First Post!
“Oh my God, this is so cool,” I breathed, my eyes bulging as the bookcase swung open. Part of my brain is screaming the same thing, while another part is going, “This could be dangerous.” I curse my indecisiveness as I stand there for a minute, well, undecided. Then I said aloud, not too loudly - partly because I was in a library and partly because I didn’t really want anyone else to find this - “Screw it, there is no way I am missing out on this opportunity!”
To explain a little, I’ve always loved fiction books and have longed for adventure. But, you know, it’s the real world. I didn’t really expect it to happen. But speaking of books, I’ve learned a lot from them, and one of those lessons is not to go off alone without letting anyone know. I hesitated again, then pulled a pen out of my purse and scribbled “Found a real adventure! If not back by,” - I glanced at the time on my phone and added the time an hour from now - “call me on my cell. If no answer, help.” I signed my name and stuffed it in the books I had already chosen so that it stuck out noticeably and set them on the floor. Straightening up, I stepped bravely into the dark passage.
It really was dark inside and I set my feet carefully. It was just getting so that I couldn’t see when I came upon a set of steep stairs. Placing a hand on the wall and holding my phone before me to shed a little light, I continued.
It felt like forever before I reached the bottom. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it didn’t surprise me to see several doors. That was it; just doors, lined up along the wall. I could feel my indecisiveness setting in again and jerked myself forward to the door straight in front of me to get a closer look. “There’s something inscribed on here…” I realized and murmured aloud. I pressed a button on my phone as it dimmed and brought it closer to see. “Harry… Potter?” Confused, but not wanting to choose too fast, I moved over and looked at the next door. “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?” I moved down the row of doors, reading book titles off of the old wood of the doors.
I would have gone on and on, just reading the doors to see what all books were there, but it hit me that I only had an hour - less now - and if I didn’t stop and open one, I may never find out what lay behind. A lot of the titles were of books I hadn’t read, so I ran back down the hallway, stopping every few steps to make sure I didn’t run too far, until I got back to the Harry Potter door. As I reached for the door, I realized that my hands were shaking. I gulped and turned the handle. It didn’t move.
I jiggled it, but it wasn’t until I peered closer that I realized that there was a dial above the knob. Right then, it was on a section that read “Locked.” The other ten sections read the titles of all of the Harry Potter books, plus “The Marauder’s Era,” “Prologue of the First Book,” and “After.” I picked the first book and tried the handle again: it opened.
Warm air and sunshine hit me, blinded me, but I stepped through blinking it away. A suburban street met me. The obvious thoughts of how impossible this was spun through my head until I noticed the street sign: Privet Drive. Bam! The “no way, this is impossible” thoughts doubled, but now I was at least three times as excited.
The sound of cans in a bag sounded behind me, and as I turned around that bag of cans connected with the side of my head. I was knocked out, barely registering the feeling of falling towards the ground.
I could hear arguing above me as I regained consciousness, but I was too fuzzy to make it out. Then the pain of being whacked in the head suddenly returned and I groaned.
My eyes flickered as I tried to open them. A library worker was bending over me. “Are you okay?” He helped me up. “Looks like you tripped and hit your head.”
I knew I didn’t, but I also knew that the chance was done and gone.