I was caught in a dreadful illusion that tormented my mind. No. It was worse than that. It was a nightmare inside a nightmare.
An irresistible force seemed to pull me into the depths of a book, swallowing me into a world made of words, imagination, magic and things that should never have existed outside the pages of a story. The strangest part was that I knew the book.
I had read it years ago, back when I was still in high school. It had been one of the compulsory texts for my literature class, a supposedly timeless tale about two heavenly princesses whose lives were destined to end in tragedy.
At the time, I thought it was one of the most ridiculous stories I had ever read. I certainly never imagined that one day I would become part of it. It all started on an ordinary evening.
I was walking home after having dinner with my fiancée when an old woman suddenly appeared in front of me. She was dressed in dirty, tattered clothes, her tangled hair falling around her face. Her crooked nose and hollow-looking eyes made her look like a witch straight out of a fairy tale.
For a moment, I wondered whether it was Halloween. Then I realised I couldn't even remember what date it was. The woman was holding a thick hardcover book in both hands. She pushed it towards me without saying a word.
I stared at her suspiciously. Was she trying to rob me? I was already preparing myself to run if she suddenly pulled out a knife. Instead, she thrust the book into my hands.
"Take this book. It will change your life." Her voice was raspy and strangely serious.
I blinked. "What?"
Before I could ask anything else, she released the book and stepped back. I looked down at the cover. The familiar title immediately caught my attention.
Celestia: Tales of the Two Princesses!
I stared at it for several seconds. "You've got to be kidding me." Of all the books she could have given me, why this one?
I remembered that ridiculous story all too well. Two heavenly princesses, a handsome prince, monsters, magic, forbidden love and a tragic ending. It had been the kind of story that made my teenage self roll my eyes so hard I nearly gave myself a headache.
I lifted my head to return the book. The old woman was gone. I looked around. Nothing. The street was still busy, yet there was no sign of her anywhere. "What the hell?"
Had she walked away while I was looking at the book? That seemed impossible. I had only looked down for a few seconds. I glanced at the book again. For some reason, a strange thought crossed my mind. What if she had disappeared using magic? I immediately shook my head.
Ridiculous.
Magic didn't exist. It belonged in fairy tales, fantasy novels and children's cartoons. It certainly had no place in the real world.
I carried the book home anyway, intending to donate it to the public library the following day. At least someone else might find it interesting. By the time I reached my apartment, I had already forgotten about the strange encounter. I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Home.
My small apartment was my favourite place in the world. It was warm, comfortable and decorated according to my own taste. The living room had soft cushions, warm-coloured furniture and framed digital photographs of my family and friends. My kitchen was small but tidy, with a refrigerator full of healthy food and the coffee maker that had become essential to my morning routine. After a long day at work, there was nowhere else I would rather be.
I placed the mysterious book on the bedside table and went to take a shower. By the time I changed into my nightgown, I was exhausted. I climbed into bed, pulled the duvet over myself and closed my eyes. I expected to fall asleep immediately.
And I did. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly a peaceful sleep. Somewhere in the middle of the night, the book on my bedside table began to glow. At first, the light was faint. Then it became brighter. A strange blue-white radiance spilt from between the pages, illuminating the dark bedroom. The book slowly opened by itself, its pages fluttering as though caught in an invisible wind.
I opened my eyes. "What...?"
I sat up and stared at the book. The light grew stronger. Then, to my absolute horror, a woman's face emerged from between the pages. It was the old woman. Her crooked nose appeared first, followed by her wrinkled face and wild hair. She looked exactly like an evil witch from one of those old Disney movies.
"Princess!" she cried.
I stared at her in disbelief. "Princess? What princess?"
"You must go home now!"
"What are you talking about?" Before I could move, something grabbed me. My entire body lifted from the bed. "What the—?!"
I screamed as an invisible force dragged me towards the glowing book. I grabbed desperately at the sheets, but my fingers slipped through them.No! Wait!"
The old woman simply stared at me from the pages. Then the book swallowed me whole.
I screamed at the top of my lungs. "AAAAAAAAAH!"
Bang! I woke up with a violent gasp. My bedroom was dark. The book was sitting quietly on my bedside table. There was no glowing light. No witch. No magical force trying to drag me into a book. For several seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling, my heart pounding. Then came another loud bang.
"Keep it down, will you!" I nearly jumped out of bed again. It was Mr Timothy, my neighbour from across the hall.
"I'm sorry!" I shouted.
"You've been watching crap again, haven't you?" Despite his annoyed voice, there was a certain warmth to it. Mr Timothy was responsible for maintaining the building, and he was usually friendly with everyone. Judging by the sound of his voice, he had probably just finished his shift and happened to arrive home at the exact moment I decided to scream like someone was murdering me.
"Sorry!" I called again. I looked at my laptop. The screen was still playing my favourite anime, Tonari no Totoro. I must have fallen asleep after the fifth episode. I reached over and lowered the volume. Then I frowned. Why had I been screaming? I thought about the dream. I had been walking home after dinner with my fiancé.
Except… I didn't have a fiancé. I stared blankly at the laptop screen. "Wait." I sat up again. I was a happily single career woman. Almost thirty, with a decent job, an apartment I loved and absolutely no time for romance. So where had that fiancé come from?
I rubbed my forehead. It was a dream. That was all. A very strange dream. Apparently, I had dreamed that I had dinner with my imaginary fiancé, went to sleep and then had another nightmare in which I was sucked into a book. I let out a long sigh and hugged the plush giant black cat sitting beside me.
"What the hell was that?" I turned my attention back to the anime, hoping it would distract me. But I couldn't concentrate. Something about the dream kept bothering me.
A book.
What book? I frowned as I tried to remember. Then it came back to me. The old woman. The book she had given me.
Celestia: Tales of the Two Princesses!
I looked towards my bedside table. The book was still there. For some reason, I felt a chill run down my spine. I stared at it for a long moment. It was only a book. Nothing more. At least, that was what I told myself. I had no idea that the strange encounter would change my life forever. I had no idea that the book would take me somewhere I had never imagined going. And I certainly had no idea that I would soon find myself living inside the story I had once hated.
This time, I wouldn't be reading about Princess Elysia. I would be living her life.