1. Hazel was not much of a morning person and this morning was no different. As
the sounds of the early morning traffic filled her room through her open window, Hazel
groaned as she forced herself to sit up in her bed. As she sat there, she listened to the
sounds of the traffic rolling by and of the cheeps and chirps of the little family of birds
that had made their home in the tree outside her window. She had always enjoyed the
sounds of nature and had wanted to explore what the world had to offer, but, much to her
disappointment, she had decided to settle into a normal life with her husband in the city.
With a grunt, she raised herself from the bed, yawned, and got ready for the day.
As Hazel walked the street towards the local community college, she started to
zone out as the same repetitive walk she took every day was starting to exhaust her. She
wanted a sense of adventure in a foreign place, a change of scenery to give her a feeling
that she wasn’t wasting her life. She would read stories in her free time to try and get that
feeling of freedom, and while many books offered that feeling of being somewhere else,
it would quickly wear off and she would again be stuck in her repetitive lifestyle. As she
reached the school, she sighed and entered the building, ready for another day of tedium.
The sun was slowly starting to set over the town and the shadows of the towering
buildings covered the alley Hazel was walking down. She had finished her journalism
classes and was heading home for the evening. As she reached the end of the alley,
against her normal routine and wanting a change for once, Hazel decided to continue
following the alley further instead of taking the path that was her usual route home. As
she continued her walk, a gust of wind brushed her brunette hair and covered her face,
temporarily blinding her as her thick, lush hair clung to her.
As she fixed her hair, she realized she was in a new part of town, one that she had
never seen before. It was a small area filled with several shops, each one only a story or
two high and looked like a home from an old village in the fantasy stories she read about.
Her curiosity getting the better of her, she started to walk the alley path and see what
there was to offer. She was in no hurry since her husband was working the late shift
tonight, so she would be home alone anyways. She walked the streets of this new
location, observing all the little shops and stores along the way.
By the time she decided to head home, night was quickly approaching and seeing
nothing much worth exploring, Hazel started heading back where she came from. Before
she turned around, however, Hazel came across a store that she had caught her attention.
It was a small brick shop that stood between two worn down, older buildings. There was
a single lantern hung outside the shop, just bright enough to illuminate the sign that read
“Linden's Big Book Shop.” Hazel cautiously approached the steps leading up to the front
door. As she turned the doorknob and opened the door, a bell chimed that made her jump.
As she collected herself, she took a look at the store she had entered and noticed a rack of
old books that were by the counter. She was quite the bookworm and started to scan
through them just as a man popped up from behind the counter, startling her again.
“Well hello my fair lady! How may I help you this fine evening?” the man asked
with a warm smile.
The man was an older looking gentleman with glasses that came to the tip of his
nose. He sported a long gray beard with streaks of white and a head of hair with the same
coloration as his beard that came close to shoulder length. If Hazel didn’t know any
better, she would say he looked like a stereotypical wizard that she read in her fantasy
2. novels.
“I-I'm just browsing” Hazel stuttered. “I read a lot at home, about four to six
books a week, so I'm always looking for something new. I saw that this was a book store
and I just couldn’t help myself”
The man chuckled, his deep voice conflicting with his relatively small body
stature. “Well, if you need any help, just ask. I don’t get many customers so I keep my
shop open longer than other shops, so take your time. I’m Linden. Meryl Linden, owner
of Linden’s Big Book Shop”
“Hazel” she replied, shaking the hand that she was offered.
With introductions behind her, Hazel started to wander the store and look for
other books.
Inside the old store, there where five bookshelves that lined the right side of the
store and was filled to the top with ancient books. The floor creaked as Hazel inspected
the first bookshelf. The warm glow of the candles around the shop and the dim light of
the chandelier hanging above her made the store seem very old, but rather comforting.
The windows allowed the twilight glow of the setting sun to seep through into the shop
giving a very homey look that made one want to lie down and sleep. Hazel walked down
the first row of books sliding her hands along the textured wood. She inspected every
book on all the shelves and not wanting to damage the books, tried to imagine what
contents were inside each book by reading the title. She walked towards the back of the
store looking for anything that would catch her eye. She saw faded red books with cracks
on the spine, light brown books with tears on the back cover, and black books which were
so faded, she could barely read any of the words on it.
She figured that she had just wasted her time and was about to leave, but one
book caught her eye. The book was chocolate brown with lifted ridges on the spine and
gold letters spelling “Perilous Travels Through the Deep Jungle.”
This book was in such better shape than the others that she thought that maybe it
wouldn’t fall apart in her hands if she read it. Hazel pulled the book to her and realized
the book was much larger compared to the others around it. She held the book partly with
her left hand and rested part of it on the self for support. As she flipped through the
pages, the fantastic pictures and words seemed to hypnotize her, capturing her senses and
making her feel as though she was in the jungle the book talked about.
She felt as though her body was being absorbed into the book that she was
actually walking through the magic forest that the hero of the book was in. She thought
that she could actually feel the steamy, choking humidity of the air and the wet, mossy
jungle floor. She could practically hear the birds in the trees and distant growls of
predators. This was the kind of book she had wanted for years, the one that would fully
immerse her in the universe of the story. She felt her eyes begin to close, lost in a sense
of bliss and felt her body start to weaken.
“AACHHOOOO!”
Hazel jumped as the loud sound of Mr. Linden sneezing filled the shop. She
realized that she was gasping for air and felt rather dizzy. Ignoring her tired state, she
looked back at the book in wonder and immediately decided that she must have it.
Hazel walked up to the register with the book in her hands, shaking a little as her
body was trying to correct itself from its earlier hypnosis.
3. “Are you ready to check out?” asked Mr. Linden, with a smile.
“Yes I sure am!” replied Hazel, almost immediately.
Mr. Linden picked up the book to scan it, but stopped as he examined the title.
His eyes narrowed as her realized what it was and his happy demeanor vanished, replaced
with a frown and furled eyebrows. He gave Hazel a look that worried her.
“Are you sure you would like to buy this book? Have you heard about it?” He
asked her with a serious tone that scared Hazel.
“N-No sir, what do you mean?” Hazel looked confused.
“I’ve heard that this book is very addicting and can be dangerous. Some say that it
has a dark magic hidden within its pages. ” Mr. Linden explained with a stern look on his
face.
Hazel looked at him and laughed, “How can a book be dangerous? What’re you
talking about? This book is amazing!”
“I’ve heard different stories about the book and its potential danger. I’d be careful
when you read it, ” warned Mr. Linden.
Aggravated that he was delaying her time to read the book, Hazel snapped, “Are
you trying to scare me? I doubt this book has powers. I want to purchase it. There is no
such thing as magic.”
Mr. Linden gave her a look of doubt, but just grabbed a bag from under the
counter.
“Alright, Alright.” Mr. Linden sighed as he scanned the book and put it in the
bag. He looked her in the eye, “I see there is no stopping you, but please be careful.”
Hazel grabbed the bag and quickly started to walk out the door.
“Thank you!” she called to him as she left the store.
“Remember what I told you!” called Mr. Linden, as the door shut.
Hazel settled into bed with the book tightly in her grasps. She had been
anticipating this moment all night. She lay on her side and placed the book beside her,
once again considering Mr. Linden’s warning. She felt that there might have been
something magical—magical in a dangerous way about this book. She recalled her
conversation with Mr. Linden. How could he know that this book had some kind of
magical power, he was just the owner of a bookstore. But she recalled what had happened
when she started to read the book, how it was a magical and exhilarating feeling, but
wondered what would have happened if she had kept reading it. A feeling of nervous fear
crept up her spine. She knew better than to open it; she even knew better than to buy it,
but she did both of these things.
Curiosity getting the best of her, she opened the book again.
As she lay there reading, she once again became engulfed in the words. Hazel
became hypnotized by every word; she was unable to look away. She felt the heat of the
jungle radiating the pages, heard the screeches and howls of the jungle creatures lurking
within, and became pulled in by the bright green vines curling and twisting through the
jungle. Everything that had happened before was happening again and it still filled her
with happiness. Being able to experience the feeling of adventure, the sweltering air, the
tight grasp of the vines grabbing her arm.
Hazel blinked and realized that it wasn’t just her experiencing the book. The book
had actually sprouted vines and ivy from its pages and they were now constricting her.
4. She tried to scream, but something was preventing her from doing so, she couldn’t
breathe because her room had gotten so hot and muggy, like an actual jungle. It was like
she had been pulled into the book.
Literally, Hazel was being pulled into the book by the curling vines that were now
coming off the pages. She was now hot and itchy and wanted to look away, to stop the
smothering heat, to escape the vines that were rapidly sprouting and spreading, tangling
around Hazel’s thin body, binding her to her bed. She struggled but the vines wouldn’t
give an inch. It was when she realized that the vines were pulling her into the book that
she realized it was too late. She should have listened to Mr. Linden. She should not have
looked inside it. She shouldn’t even have taken the book off the shelf.
However, Hazel did not listen to Mr. Linden, she had taken the book off the shelf,
and even though she knew better than to open it, she had. Now it was too late, and she
was trapped, too enchanted by the book’s power to even struggle anymore. As she felt
her consciousness slipping away, she shed a single tear and though how much of a fool
she had been to let this happen.
The next morning, her husband found that Hazel was unresponsive and had no
pulse. He frantically called 911, but when they arrived, they could do nothing. She was
pronounced to have died of a heart attack late in the night. The only thing that the
investigators found strange was the book that was still lying on the bed next to her body.
No one could understand why there were a number of small vines and leaves on the pages
in the book.
