Awake

The new book arrived just like all the others before it. Mrs. Granger paid no attention to it. She had just closed the library and really didn't feel like putting away all the new donations. All she wanted to do was go home, make some dinner, and curl up on the couch with a book, some cocoa, and her cat, Mr. Fudge. So, she shoved the books into the closet and turned to go. She opened the door, locked it behind her, and drove away. She suspected nothing, as on all the other nights.  

However, this was no ordinary library. In Willow Creek Public Library, something special happened every night. The books came to life. Well, not exactly the books, but the characters in the books came out. Jenn hadn't expected to come to life that night, so you can imagine her surprise when she was suddenly outside of her book, standing on two feet. Jenn was from that new book that had just arrived and was very confused. However, more than confused, she was completely shocked. She had lived a quiet life inside her book, which was a simple romance. She was pretty normal overall, just a teen girl with long black hair and a tan complexion. She was not tall or shot, not thin or fat. She just looked the definition of normal. Now she was outside of the book and was having a sort of sensory overload. In no time, however, she had recovered and was now more curious than anything. It looked as if she was in some sort of closet. She slowly realized she was already surrounded by many other characters. She saw some she didn't know, but others she did, such as Mr. Matthew, her math teacher, and Justin, her love interest in her book. Many were just as confused as she was, and some were crying or just standing in place. However, with all the different characters a book can hold, there were some adventurous ones. A couple of fantasy-looking characters in armor had already reached the closet door. They opened it, and stepped out, with Jenn right behind them.  

Jenn suddenly became aware of sounds all around her. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed them before but put it as being surrounded by so many other characters and shock. She saw a banister and understood she was upstairs. she walked up to the banister and peered down. She almost gasped in surprise. Down below, hundreds of characters walked around, talking, hugging, and shaking hands. Sword fights were happening, and in some corners, some people were even betting on the outcomes. There were children's book characters and classic faces. Fantasy, Victorian, and sci-fi characters were milling about with friends. Jenn even spotted some she recognized herself such as Sherlock Holmes and Little Red Riding Hood. Suddenly, Jenn noticed someone by her side.  

"Hello," said a tall, bearded man, "you must be new! I am sure I haven't seen you around before. They call me Nadir. What's your name?" The man was dressed in a Persian style and seemed strong. He seemed somewhat old, his hairs had a salt and pepper coloring to it. His skin had deep wrinkles, which carved out his face giving him some character in Jenn's opinion. He looked a bit weathered and sunbeaten.

"My name is Jenn, and you are correct. I am new," replied Jenn, somewhat nervously. "What is this place? Before tonight, I was just a character, and now I'm alive. What's going on?" 

"I will explain everything." Nadir said "You see this is a library, where people come to rent books. However, this place has some kind of power that brings us to life after hours. We aren't quite sure what it is, but we have great times. I am from the book The Phantom of the Opera, and there are millions of characters here. Not every character from every boo comes out, however. They must be a fleshed-out character who has baring on the story they are in. So, mostly main and side characters here.”  

Jenn contemplated this, thinking about how her life had just changed in such a dramatic way. She also came to the conclusion that she was happy about this turn of events and that her life had just gotten way more exciting than the way her author had written it. In her opinion, she had a pretty boring life before.  

“Wow, well that was unexpected. So, what do you guys do here? Wouldn’t it get boring after a while? Can you guys leave?” All the questions burst forth in a flood. What could she say? She was now extremely curious and excited. Nadir didn’t skip a beat, taking each question in stride. 

“Ha, you sure are a newbie, aren’t you?” Nadir laughed heartily, a warm laugh like a sun-warmed creek. “We find ways to entertain ourselves. As for leaving, we have tried and failed. Some people have gotten it into their minds that this place is a prison and not a gift. I personally do not see how they think this, myself. I mean before we came here, we were dead. Now we are alive and breathing things. Is this not a gift? Should we not be grateful?” 

The Persian said all these things and as he did, his face became sober. Jenn thought about this and thought she could see both sides. However, right now she really wanted to explore.  

“Hey, thanks for putting me in the know, but I would really like to check this place out if you don’t mind. I guess I’ll see you around?”  

Nadir smiled and stuck out his hand. Jenn gave it a firm shake and smiled back. “If you ever need anything else, I’m always around. Don’t hesitate to ask.” This being said the Persian jumped over the balcony and into the crowd below. Within seconds Jenn lost sight of him in the throng.  

Jenn made her way downstairs and looked around the crowd trying to find someone who looked interesting. She soon spotted Harry, Hermione, and Ron across the room and smiled. They were talking with some other random young people from miscellaneous books, and Jenn started walking towards them. She passed dragons, cats, giants, and trolls. She swept by astronauts, princesses, knights, and detectives. As she made her way across the room, she grew more and more ecstatic. This was going to be awesome.