My Favorite Story

I love to read. When I was young I would finish book after book with surprising speed, chapter after chapter, the words blended together as the hours passed. "Harry Potter." The "Warriors" series. I loved them all. Every Saturday at noon my local library would have a book sale to get rid of all the unwanted books and I always went late, so the 'book hounds' would be gone, you know, the people who buy them for cheap prices and then sell them on websites like Ebay for higher prices. All my books were well loved, each one like a child to me.

As I got older, I was allowed to stay out later and later, my mom growing less concerned with my safety and more with my younger brothers, Stephen and William, who don't come into this story other than this one mention, to connect to you, reader, to show I am a real person.

My name is Leah and I am trapped in a book.

It started when I was at the library late in the evening. It was quieter than usual, I had been sitting in the Manga and Anime section which was located next to the computers, and it was always louder than the other sections of the library. I had just picked up a copy of "Mr. Mercedes", a new release from my favorite author Stephen King. It didn't bother me, as I was rather absorbed in the book, going into what my mom called 'Lala land' when I wasn't paying attention or focusing hard on something. Suddenly I lost focus on the book and slightly disoriented I looked up. The normally crowded section of the library was empty. I stood, book in my hand, armed only with my library card and house key. Making my way up the aisles, I began to feel a trickle of fear go down my spine, because as I looked around the library was completely empty. Not even the kind librarians and the not so patient ones who were known to not clean your CDs properly before you rented them were gone. Briefly, I stopped at the help desk and rang the bell. Once. Twice. A third time. No answer. I began to quiver as the hair on my arms stood up, goosebumps covering the exposed skin on my arm. At that point I dropped my book and saw it.

A hand was reaching for me. From. The. Book.

It looked thin, so I could only assume it was 'Mr. Tastey's' hand. Otherwise known as the Mercedes Killer in the book. I took a step back, and then another. The arm kept extending until it's iron grip was around my ankle. I landed on my ass as it gave a rough yank, and my squeal of pain was nothing compared to the shock I was going through. In no way was this happening. It had to be a dream. I began to pinch my arm, even slicing at the skin with the library card to come back to my senses. Nothing.

The card fell from my hand as I was dragged closer and closer to the book. It was slow going, giving me time to try to ditch the pants I was wearing. Not to much avail though. I tried kicking the hand, but it seemed to not feel any pain. Inch by inch I was drawn to the book, and then my foot disappeared.

A strange feeling washed over me. I could feel my foot but it felt like it had fallen asleep, and then another hand surfaced grabbing my other ankle and pulling it down into the book. The same feeling washed over me. Staticy where my limbs had been. Then I realized I can't fit into a book. How wrong I was. It pulled me down further, until I was in up to my stomach, struggling harder now. Tears formed in my eyes from the effort of keeping myself out. One arm gave out. Then the other, and I was sucked into a void. The hands had now disappeared, and I saw the void closing. What I now realize was the book shutting. Shutting me inside, trapping me. Nobody knows where I am. I just disappeared off the face of the Earth. It was the year 2014 when I disappeared. Please send help.

''A post-it sticker is attached to the tattered book which now lays on one of the back shelves in the library. The title on the red binding reads "My Favorite Story" and the cover shows a girl falling down the hole, her long brown hair covering most of her face, making her features unable to be determined. In the library records, nobody has ever checked this book out and it remains on it's shelf to this day. It is now the year 2027. Leah ____ was reported missing a day after she didn't return home from the library. She is still missing.''