Uncovered

I feel the cold down my spine as I enter. The chill, the tension, it all rests here to haunt me as I make my steps within. I keep telling myself that exploration is a good thing, uncovering whatever lies in your path. And yet, this strange, lonely bookshop took it to a whole other level.

To say that it spooked me would be a real understatement. From the blacked out windows to its walls laced in a strange design (that I could not make out), I knew I had to take a chance. I guess that’s why I just had to have a look inside. No matter the consequences. My hand trembles as I push through and feel the oak at the door, a gnarled platform, everything that I am looking at seems dated, but, in a way, I am somewhat entranced.

There is no store keeper in sight, just the books that sit, walls lined with words, nothing to do but stand as they lie and watch the young man that has dared enter their realm at this late and mysterious hour. Every floorboard creaks as I make my forward. My muscles twitch as I do so, and I can't help but wonder, "will I get caught?"

I’m fairly sure that I ought not to be here. What if the keeper is watching me right now? What if they are just waiting for me to slip up, to make that fatal mistake that I will dread for the rest of my life?

Is it inevitable?

I feel the darkness consume me, curl its tongue up through my folds. While I may not know it yet, this place is eating me alive. I soon become conscious of the fact that this store is even further from the ordinary than I had previously thought. The sheer volume of books in here is simply astounding. There are rows and rows of books, endless up until you can see no further. It's like a maze, as one could call it. And it is then that my gaze is caught. My eyes fix on something that I really should have seen before, something that stands out even in this new universe, something of genuine beauty.

It strikes a pose from a couple of feet away, holding out from the shelf is a golden branding that marks a solid black reader. A charming book lends its hand to me as I continue to stare in its direction. Not knowing what I am doing, I become entranced further, lurching forward to the object and letting my finger curl its way around the handsome cover. A wonderful feel, I know little of books, and yet its quality is tangible in this moment.

I flick, and turn the cover over, and gasp. I have never seen so much money in my entire life. There are reams, and reams of dollars line the inside, where hundreds of pages should be. All that can be find is dollars. Quickly, I scan the rest of the books. Imagine if they were all like this? No. My thoughts are shunned in an instant. Only one buzz struck me now, the knowledge that I had to escape. There was no way that someone left that there for someone else to pick up. I was trespassing as is! And to think that this was all for some stupid dare! I stuff the cash down my shirt and sprint faster than I have ever in my life, counting the steps to the door. Within moments, I am out—just a lone creature in the night.