Novel & Cerita The Dusty Bookshelf

She bopped her fist into Blake's arm grinning as he shrunk away from her, his lips puckered into an exaggerated pout. Casper entered the library first, pushing his way to the front and throwing open the double door. The scent of aged, musty books and dust hit us in the face. Floor to ceiling shelves lined every wall, each one weighed down with ancient tomes, spell books and ancestral diaries. Thick layers of dust settled on their ornate leather bindings. Each shelf was marked with the type of book it contained.

He grasped my hand in return, turning to pull me completely into his embrace. So close that our breaths mingled. "Dylan, let's never be apart." He nuzzled my hair, his voice choked with emotion. "It's a promise." — When I saw Jeffery again, Dylan and I had just finished grocery shopping. Under the dim lights of the parking lot, Jeffery called out to me. His face was pale, and the cigarette butt fell from his fingers. It burned his hand, but he showed no reaction. In all the time I'd known him, I'd never seen him look so disheveled.

It feels like another world, one dedicated solely to books. “Come on... it’s huge, you could get lost in here,” he says, offering his hand. I take it, interlocking my fingers with his. It feels natural as we traverse the endless hallways, home to what must be the largest bookshelf in the world. After a while, we come across a section of books. He reaches for a dark brown one, high up on the shelf. The book is as thick as a dictionary, dusty and old. He blows at it, sending minuscule grains of dirt scattering.

My heart quickened with a mix of trepidation and excitement as I stepped into the dimly lit room, its air thick with mystery. The walls were lined with bookshelves, their shelves filled with leather-bound tomes and dusty artifacts. It was a sanctuary of knowledge, a treasure trove of Alexander's past waiting to be discovered. As I perused the shelves, my eyes landed on a weathered journal, its pages filled with untold stories.

( 12 years later ) Dust particles filled the air when I slammed the large, heavy book closed. A stressful groan escaped my lips as I angrily shoved it back on the shelf with the other books. "Anything?" I heard Darian's voice from the other side of the library. I shook my head and continued rummaging through the books, reading their spines. "There's gotta be something..." Darian mumbled as he pulled books off the shelves, opened them, and tossed the unhelpful objects somewhere behind him, yelling profanities at them. "Dammit! This is taking forever!"

Once the door clicked shut, I was alone in the dim light. I scanned the room, it was almost easy to tell which part of the room belonged to Darius. Other than the fact that he scent was stronger from the right corner, it looked…neater. Darius always looked like he wanted to take his time with everything, no matter how little it was. The bed, the clean surface, everything just screamed Darius. I moved directly to the wooden shelf, running my fingers along the spine of the books. Did he truly read? Where did he even get all these books from:

Darling, I call on to thee, In respect to your fee. Pressure is off the table, Which makes me unable. You are special, you see, And I have to play my cards right, Though that does not give You the freedom of manoeuvre. Ties that bind, Makes the situation tight. I want you all to myself, But you’ve to respect, I work with dust. Forget the words of mummy dearest, You are in too deep. And my dust has already worked

My eyes sweeping each shelves filled with just a few books. The fireplace was situated to the wall on my right and in front of it sat a center table with two black sofas around the piece of furniture. I didn't bother going to the sofa as I had already spotted the large window at the back of the shelves. I sauntered deeper into the room, taking my time to look at each books and finding the one that would catch my interest. A large book covered in dust finally caught my interest and I quickly walked towards it. I blew away the dust on it and ran my palm over the hardcover.

With trembling hands, I inserted the key and turned it. As the door creaked open, a musty smell filled the air. I cautiously stepped inside and found myself in a cramped and dusty chamber. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with crumbling tomes and yellowed manuscripts. In the center of the room, a large wooden desk held an open book and a pile of parchment.

A bookshelf stacked with all kinds of books. "Do you like it?"