The Library

 

            Benji was so bored. School had ended for the summer a week ago, and he already felt like he had nothing to do. His neighborhood friends were all on vacation, and he felt left behind. He watched shows on Netflix for most of the day before his mom told him he had to find something else to do.

            “Why don’t we go to the library so you can get some books to read for the summer?” Mom suggested.

            Benji rolled his eyes and said, “I don’t want to spend my summer reading. Summer is supposed to be about relaxing.” He flopped onto the couch to demonstrate how to relax.

            “But the library can be a fun, magical place,” Mom continued. “When I was younger, I spent a lot of time going back and forth to the library. Books can take you anywhere.”

            “Come on, Mom. The library is overrated. I’m not a little kid anymore that gets excited about story time.”

            “Oh, right, you’re 12 now, much too old for the library.”

            Benji heaved a sigh and said, “Fine, let’s go to the library.”

            The library was only a few blocks away, and Mom insisted that they ride their bikes there. Benji felt hot and sweaty when they finally pulled in to the bike rack in front of the library. As soon as they entered, Benji basked in the cool air conditioning for a moment while Mom wandered over to the adult section in search of a good book.

            Benji let his feet carry him to the older children’s section, where they had rows and rows of fictional novels. He walked up and down the tall shelves of books, waiting for something to jump out and interest him. He trailed his fingers along the spines of books on one of the shelves. His fingers passed over one book with a plain dark green cover. Green was his favorite color. The book was called “Lost in the Netherworld.” He opened the book to read what it was about and found himself intrigued. The character in the book played a video game that ended up sucking him in, and trapping the boy until he was able to beat the game as one of its characters.

            Yes, this was the book that Benji wanted to bring home. He walked over to the checkout area with his book and sat down to wait for Mom. She hadn’t found a book to check out yet, so he settled himself in a chair and opened his book and started to read.

            Immediately, Benji found himself drawn in to the story. He became so engrossed, that he didn’t see Mom come over and sit down. “Good book?” she asked, smiling.

            Startled, Benji sat up and said, “Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.”

            Mom studied him for a minute and said, “Maybe you should choose some more novels. It doesn’t look like that one will last you very long.”

            At first Benji was confused, but then he realized that he was more than halfway through his book. “Uh, yeah actually. Let me see if this is part of a series or something.” He went back over to where he’d found the book and saw that it was indeed part of a series. Twelve more books in dark green covers sat on the shelf. Benji decided to take them all.

            After checking out, Benji crammed all of his books into the crate attached to the front of his bike. They barely fit, and he and Mom started back home. As soon as he walked into the door with his arms full of books, he headed for the couch and got comfortable. He opened the book that he had been reading before and let himself dive right back in to the story.

            Benji finished all 13 books in five days. He felt almost sad when he was done. “Can we go to the library again today?” he asked Mom.

            “Well, I have some things to do, but you’re welcome to head over there on your bike,” she said, looking at him curiously. “You finished that huge stack of books already?”

            “It was a really good series,” Benji said, gathering up his books to take back. “I hope there are more books like those. I could literally just sit and read them all day.”

            “I noticed,” Mom said as Benji headed out the door.

            Benji rode his bike as fast as he could to get to the library. He turned his books back in, and went straight back to see if there were any other books that he missed from last time. He was disappointed when he saw that he had indeed read them all.

            Sighing, he slowly scanned the shelves for something else that looked interesting. His eyes fell on another dark green book with a plain cover. He picked it up, thinking it might be part of the other series. It wasn’t. Reading the little summary on the inside cover, he saw that this book was about a band of pirates trying to escape from the British Navy. “This looks interesting,” he whispered as he turned to go check out.

            As he walked back down the aisle, he saw another plain, dark green book. This one turned out to be a story of an expedition of treasure seekers, deep in the Egyptian desert. He would check out this book, too. He looked around for other dark green books. He found several. They were all by different authors, and they were all about different things. All of them intrigued him, and by the time he went to check out, he had another stack of 13 books.

            When he came back home with his arms full of books, Mom raised her eyebrows and asked, “Didn’t you want to return those?”

            “These are different ones,” Benji said as he set down the books onto the table.

            Mom picked one up and said, “Weird. These look exactly like the other books you had.”

            Benji fell in love with reading that summer. Every time he went to the library, he searched for the dark green covers. They always turned out to be things that he liked. He started to think of the library as his library. By the time school started again, he had read dozens of books. When his friends asked him what he had done over the summer he told them he read a lot. They asked him why he would spend so much time reading, and Benji answered, “I just like the color green.” When they gave him confused looks, he added, “The library is not overrated. Try looking for your own favorite color books. Maybe the library will help you out."

            Most of Benji’s friends remained confused, but a few of them acted on his advice. Those friends also became voracious readers. Benji knew that a book’s cover didn’t really matter, but when he went to look for the green books, he always found more. Eventually, he didn’t need the library’s help to choose books, and loved exploring new worlds.

            Sometimes libraries are more than just buildings with books in them. They can take people places, and maybe even influence their book choices, like this library did for Benji and his friends. Who’s to say that libraries aren’t magical and alive?

Beautiful Day For A Swim

 

            Jasmine moved her great teal body smoothly through the water. She was the best swimmer in all of Freyland. She had competed in many races, and Jasmine always won. Her body was just built for the water. She looked a little different from the other dragons. They weren’t able to tuck in their wings as close to their bodies as Jasmine could. This allowed her to move through the water like an arrow. She was also longer and more snakelike than the other dragons. She felt more at home in the water than she did on land.

            Now she swam to escape her siblings. They weren’t really her siblings, of course. She had been found as an abandoned egg by her parents on the edge of the ocean. They had taken her in and raised her with their other hatchlings. They all got along for the most part, but there were times when Jasmine just needed to get away. She knew how different she was, and sometimes she could feel the other dragons’ eyes on her because of the way she looked and moved.

            Jasmine spent more and more time in the ocean. She could hold her breath for quite a long time, and she found solace on the ocean floor, beneath the waves. She was swimming in an unfamiliar area when it happened. A series of popping noises made sound waves through the water. She had swum much further than she usually did. Curious, she set off to investigate.

            The strange noises got louder as she got closer to the source, which took a surprisingly long time. She actually had to return to the surface to get another breath of air. The noises got louder and louder until she finally saw what was causing it. A mountain of bubbles was gushing from a fissure in the ocean floor. The water was much warmer, and Jasmine almost felt herself pulled to the strange sight. Cautiously, she approached the streaming, popping cloud of bubbles.

            The water over here feels different, she thought. It was warmer, but not too hot, and anyway, her scales could withstand any heat. Slowly, Jasmine let her snout be enveloped by the bubbles. Suddenly, she felt her body change. She felt like she needed air and just opened her mouth to breathe in the water. It wasn’t something she had to think about, it just happened. “Wow!” Jasmine exclaimed, and was surprised to hear her voice. I can talk underwater now? she thought, a little confused. This bubble water is pretty amazing. I wonder where it comes from. She moved closer to the hole where the bubbles were still streaming.

            She leaned down and actually sniffed the water. What was that smell? she thought, intrigued. It almost smells like I should know this. Maybe once, long ago. She leaned in even closer and thought she could make out voices. Right above the giant fissure now, she saw what looked like a tunnel. I wonder where that leads. Jasmine swam suspended over the hole, debating whether it would be a good idea to go inside it or not.

            Before she could make up her mind, the bubbles stopped appearing, and Jasmine felt the current shift as it pulled her directly into the hole. Caught off guard, she thrashed around and knocked into the tunnel walls before finally righting herself and started swimming with the current.

            Good thing I don’t need air anymore. Jasmine couldn’t do anything except go along with the flow of the water. The tunnel was long and winding, and she started to pay more attention to what was around her. Were those dragon scales? She thought wildly, trying to get a better look. They were teal, the same color as Jasmine’s scales. Never before had she seen another dragon with her coloring. As she continued on, she saw more and more of the teal scales.

            Finally, Jasmine shot out of the tunnel into open water in a surge of popping bubbles. She pulled herself clear before it could suck her back in. Where am I? she thought, slightly worried. She didn’t recognize anything.

            Jasmine decided to swim up toward the surface to see if she could at least spot where land was. Something in the corner of her eye stopped her, however. She turned to get a better look, and was amazed to see an immense, snakelike, teal dragon swimming right toward her.

            Jasmine couldn’t believe it. The dragon pulled up to a stop right in front of her and spoke. “Beautiful day for a swim, right?” he said in a deep voice.

            “Y-yes,” she stammered out. Taking a few deep breaths to recover from her surprise, she said, “I think I’m lost. I was just sucked into a tunnel and got all turned around. I have no idea where I am.”

            The big dragon chuckled and said, “This is your first time here, right? Well, this is Marwen, realm of the sea dragons, and let me be the first to congratulate you on your return.”

            Jasmine had so many questions, that she wasn’t sure which one to ask first. Finally, she asked, “Am I a sea dragon?”

            “Of course. Only sea dragons are able to pass through the gates.” He looked at her kindly and continued, “My name is Troy, and I’m the one that’s been sent to welcome our new resident. I know you must have lots of questions.”

            Jasmine nodded her head vigorously.

            “Sea dragon eggs won’t hatch underwater, so we hide them in other dragon realms. Once the hatchling matures enough, they always seem to find their way back here without too much trouble.”

            Jasmine wasn’t sure what to think about that, but slowly, other thoughts seemed to sink in that she was a sea dragon and that this was her home now. Joy started in her chest and spread throughout her body until it burst out of her with a roar. There were other dragons like her! She didn’t have to be alone!

            Troy nodded appreciatively at her roar and said, “Come with me, and I’ll show you around.” He swam away, and Jasmine followed after him, finally feeling like she belonged.

Singing Out Loud

 

        This is a perfect day for a hike, Liza thought as she walked among the trees. It was a gorgeous summer morning, and Liza wanted to finish her hike before it got too hot. She breathed in the fresh air with satisfaction as she climbed the hill steadily.

        Liza often came hiking out here. She found it so peaceful just to be among nature with no one else around. She had her music to keep her company, of course. She kept a playlist of songs on her phone that she used every time she went hiking. There wasn’t a lot of traffic on this trail, so she let the music play through the phone’s speakers.

        Often on her hikes, Liza would almost forget everything else except being outside and singing along to her music. The song, “Stargazing” finished as she reached a small rise and started on a section of trail that went down into a beautiful meadow. The next song that came on was “Life Is A Highway.” Liza turned up the volume because this was her most favorite song in the history of ever. She knew every word and belted them out as she walked through the meadow. Her spirits rose as the song went on. She found that she had more energy now and didn’t feel at all winded.

        The song ended, and Liza turned the volume back down, just a little, as “Shake It Off” came on next. She reached the end of her hike a short time later. A waterfall greeted her loudly, and she had to pause her music until she started back down again. She noticed a few robins flying around near her. She loved to watch birds in flight.

        On the way back down the trail, Liza continued to listen to her music and was in a great mood by the time she reached her car. She had probably seen at least ten different robins on the way back down. That was lucky, she thought, feeling energized and refreshed. She always considered it a good omen to see a robin.

        Her mood continued to improve when she turned on the car and “Any Man of Mine” was playing on the radio. She rolled down the windows and turned up the music as she drove away. When she got home, she saw another robin sitting in the middle of the lawn in the front yard. Huh, she thought curiously. We don’t usually see too many robins outside of the woods. More luck I guess.

        Liza unlocked the front door and let herself inside. Before she could shut the door, however, the robin that she had seen outside suddenly flew in through the open doorway. Startled, Liza tried to shoo the robin back out, but it perched quite calmly on the back of her sofa. Liza moved toward it to try to drive it back out, but it only fluttered up higher and landed on top of a bookshelf. Perplexed, Liza went to go fetch the broom.

        When she came back into the living room, Liza was shocked to find a man waiting patiently for her. Liza glanced back at the door, which was still open, and tightened her grip on the broom. She turned back to the man, who wore long blue robes that trailed along the ground. “Uh, excuse me sir, but this is my house. What are you doing here?” Liza asked cautiously. She put her hand on her phone in her pocket, just in case she needed to call the police or something.

        The man looked back at her seriously and said, “You’re what I’ve been looking for. I almost gave up hope of finding someone like you, so I had to follow you to be sure.”

        This wasn’t exactly what Liza expected him to say. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” she said worriedly. She had her phone in her hand as she said, “I’ll call the police if you don’t.”

        The man smiled kindly and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you, and the police can’t do anything to me anyway.”

        “Why do you say that?” There was a definite tremble in Liza’s voice now.

        For answer, the man disappeared and a robin took his place. Liza felt her jaw drop as the man reappeared and the robin disappeared again. “You did follow me,” she whispered.

        “As you can see,” the man explained, “I am not a normal human. I am a wizard, and my name is Calvin.”

        All Liza could do was stare at him as she slowly let herself sink down into the couch. The broom that she had been holding clattered to the floor.

        “Yes,” Calvin continued as he settled himself into a chair. “I’ve been looking for someone in this world who has the potential to learn magic.”

        “Magic?” Liza interrupted, coming out of her stupor. “This world? Where are you from?”

        Calvin chuckled as he answered, “Some place far, far from here. I came here by a magical portal. I belong to a society of wizards that are dedicated to teaching anyone with magical abilities. I’ve traveled all over this globe to find just a hint of magic, and I found you.”

        “Uh, I think you’re mistaken,” Liza said slowly. “I don’t have any magic.”

        Calvin shook his head and said, “Of course you do! You just don’t know how to use it.”

        “What makes you say that?”

        “The way you sang your songs. I’ve never heard so much magic coming out of one person before. When you sing, it pours out of you in waves.”

        “Wait, are you saying that I did magic? What kind of magic did I do?” Liza was sitting on the edge of the couch now, becoming more interested with everything Calvin was saying.

        “With training, you could become a greater wizard than even I,” Calvin said slowly. “Would you like to learn?”

        “How?”

        “Come with me, back to Treebird, where you will attend the finest magical school in all of the known realms.”

        Liza stared at Calvin. “You want me to go back with you to a strange place, and leave my home?”

        “Well, proper magical training will take years, but you can come back when you’re finished.”

        “There’s no way I’m going to follow a strange man anywhere.”

        Calvin looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to decide right now. Now that I’ve told you about magic, you’ll start to notice. That’s usually all it takes.” He took a flat clear stone out of a pocket inside his robes and held it out to her.

        Liza took it, slightly apprehensive. It was just a smooth rock, slightly bigger than her hand, with a flat surface. It didn’t look any different from hundreds of other rocks that she’d seen, until it started to glow and shine with an inner light. She gasped as a picture slowly appeared on its surface. It was like a cell phone screen. Liza gasped as she realized it was exactly the same picture as on her own cell phone. She was also startled to discover that she was no longer holding a rock at all, but a complete clone of her own phone.

        Calvin laughed at her confusion as he said, “Every wizard has a different magical tool. The rock transforms into the tool that would be most beneficial and comfortable for that wizard. What it has become is only visible to you. Everyone else will see it as just a rock.”

        “No one can see that this is a phone?”

        “No, not even me.” He turned to leave, but then said, “You’ll be able to contact me through your tool. When you change your mind about coming to our school, let me know.” With that, he transformed back into a robin and flew out the open door.

        Liza finally got up to shut the door, and then sat down to look at her new phone. There were small differences from her old phone – new apps that obviously had to do with magic. There was contact information for Calvin at Treebird Academy.

        Over the next several days, Liza thought of nothing except Calvin and what he had said. Could she really do magic? Should she leave to become a wizard? While she wrestled with these questions, she got to know her new magical tool better. It might look like her phone, but it didn’t work exactly like her other one. She didn’t even have to use her fingers for navigation. She would just think about what she wanted to do, and it would be done.

        Her daily hikes had changed, too. She became more aware of her music and how it really did make her feel different. She thought of all the other things that she could do with proper magical training.

        When she finally contacted Calvin, his response was, “Well, it took you long enough. Most people jump at the chance to learn magic. Are you ready to step into a magical realm?”

        Liza took a deep breath before she said, “Okay, I’m ready.”