options.

I carefully placed the book on the ironing board we had in the hallway and slowly pressed down on the first blank page with the iron, hoping my mum wouldn't open her office door and see me. I was startled when a few seconds later I could make out someone's faint handwriting. My heart probably skipped a beat or two. I rushed back to my room and turned on my desk lamp so as to take a closer look and indeed there was writing on the page.

"A guide to teleporting into books- a users manual.

Everything you need to know."

My heart hammering, I quickly warmed up the next page.

"Some may say that the fact you came across this book is just another coincidence. I prefer to call it fate. The universe works in mysterious ways. I suppose, since you're still reading this you own one of the special 'Gone With The Wind' books. I shouldn't really be writing this, because I could easily get into trouble, however since I was once in your position, I can't possibly leave you with all the questions you probably have. Of course there are some things I won't be able to explain, but that's exactly what magic is all about. Here are a few things that may shed a light on the situation."

My hands were shaking as I placed the iron on the next page. I took my glasses off and continued reading.

" 1. In the whole world there are 2 copies of 'Gone With The Wind' that give you this ability. Presumably you own one of them.

2. The way to teleport yourself into the story is by letting one of your tears drop on the book.

3. If the tear is dropped on the cover, you will be sent to a random page. However, if the tear lands on a specific page, you will find yourself participating in the events described in it.

4. The maximum time one can stay in the book is 13 hours.

5. Once you arrive in the story you take the form of one of the characters (each time the same character). If the character who has been assigned specially to you is not mentioned in the particular page you have picked, you will be teleported to the place the character would have likely been at that specific time.

6. One of the ways to leave the book is to say the word key or hear someone say to you.

7. Warning: Altering the storyline can prove to be dangerous.

I always say that the best way to understand and learn things is through experiencing them. That is why you will have to figure the rest out by yourself.

I wish you the best of luck.

Paul"

I continued staring at the page not really knowing what to do next. This was all so new to me. Just a few hours earlier I was living a regular life and then this suddenly happened.

Glancing up at the large, vintage clock on the wall, I realised it was already 10pm and I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast time. I hadn't even touched the brownies my cousin Anna had given me, to bring home. I tried to work on my assignment that was due the next day and forget about food, but I kept having to stop because I felt incredibly dizzy. Eating was not an option though. I'd have to wait until I lost weight.

A little later, I found myself staring at the unfinished work. Everything felt so overwhelming. After a while, I decided to go to bed and leave the assignment. I could tell my mum I wasn't feeling well, which wasn't far from the truth. That way I could stay home the next day and maybe get a chance to explore inside the book a little more. 

With that, I lay down in my bed, in hopes of getting some sleep, but there was one thing keeping me awake. There was also someone else right here on earth experiencing the same thing as me. Would I ever get to meet them?

i hope you all enjoyed this, new chapters coming soon!

-Marianna