backpack.
—Little miss, the reading room.
The only light Yuriko had was a tiny pencil flashlight—the kind you got for free when you bought something else. She had to skid the tips of her shoes along the floor as she walked in order not to trip on anything. She was glad she hadn’t taken off her shoes. Lots of stuff was scattered around on the floor, so she repeatedly trampled over unseen objects as she walked. In the next room, she pulled the red book out of her backpack and held it to her chest with one hand, then dropped the backpack on the floor.
—Go right here. Down the hall.
Her memories from her last visit to the place came slowly drifting back to her. The large room ahead would be the reading room. Just through that door.
The doorknob turned easily, and the door opened toward her. A light breeze blew past, wafting through her hair as she stepped through. Even though it should have been as dark as pitch in the room, she could clearly see the books lining the walls well outside the tiny circle of light cast by her pencil light.
They’re shining!
The books in the room were shining, glittering faintly like stars in the sky, winking and blinking, each of them in a slightly different shade. There was white, yellow, blue, gold, purple…a faint light was coming from the red book clutched to her chest now too. The glow reached up to her chin.
“Aju?”
“It is Aju!”
“Aju’s come back!”
Voices rained down on her from the walls and the ceiling. She almost jumped when she heard a voice coming up from near her feet.
“Welcome back, Aju.”
Yuriko turned to run, when the red book in her arms flared even brighter, giving off a warm light.
“It’s okay, little miss,” the book said. “Don’t be frightened. They’re my friends.”
You mean those voices…are coming from all those books?
Lit by the glimmering light of the countless books surrounding her in the reading room, Yuriko felt like she was watching a show in a planetarium.
“Who is the child, Aju?”
“Why did you bring a child here?”
I’m not even touching them, Yuriko thought. How can I hear them all talking so clearly?
“Because you stand within the boundaries of a sanctuary we created, little miss,” the red book told her gently. “You don’t have to hold me quite so hard to talk to me anymore, by the way. You must be exhausted. Have a seat. We’ve finally made it.”
Bewildered by all of this, Yuriko couldn’t move for several moments. The books fell silent, waiting to see what she did next. In their light, she spotted a small stepladder on the floor by her right foot. Her great-uncle must have used it to reach the books on the higher shelves.
The ladder had three steps on it, though the second step was mostly occupied by a teetering pile of books. Yuriko sat on the lowest step, taking care not to lean too far back. The red book she put on her lap, unwilling to lose contact with it just yet.
“I need a spell, if you would,” the red book was saying to his friends. “This child’s parents came here with her.”
Just then, Yuriko heard a beautiful voice singing from the bookshelf just by the door. It was only a snippet of a refrain. No words, just humming.
Suddenly, she could no longer hear her parents moving through the cottage. Their cries of “Hiroki!” didn’t just trail off, they stopped cold.
Yuriko jumped to her feet. “What did you do? You did something to my parents, didn’t you?”
She dropped the red book on the floor and made for the doorway. The door slammed shut before her eyes.
“It’s all right, little miss,” the red book said, chuckling from where it lay on the floor. “They’re just taking a little rest, that’s all. You wouldn’t want them to worry while you’re talking with us, would you?”
Yuriko grabbed the doorknob. It rattled in her hand but wouldn’t turn. The door was frozen shut.
“Really? They’re just asleep or something? That’s all?”
“Of
—Little miss, the reading room.
The only light Yuriko had was a tiny pencil flashlight—the kind you got for free when you bought something else. She had to skid the tips of her shoes along the floor as she walked in order not to trip on anything. She was glad she hadn’t taken off her shoes. Lots of stuff was scattered around on the floor, so she repeatedly trampled over unseen objects as she walked. In the next room, she pulled the red book out of her backpack and held it to her chest with one hand, then dropped the backpack on the floor.
—Go right here. Down the hall.
Her memories from her last visit to the place came slowly drifting back to her. The large room ahead would be the reading room. Just through that door.
The doorknob turned easily, and the door opened toward her. A light breeze blew past, wafting through her hair as she stepped through. Even though it should have been as dark as pitch in the room, she could clearly see the books lining the walls well outside the tiny circle of light cast by her pencil light.
They’re shining!
The books in the room were shining, glittering faintly like stars in the sky, winking and blinking, each of them in a slightly different shade. There was white, yellow, blue, gold, purple…a faint light was coming from the red book clutched to her chest now too. The glow reached up to her chin.
“Aju?”
“It is Aju!”
“Aju’s come back!”
Voices rained down on her from the walls and the ceiling. She almost jumped when she heard a voice coming up from near her feet.
“Welcome back, Aju.”
Yuriko turned to run, when the red book in her arms flared even brighter, giving off a warm light.
“It’s okay, little miss,” the book said. “Don’t be frightened. They’re my friends.”
You mean those voices…are coming from all those books?
Lit by the glimmering light of the countless books surrounding her in the reading room, Yuriko felt like she was watching a show in a planetarium.
“Who is the child, Aju?”
“Why did you bring a child here?”
I’m not even touching them, Yuriko thought. How can I hear them all talking so clearly?
“Because you stand within the boundaries of a sanctuary we created, little miss,” the red book told her gently. “You don’t have to hold me quite so hard to talk to me anymore, by the way. You must be exhausted. Have a seat. We’ve finally made it.”
Bewildered by all of this, Yuriko couldn’t move for several moments. The books fell silent, waiting to see what she did next. In their light, she spotted a small stepladder on the floor by her right foot. Her great-uncle must have used it to reach the books on the higher shelves.
The ladder had three steps on it, though the second step was mostly occupied by a teetering pile of books. Yuriko sat on the lowest step, taking care not to lean too far back. The red book she put on her lap, unwilling to lose contact with it just yet.
“I need a spell, if you would,” the red book was saying to his friends. “This child’s parents came here with her.”
Just then, Yuriko heard a beautiful voice singing from the bookshelf just by the door. It was only a snippet of a refrain. No words, just humming.
Suddenly, she could no longer hear her parents moving through the cottage. Their cries of “Hiroki!” didn’t just trail off, they stopped cold.
Yuriko jumped to her feet. “What did you do? You did something to my parents, didn’t you?”
She dropped the red book on the floor and made for the doorway. The door slammed shut before her eyes.
“It’s all right, little miss,” the red book said, chuckling from where it lay on the floor. “They’re just taking a little rest, that’s all. You wouldn’t want them to worry while you’re talking with us, would you?”
Yuriko grabbed the doorknob. It rattled in her hand but wouldn’t turn. The door was frozen shut.
“Really? They’re just asleep or something? That’s all?”
“Of