The Story Traveler

Prologue

I am one of the last "Believers". One of the last who believe in the power of a story. I am one of the last people who believe that a book contains more than a story. A book contains a world, a true world. I am one of the last who believe an author is a prophet of other lands. I am one of the last book Travelers. I am Autumn Winters, Believer, Book Traveler, I am one of the last.

***

Autumn Winters lives in a world much like ours, with only one exption. Stories are real. They happens in different worlds, but they are real. Those who believe have the power to travel from world to world. The power to change the story, rewrite it for everyone else to see. Most people have lost that belief. Autumn is one of the last few who believe. Even her parents are non believers. After finishing a book she will be brought to a land and become a different person. All that will be left of Autumn Winters, is her name.

***

I look up from my book closing my eyes. I know what comes next. The splitting headache, the flashing colors, the feeling of my stomach dropping. My breath being taken out of my lungs and then nothing. Nothing will be left of Autumn Winters until I come back. That is, if I come back. I lower my head to read the last few sentences of my book.

Just like my mom used to say, never judge a book by it's cover.

I scream as a sharp pain builds in my head. It hurts more every second. I've been through this before. The pain only lasts a minute. Then I get transported to the story's world. I her my mom rushing into my room with my father at her side. They are calling my name, worried. I can't do anything exept put my face in my hands. Sometimes, I didn't want to leave this world solely because of the pain. Soon I learned the pain only lasted a while and it was an amazing thing to be brought into another world.

The world around me went dark. My headache subsidded. After a few minutes of complete darkness color erupted around me. I floated in the air. I felt a force puling me forward. I was moving quickly. My stomach felt as if it were falling. It was an amazing feeling, to be suspended in the air being pulled to another world, a different dimension. I laughed out loud and twisted around in the air, still being pulled by the invisible force. While some people would be pannicking, us beleivers were quite comfortable being pulled away from everything we knew. I thought of the story I had just read. i would have to try hard to stay alive this time.

The colors left and it was black again. I wasn't being pulled anymore and my mind was blank. I was frozen in place. I wasn't breathing, I wasn't doing anything. That was it. I was here. Autumn Winters' life was on hold from now until I got back, From now and forever if I wasn't careful.