The Mystery of the Book

As I watched Alex walk away, I felt as if something inside me were falling apart. The day had been a whirlwind of emotions, and my mind could barely process it all. I tried to clear my head, but it was useless. The bell rang, announcing the next class: swimming. Just hearing the word made a knot of anxiety form in my stomach.

I couldn’t believe it had to be today. I don’t know how to swim. Just the thought of getting into the water in front of the whole class terrified me. I took a deep breath and headed to the locker room to put on my swimsuit, trying to convince myself that I could go unnoticed or, with some luck, come up with an excuse to avoid it.

Inside the girls’ bathroom, Leslie gave me a friendly look, but when she noticed my pale face, she frowned and came closer.

—Scarlett, are you okay?

I swallowed, feeling exposed and vulnerable. Finally, I whispered to her:

—Leslie, the truth is… I’m scared. I don’t know how to swim, and I don’t want everyone to find out.

Leslie looked at me with understanding and placed her hand on my shoulder.

—Don’t worry —she said with a warm smile—. We’re all afraid of something. But if you want, I can help you. I swim pretty well. I can stay by your side and guide you. No one has to know.

I felt a wave of relief and gratitude when I heard her, even though the fear was still there.

—Thank you, Leslie. Really. You have no idea how much that means to me.

Relieved, I thanked Leslie for her support, but there was a decision I had to make on my own.

—I’m going to try to talk to the teacher —I said, trying to sound determined—. Maybe if I explain my fear, he’ll let me just put my feet in the pool.

Leslie nodded, giving me an encouraging smile. With my heart racing, I approached the teacher and explained, in a trembling voice, that I didn’t know how to swim and that I was very afraid to try. Fortunately, the teacher listened patiently and allowed me to stay at the edge, with my feet in the water. The relief was so great that I almost sighed out loud.

However, the calm didn’t last long. While the rest of my classmates dove in and swam across the pool, some of them noticed that I hadn’t gone in.

—Come on, Scarlett! Don’t stay out! —one of them said with a smile.

—I’m fine here, really —I replied, trying to sound confident, even though the fear was still there.

The class continued without any major problems, and for a moment I thought everything would turn out fine. But when the class was about to end and the students began getting out of the pool, someone passed by me and, unintentionally, pushed me.

I felt the cold water wrap around me as I fell in, and panic took over. Everything became confusing; I tried to move, to reach the surface, but fear and lack of control paralyzed me. I heard a distant scream, Leslie’s voice:

—She can’t swim!

Before I could understand what was happening, I felt strong arms wrap around me and lift me to the surface. It was Alex.

Of course, here’s a less romantic version!

I couldn’t believe it. Alex held me firmly as he helped me out of the water, his gaze fixed on mine with a mix of concern and calm. For a moment, the panic and the feeling of drowning faded into the background. My legs were trembling, but the security of his arms helped me breathe more easily.

As he left me safely at the edge of the pool, I tried to regain my composure, grateful for his quick reaction.

As soon as he let go of me, Leslie came running and crouched beside me.

—Are you okay, Scarlett? —she asked, still a little shaken.

—Yes… I think so —I replied, though I still felt a bit dazed.

Leslie looked at me and then followed my gaze; I had been staring at Alex without realizing it. He was walking away a little, but I couldn’t stop looking at him. Leslie gently nudged my arm and smiled, as if she understood something I myself didn’t yet fully grasp.

After everything that had happened, Leslie and I went to the girls’ bathroom to change. As we took off our swimsuits and put our normal clothes back on, she kept talking about what had happened in the pool, laughing and asking questions. I tried to take it calmly, though I still felt a little embarrassed.

—Thank God it’s the last class —I said, sighing with relief—. We’re finally going home.

When we finished changing, we left the high school together. But as we stepped outside, I fell silent for a moment when I saw him. Alex was there, looking at me with a serious and somewhat intrigued expression. I had no idea why he was still there, but I felt his eyes following me.

When Scarlett entered the house after her first day of high school, she found her aunt in the kitchen, flipping through a magazine. When she saw Scarlett, she smiled with curiosity.

—How was school? —she asked.

Scarlett left her backpack on a chair and shrugged, remembering what had happened in the pool and how Alex had helped her.

—It was… interesting. I had a small “incident” in the pool, but I’m fine —she replied, trying to sound carefree.

Her aunt frowned, clearly worried.

—Are you sure you’re okay?

—Yes, of course —Scarlett said, forcing a smile—. It was just a misstep. I’m going to go take a shower.

Without waiting any longer, Scarlett went upstairs and stepped into the shower. The hot water helped her relax and forget about the day. After getting dressed in something comfortable, she went downstairs for a moment and then remembered something.

—Aunt! —she shouted from upstairs—. Where are my things from the old house?

—In the attic! —her aunt replied from the kitchen.

Curious, Scarlett decided to go up to the attic. When she opened the door, darkness surrounded her, and she turned on the light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The light illuminated the space, full of old objects and stacked boxes.

As she walked, a loose floorboard creaked beneath her feet. She bent down to see what it was and, with some effort, lifted the board. She found an old book, covered in dust, with a leather cover filled with drawings of supernatural creatures. Scarlett’s heart began to race; something about the book drew her in, as if it held secrets waiting to be discovered.

Scarlett went down the attic stairs with her heart pounding, clutching the old book in her hands. Her mind was full of questions she couldn’t ignore, and the only person who might have answers was her aunt. She found her in the kitchen, preparing dinner, and asked in a trembling voice:

“Aunt… I found this in the attic,” she said, holding the book out to her.

Her aunt stared at the book for a moment, as if remembering something long forgotten. Finally, she sighed and smiled sadly.

“It belonged to your mother,” she confessed, taking the book in her hands. “She kept it and never let me know what was inside. I was just a child, about ten years old, and… the attic always scared me. I never went up there.”

“Do you know what it contains?” Scarlett asked.

Her aunt shook her head. “No, and I never dared to ask. Your mother was very secretive about this book.”

She handed the book back to Scarlett and placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling warmly and nostalgically.

“You should keep it, Scarlett. It was your mother’s, and I think she would appreciate you having it now.”

Scarlett looked at the book, feeling that it had become more than just an object; it was a link to her mother’s past.

That night, after dinner, when her aunt went to sleep, Scarlett locked herself in her room and took the book out from under her pillow. The cover was worn and the edges of the pages yellowed, but the curiosity surrounding it made her unable to wait any longer to open it. She did so carefully.

At first, she only saw pages filled with strange drawings: symbols she didn’t recognize, figures of odd creatures, and landscapes. In one corner, she recognized her mother’s signature.

She turned a few more pages and then found something different: a hand-drawn map. It showed the forests of Pennsylvania with a path leading to a cave marked with a spiral-shaped symbol.

“What is all this?” she murmured.

In the margin of the map, there was a phrase written in faded ink: मेरा द्रुइड मित्र

She didn’t fully understand what it meant, but her curiosity grew. Had her mother been there? Or was it just a game, or some secret story she had hidden in the book?

Between the stuck pages, Scarlett discovered something else: there was a handwritten story, as if her mother had copied or invented it.

“The druid and his forbidden love,” she read softly, intrigued.

The story spoke of a powerful druid who lived in a hidden kingdom, a place full of magic and supernatural creatures. The druids had strict rules; they had to protect their world and could never bond with humans. But this druid, unfortunately, broke one of those rules.

He had fallen in love with a human woman, a young woman he encountered in the forest every day. He knew he should not approach her, that his love was forbidden, but it was inevitable. The woman had seen him by accident, and after years of secret meetings, he could no longer bear the idea of losing her.

The druid made a decision: he chose to leave his world and run away with her. He knew that by doing so, the entire supernatural kingdom would reject him. However, his love was so strong that he didn’t care about the price.

Together they escaped and formed a family, having a daughter who shared her mother’s beauty and bravery and her father’s power. But the supernatural kingdom does not forgive betrayals. The druids found him and, as punishment, exiled him for life. He could never return to his world or use his powers again.

The last line of the story read:

“The druid lived the rest of his days as a human.”

So Scarlett had no choice but to wait until the next day to tell her friend and see what she thought about all of this.