Emma Harper began one of those days that stopped to present an endless sequence of unfortunate events. Black coffee was spilt on her favourite blouse in the morning, the bus she was supposed to get was not present and when she got one, she missed it and had to stand in the rain and now, she was at work with so much paperwork she could barely make head or tail of. The tension steadily mounted towards 5 PM. She wanted to feel relieved from the pressure due to work and her unfixed emotional state.
The sky was now a sort of dark grey and, as she was finally leaving the office, she knew it would rain again. Finally, the moment arrived, overtaken by anxiety and cold, Emma tightened her coat and rushed through the street. There were bills to pay, an unresolved argument between her and her best friend and the emptiness that she never thought she would have to experience but became a daily part of her existence in the last couple of months.
As she was thinking hard, she never noticed the small shop of an old faded yellow building with books in between a café and a flower shop. Just above the entrance lay the sign: “The Enchanted Quill” dilapidated and leaning to one side. On that day Emma came in just to get into the warm and welcoming building simply because of the light from the windows and the opportunity to avoid the rain.
The bell on the door was ringing and its sound was nothing more than a whisper as she stepped inside. The store was quite small with signs of ageing, with the smell of books and classical background music. Magazines stacked on each other like a maze of knowledge out of which colourful fabrics could be made.
“Can I help you find something?” a voice asked.
Emma looked at the man nearby and saw a kind elderly stranger with a pleasant expression on his face. He had a certain look of sage wisdom, as though he could look back on a thousand lives or at least the lives that he has read through the books on the shelves around them.
“I don’t know,” she said, and since she was not a liar, her answer was truthful. This one was a classic, “I just needed a break. ”
The man nodded understandingly. “Sometimes, the right book can find you during the toughest times. ” He then proceeded to take a small, dusty book from the nearby shelf. He picked up another one and said, “Here, why don’t you try this one?”
The name of the book was The Light Within. Emma glanced at the cover, which depicted a man who was standing alone on the shore of a great sea, and the light filtering through the darkness of the sky.
She spoke, “Thank you,” her interest aroused.
She looked around for a moment and saw a comfortable armchair in the corner of the store; she sat down and started reading. The story is narrated by a young woman whose name is Lily and she can be compared to the main character of the novel Emma since she feels like she is drowning in responsibility. In the course of the story, Lily is surrounded by several people who, in one way or another, make her reinvent herself and find the meaning of life again.
Thus, Emma was captivated by the story and was not even aware of the time when Lily took her through the adventures. Every page appeared to be saying something that she felt herself, something that would help her and explain things. In the final chapter of the book, Emma experiences a feeling of comfort that she has not had for a long time.
When she shut the book, she realized that there was a piece of paper in the book and it looked like it was written on. It was a handwritten note that read: “For anyone who feels like they’re lost in the darkness, I hope this story will guide you to the light. – Arthur. ”
Emma looked at the man nearby and saw a kind elderly stranger with a pleasant expression on his face. He had a certain look of sage wisdom, as though he could look back on a thousand lives or at least the lives that he has read through the books on the shelves around them.
“I don’t know,” she said, and since she was not a liar, her answer was truthful. This one was a classic, “I just needed a break. ”
The man nodded understandingly. “Sometimes, the right book can find you during the toughest times. ” He then proceeded to take a small, dusty book from the nearby shelf. He picked up another one and said, “Here, why don’t you try this one?”
The name of the book was The Light Within. Emma glanced at the cover, which depicted a man who was standing alone on the shore of a great sea, and the light filtering through the darkness of the sky.
She spoke, “Thank you,” her interest aroused.
She looked around for a moment and saw a comfortable armchair in the corner of the store; she sat down and started reading. The story is narrated by a young woman whose name is Lily and she can be compared to the main character of the novel Emma since she feels like she is drowning in responsibility. In the course of the story, Lily is surrounded by several people who, in one way or another, make her reinvent herself and find the meaning of life again.
Thus, Emma was captivated by the story and was not even aware of the time when Lily took her through the adventures. Every page appeared to be saying something that she felt herself, something that would help her and explain things. In the final chapter of the book, Emma experiences a feeling of comfort that she has not had for a long time.
When she shut the book, she realized that there was a piece of paper in the book and it looked like it was written on. It was a handwritten note that read: “For anyone who feels like they’re lost in the darkness, I hope this story will guide you to the light. – Arthur. ”
To express her gratitude to the man, Emma glanced around the shop only to realize that he was not there anymore. She proceeded to the counter where another young woman was now served.
“Excuse me,” Emma said. “This person who was here before, the man called Arthur…?”
The young woman shyly frowned and looked more confused than before. “You mean Arthur? Actually, there is no one with that name who has worked here for many years now. Now, this store has been here for over fifty years and all the books you see are all he leaves behind.”
Emma’s head tensed with horror as she was shocked out of her complacency. She turned her eyes at the book in her hand again and discovered that help came in an almost unimaginable way. The dream experience that the woman had been through assisted her in achieving the outcome that empowered her to confront her problems.
The realization that the potion did not harm her only made Emma feel better as she left The Enchanted Quill, which was no longer foggy as the evening had come. She was still aware of the fact that life will be full of challenges, however, she also realized that at times what you need is given at the most unexpected time and in the most unexpected of ways, even wrapped in a book of fairy tales.
So when Emma decided to go home, her heart was a little less heavy and her spirit was more alive than before to face this particular journey that life had to offer all of a sudden.
“Excuse me,” Emma said. “This person who was here before, the man called Arthur…?”
The young woman shyly frowned and looked more confused than before. “You mean Arthur? Actually, there is no one with that name who has worked here for many years now. Now, this store has been here for over fifty years and all the books you see are all he leaves behind.”
Emma’s head tensed with horror as she was shocked out of her complacency. She turned her eyes at the book in her hand again and discovered that help came in an almost unimaginable way. The dream experience that the woman had been through assisted her in achieving the outcome that empowered her to confront her problems.
The realization that the potion did not harm her only made Emma feel better as she left The Enchanted Quill, which was no longer foggy as the evening had come. She was still aware of the fact that life will be full of challenges, however, she also realized that at times what you need is given at the most unexpected time and in the most unexpected of ways, even wrapped in a book of fairy tales.
So when Emma decided to go home, her heart was a little less heavy and her spirit was more alive than before to face this particular journey that life had to offer all of a sudden.
P.S: Sometimes the most profound help and guidance come from unexpected places, reminding us to stay open to the possibilities around us.
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