Paige and the Lost Library of Atlantis

Paige and the Lost Library of Atlantis Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Paige was a hero. A larger than life champion. Saving books from the perils of dust. Shelving the tales of giants and fairies. A heroic journey of epicness. Well, maybe epic is a strong word. Her life was not quite epic. Her life was OK. No tragic backstory, no evil stepmother. She lived in a fantasy world, imagining herself into the tales of dragons and alien spaceships.

She was shipwrecked in the wrong life, with no end in sight. As hard as she looked, reality held no magic. She was a damsel in distress. Well, maybe not distress. Averageness. She was a damsel in averageness. No, that's dumb. Queen of the average. No. Her royal averageness. Whatever. She longed for adventure. She dreamed that someone would save her from her mediocre life in quiet Parkerville, Massachusetts.

She went to school, she went to work. Wash, rinse, and repeat. Endlessly looping through week after week of her life. It was quiet. She lived in a gossipy diner, football Friday, safe after dark kinda town. After school, she apprenticed as a book wizard. Well, assistant book wizard. Ok, really, she just shelved books at the old Parkerville Library, but book wizard sounded better.

In the dusty, underused shelves, she could finally hear herself think. It was her only respite from the world. Pushing a cart of books down the aisle, she ran a finger along the dust-covered spines, wishing for the adventures held within.

What she wouldn't give to discover a hidden realm, an adventure all her own. A place just beyond the edge of reality. Somewhere she truly belonged.

Paige was still lost in thought as a book fell off a nearby shelf. It slammed loudly on the tile floor. Startled, she looked around the quiet library. Bending down to pick up the book, she spoke out loud.

"Huh, must be a ghost."

From around the corner, she heard cackling.

"Ahahaha, I got you!" yelled Billie, popping out from behind the bookshelves.

Paige's heart skipped a beat. That laugh got her every time.

"One of these days, Billie, I'm gonna get you back."

Still laughing, Billie turned around and skipped away down the aisle, her skirt swishing comically as she went. That girl could break her heart any day.

Laughing softly, Paige put the fallen book back on the shelf. There was now a clean spot where the book had been slid across the wood. Sighing, she left her cart in search of a dust rag. She liked working there, but, man, no one ever dusted the place.

The utility room was in a back hallway, out of the way, and shared space with craft supplies, giant rolls of paper, and several spiders. Pulling the key out of her pocket, Paige fumbled with the door handle. Half of the time, she couldn't get the thing to open at all. Finally, she threw her weight into the door, and it popped open with a rusty creak.

She reached over to click on the light. The switch made an audible noise. "click, click" "click, click." Nothing. Of course, it doesn't work, she thought. Pulling out her phone, she shined the light along the shelves in the closet. Plenty of dusty boxes, but no rags. Trudging on, Paige kept looking. Finally, in the back corner, she spotted her prize. Feeling strangely triumphant, she climbed over various sweepers and mops, balancing on one foot, reaching up to the top shelf to grab a crumpled blue rag.

She stretched her arm, farther and farther, and grasped her fingers onto the rag. This final reach sent her off balance. Slowly, as if watching from outside herself, the wall came closer to her face. She felt her body pitching forward, arms flailing, still clutching the dusty rag. Bracing herself for impact, she crossed her arms in front of her face and closed her eyes.