The Girl From the Page

On 18th Street Lion avenue there is a library. Everyone knows it’s cursed. Well, it can be used in a valuable way too. The whole town knows about this place. This is the library where you get to experience the adventure of a book. Every book you read in this library becomes real for one night. If you choose a happy book, you are going to have the time of your life. But if you don't…

To enter this library, you have to pay $300. And you only get to choose the book for only 10 minutes. So it really is a stressful 10 minutes. Today is my birthday and for my present, I decided to go here. The drive here was filled with excitement and fear of choosing the wrong book. I hope I can choose the right book.

When I get here, the receptionist looks up and down at me and smirks. She reads out the rules: You have to pay $300 You only get to choose the book for 10 minutes All the book is closed and once you open the book, your story begins You only get in the book for 20 minutes If you choose the wrong story, you have to face your consequences

Wait hang on, I have never heard about this part of the rule. What consequences? I thought this was just an adventure for one night. I would have never done this if I knew about this. Oh wait, the boy in my class suddenly became deaf after this experience. Was that the consequence he got? Everything makes sense now. Wow. A chill ran down my spine.

“You have 10 minutes!” shouted the receptionist. There’s no going back now. I just have to choose a good book, that’s all. Easy peasy.

I looked around every corner to choose the perfect novel. I wanted a book about a protagonist living by the sea, with golden retrievers running around. I just wanted a peaceful book. Surely there’s a book like that right?

Oh yes! I found the book! The front cover is a girl sitting in a hammock and the girl is looking at the coast. There’s no blurb for this book. This is risky. But I mean, there’s no way this story is harmful. And there’s only 2 minutes left. Okay, this book it is.

As I opened the book, my legs became unable to run away as the fear had paralyzed my legs. Oh my, oh my, I chose the wrong book. I screamed my lungs out but I was already in the story..

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — When I opened my eyes, I thought this was heaven. Instead I saw the ocean from the book. The waves were small, how the sun hit the water was just so exquisite. For a second, I thought maybe my instinct was wrong, maybe this is a ravishing place. As I stood there, admiring the sea, I heard a screen. It was a scream of a little girl. She barely reached my knees and she was holding on to my jeans firmly.

“Mummy… I’m hungry.”

Did I hear this right? Mummy?

“Sweetie, I’m not your mum. So where is your mum?”

“No you are my mummy.”

Then it hit me. I am a mother in this story. This story did not seem like a wholesome cute moment with this child. It felt as if I was literally her mother and responsible for her. The burden of a little girl’s life pressed down on me, heavier than anything I’d ever known.

As any responsible mother would do, I picked her up and hugged her tight. Instantly, my life isn’t centered around myself, instead it was this curly hair girl.

I wipe my tears away and look at the girl carefully. She had my hair and eyes. With my olive skin.

“Claudia.” I whispered, naming her through trembling lips.

“Mommy, why are you acting weird? I know my name is Claudia. Mummy, I’m hungry.”

Right, I need to get her food. As I turned around, there were many shops lined up. This whole time, I was imagining that this setting was an eerie, isolated beach with no population. Instead this place was packed with so many people. I’m guessing this is a popular beach town.

I bought claudia bananas and a homemade sandwich. She couldn’t finish half of the food, so I finished it. I imagined because I am inside a book, I wouldn’t taste anything. I was wrong. My 5 senses worked better than ever before.

As I am holding Claudia, the world spinned. I was back in the library. Yet Claudia was still in my arms.

“Mummy, where are we?”

The truth crushed me. This was my consequence. I was only fifteen, and now I had a daughter.

I don’t know what I am going to do now. But at that moment, I promised myself that I am forever going to take care of Claudia.

Hand in hand, we walked toward the exit. I didn’t look back. Life was uncertain, but I was ready to face the odds.