Silence.
That was the one rule people failed to understand.
And today… it would cost me everything.
—
Today was supposed to be just another ordinary day.
I moved quietly between the shelves, guiding customers to the books they were searching for, signing them up, answering the same questions I had answered a hundred times before. It was repetitive… almost dull.
But I didn't hate it.
This had always been my dream—to live among books.
There was something about them that never failed to pull me in. Ancient texts, worn and fragile, whispering of forgotten worlds… or newly printed volumes filled with ideas about the future. Technology, history, fiction—each one held a different kind of mystery.
Sometimes, I would pause, running my fingers along their spines, wondering—
Who wrote this?Why did they write it?And how did they create something that could outlive them?
Books were more than just pages and ink.
They were memories. Thoughts. Entire worlds, captured and preserved.
And somehow…
I always felt like I belonged among them.
—
Bang.
The sound shattered the silence.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, exhaling slowly.
There would always be people who couldn't read—or simply chose to ignore—the bold letters printed everywhere:
KEEP QUIET.
And today, unfortunately…
I was dealing with one of them.
A child.
Loud. Restless. Completely uninterested in the idea of silence.
He darted between the shelves, pulling books halfway out, letting them fall, laughing as if the library were his personal playground.
I walked over, keeping my voice low but firm.
"Hey… this isn't a place to run around."
He looked up at me for a second—
then grinned.
And ran.
I sighed.
Of course he did.
Rubbing my temple, I followed after him, weaving through the aisles, careful not to disturb the fragile order of the place I had come to love.
If only he understood…
This wasn't just a room full of books.
To me—
it was sacred.
—
"Hey—wait!"
The child had already reached the far end of the aisle.
My eyes widened.
That section—
It wasn't stable.
Some of the older shelves leaned just enough to be dangerous if handled roughly. I had reported it before.
It was supposed to be fixed.
"Stop! Don't pull that—"
Too late.
He yanked a book out.
Then another.
The shelf trembled.
A soft, almost harmless sound—
…creak.
For a single, fragile moment…
everything went still.
Then—
CRASH.
The entire bookshelf lurched forward.
"Move!"
I didn't think.
My body moved before my mind could catch up.
I lunged forward, grabbing the child and shoving him out of the way—
—and the world flipped.
A deafening roar of wood and paper swallowed everything as something heavy slammed into me. Pain exploded through my back, tearing the air from my lungs.
Books scattered like a storm.
I couldn't breathe.
Couldn't move.
Somewhere nearby, the child was crying. People were shouting. Footsteps rushed closer.
Good.
He was safe.
That was enough.
My vision blurred, the warm lights above dissolving into a dull, fading haze.
So this is how it ends…?
Strangely…
I didn't feel fear.
Only one quiet, lingering thought.
I never got to read them all.
Darkness crept in slowly, swallowing the edges of my sight—
—
…and then—
…dust drifted upward.
As if gravity itself had forgotten me.
The weight on my body—
the pain—
the crushing darkness—
all of it… disappeared.
—
A voice echoed.
Low. Calm. Ancient.
"Welcome, Keeper."
—
My eyes snapped open.