Book Of The Hours Novels & Stories

they murmured in haunting unison. Alex tightened his arm around me. "Stay close, Sophia. We don’t know what lies ahead." We reached a grand chamber, its walls adorned with exquisite carvings of battles, romance, and tragedies. In the center stood a pedestal with a book, its pages seemingly untouched by time. "The Book of Origins," Jerome whispered, awe evident in his voice. As I approached, the pages began to flutter on their own, stopping on a page with an image of two figures, eerily resembling Alex and me. Below the image was an inscription.

The flames dance before us, casting flickering shadows on our faces, reminding us of the beauty that can arise from the darkest of times. In this circle of love, trust, and unwavering support, we find solace and strength. No matter what life throws our way, we know we can count on each other to lend a listening ear, offer guidance, and provide a shoulder to lean on. As the night comes to a close, we gather our things, the embers of the bonfire fading away. We exchange hugs, feeling the warmth of our connection radiate through our embrace. Walking back to the house, hand in hand with Sarah and Ruth, I am filled with a profound sense of contentment.

The Book didn’t whisper that night; it screamed through the stillness of the house. Autumn jolted awake at precisely 3:33 a.m., her heart racing as she blinked at the sight before her. The Book pulsed with a ghostly light at the foot of her bed, its pages fluttering violently like trapped birds, despite the windows being securely shut against the autumn chill. The pendant that hung around her neck, an ornate piece of silver filigree, felt uncomfortably cold against her collarbone, as if it were absorbing the warmth from her skin.

"What is this?" She picked up the note and started to read it slowly. "When you are old and grey and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep; How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true, But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face; And bending down beside the glowing bars,

5 years ago, I was blessed to open a publishing house as well. E.H. Publishing has had success with multiple top-selling books, and awards. I am grateful for my success, and the benefits packages that accompany it but, were I being honest with myself, I feel empty. It has been several decades since I felt a woman embrace. I have tried, I have tried to move on but, soon all becomes dust in the wind and I have yet to find someone who touches my soul just as my sweet Eliza did. I will never again be able to see her, feel her again.

Gazing back towards the book, it felt as if something was pushing me towards it. I got up and walked towards the book. Placing it on my lap I noticed that the cover was filled with complicated detailing. The material felt rough, it felt old but well-taken care of. The colors were a mixture of ash grey, gold, and specks of white, the title was written in crimson red. Taking a bite from my food, I opened the first page of the book. ---------- [Chapter Quote: "Her soul belongs to words and books. Every time she reads, she is home ."]

Mist and fog crawled up from the edge of the sea, blurring the twinkle of city lights. He held his breath, and his heart tightened in his chest as the runway came into view, the blinking signal lights whipping by too fast. The fog turned into a dark wind, coiling around the plane like a snake, choking it. Then the crash of metal and flash of fire engulfed everything in a deafening explosion.

I entered mine, went through the three books I had gotten from the store, and set them down on the bed. I folded my arms and read their names. The Claiming Rites, Finding the One, and Under the Red Moon. There was no order in which anyone should read these books, so I sat down and picked up The Claiming Rites. After an hour, I finished reading. The book made zero sense, and then I picked up Finding the One and spent another hour reading through it. While the first book was incomplete, the second made a little more sense. I picked up the third, which I had gone to Zion’s room with. I took my time reading, and another hour went by.

Every moment is this. Without moment. This. The light that is. The love that is. The being that is. The this that is. Only this. The book never opened. Because there was no cover. The book never closed. Because there was no ending. The book was the opening. The book was the reading. The book was the read. All one. Without one. This. The final chapter is not final. There was no first. There was no sequence. Only this. Appearing as sequence.

THE KING KILLER The fire in the hearth was dying down, turning into a pile of glowing orange ribs. Esmeralda sat in the high-backed chair, her feet tucked under her. Outside, the wind was howling, a sound that usually made her feel lonely, but tonight it felt like a conversation. She had an old book open on her lap. The pages were yellow and smelled like dust and dried flowers. It was the book of the First Seers. She had read the same four lines a thousand times since she was a girl.