Author

In the darkest corner of the old library sat a book, forgotten about centuries ago. Its crumbling spine barely kept the brittle pages contained inside, and the dust lay on the cover like a blanket.

But this was no ordinary book, for it contained the secrets of the past and wishes for the future and it sat waiting for its new author to discover it and fulfill a prophecy as old as the dawn of time. 

Ella peered around the corner of the last bookshelf and wrinkled her nose at the dust and cobwebs she found gathering in the corner. For years she had worked in this library, keeping every nook clean, and she had never encountered this corner before. Such filth would have never escaped her had she known.

She stood up straight, tossed her long brunette curls back over her shoulder, and crept closer to the pedestal upon which the ancient book sat. Something about the book spoke to her, drew her in, and caused her to forget about the spiders that were surely watching her from the shadows.

Setting her candle on the pedestal, she lifted the heavy book with shaky hands and inspected it closely. There was a warmth that seemed to radiate from the book, a warmth that called to her very soul. Taking a deep breath, she blew the dust from the cover. There was no title to give her any inkling as to what the book could be, but yet, she knew this book -- or at the very least, this book knew her.

Ella cautiously opened the old book and the light that emanated from its pages almost blinded her. Startled, she dropped the book, extinguishing the light as the book snapped shut when it hit the floor.

She scanned her surroundings, making sure that no one else had wandered into her little corner of the library before picking the book up off the floor. Trying her best to calm herself, she opened the book once again, this time bracing herself for the light.

An unspoken power seemed to course through the book’s pages as Ella looked closer. At first glance, the page appeared blank, but almost as if by magic, words trickled their way onto the paper. 

In the quiet of the night,

a new Author shall be born.

The shadows cannot hide from light

once dividing veils are torn.

Ella watched in fascination as the words solidified themselves on the page, but she had no time for questions before the pages started turning on their own and revealed to her the history of ancient worlds never heard of before. Faster and faster the pages turned, until coming to an abrupt stop on the very last page. 

Before Ella’s eyes, an exquisite feathered quill appeared out of thin air and came to rest gently on the final page of the book. The feather was a beautiful teal that couldn’t have come from any ordinary bird and it seemed to glisten with a thousand little stars. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Ella stood for a moment, completely mesmerized by the allure of such a stunning quill. There was something so familiar, and although she could’ve sworn she’d never seen it before, she couldn’t help but feel like it was meant for her. 

Setting the book back on the pedestal, she reached out with a trembling hand to pick up the quill. The moment her fingers closed around the feather, a ring of light burst out through the whole library, taking Ella’s breath away. Startled, she set the quill on he pedestal, shut the book, and took a step back. This was simply too strange. 

Ella picked her candle back up and hurried away from that long-forgotten corner of the library to return to her chair at the front desk. She tried to busy herself with her work, sorting books and completing paperwork, but she just couldn’t get her mind off the mysterious book in the corner and what it could mean.

As the minutes passed by, an icy chill settled in the library that froze Ella to her very core. Pulling on her wool cloak, she decided to close up early. The autumn chill would keep away any late-night visitors to the library, and being that she was still shaken up over her encounter with the book, she didn’t want to spend one moment longer in the darkening library alone.

Ella made her way around the library, blowing out the various candles and extinguishing the lanterns on the walls as she went. Soon, the library was shrouded in darkness. The only light that remained was the flickering candle Ella held in her hand.

With one final look around the empty library, she pulled her cloak tighter around herself and exited the library into the night. As she stepped out onto the empty street, Ella was shocked by the warmer air that greeted her. She turned to stare at the library doors, and through the windows, she could make out the faintest glowing light coming from that filth covered corner. 

She shuddered as the chill set into her bones again, so she turned and hurried down the street. The empty street did nothing to help ease the eerie sensation that was threatening to consume her, and Ella’s single candle didn’t do much to ward off the darkness pressing in. The only other light to be found was the occasional lantern that hung outside doors waiting to greet the families that lived there as they came home for the evening. 

The autumn breeze tossed through her curls as her feet carried her swiftly across the cobblestones. Home was only a ten-minute walk from the library, but tonight the walk seemed to take an eternity.  Even though she was rushing as fast as she could without actually running, she couldn’t get home fast enough. 

Rounding the last corner, her cabin appeared off in the distance. Although she lived with her closest friend, Cora, the house remained a dark silhouette against the night sky. Cora must not be back from that day’s market, but Ella didn’t care. She was just happy to finally be home and away from that library, and more importantly, away from that cryptic book.

She picked up her pace, and upon reaching the front door, she rushed inside, slamming the door behind her and barricading herself in. Slumping back against the door, she lowered herself to the floor where she remained for some time just listening to her heart drumming in her ears, watching her flickering candle toss dancing shadows around the room, and trying to steady her heartbeat. 

Once her breathing slowed, she pushed herself back up onto her feet and crossed the room. With a shaky hand, she used what was left of her melting candle to light the fireplace, and within moments, the cabin was illuminated with a warm glow. Ella could feel the flames chase away her fears over the night’s strange events and a sigh of relief escaped her.

Their cabin wasn’t much to look at. The thatch roof needed repair and the walls could do with some patching before the snow started falling, but the girls were lucky enough to have a two-bedroom home, and it was quite cozy otherwise, so Ella didn’t dare complain about some minor flaws. She was sure the neighbor boy would help them patch it up before the weather turned.

Ella busied herself around the cabin, but soon was growing tired of waiting for Cora to arrive home. She decided to start dinner preparations without her and it wasn’t long before the smells of brewing tea and warming bread filled the cabin.

By the time she finished her meager meal, the book was far from Ella’s mind -- nothing but a distant memory, but as she was cleaning up the cabin for the night, she started to wonder why Cora hadn’t arrived home yet. Pulling back one of the burlap sacks they used for curtains, she peered out into the night, but there was no sign of Cora coming up the lane. Ella stared into the darkness a while longer but was suddenly overcome with a feeling that she was being watched, so she straightened the burlap sack over the window and backed away. She supposed Cora must have stopped in at the tavern in town, as she did on occasion, so there was no sense in waiting up for her. 

Ella crossed the cabin and pulled back the cloth that acted as a door for her room and stopped dead in her tracks. 

The book from the library lay open on her bed, its pages glowing with the magnificent quill resting between the pages. Ella stood frozen in the doorway, unable to breathe, her heart hammering in her chest. She wanted to scream, she wanted to run away, but something about the book beckoned her closer. 

Against her will, her feet carried her over to her bed until she was standing directly in front of the book. The quill rose into the air until it was eye-level, its feather shimmering in the glow from the pages. 

Ella took a deep breath to settle her nerves, and with what little confidence she had left, she reached out for the quill. There was no ring of light when her fingers closed around the feather, but she felt a warmness course through her veins, chasing out all her fears. 

She could hear the pages of the book rustle, and she looked down to find the glowing pages turning until they came to rest again on the very last page. Ella wasn’t going to let the fear take over this time, so with another deep breath, she placed the quill to the paper and spelled out her name. The dazzling ink flowed freely as the quill glided across the page. 

Ella hesitated for just a moment, not sure if she should continue, and the moment the quill left the page, there appeared one single word after her name -- Author.