I stepped inside the book shop and inhaled deeply, the rich scent of newly bound books pervading the air. It smelled like Christmas and birthdays, when my parents would lovingly buy and wrap a new book for me to devour. A smile crept slowly across my face as I stepped further inside and began to browse.
Coming here was a ritual. It began with a brief inspection of the newspapers and magazines just inside the door, followed by two careful circuits of the store and ending with a knowing look at the wizened and kindly shop keeper behind the counter, who would ask as he always did whether I found anything I wished to purchase.
Today however was different.
I was almost halfway through my first lap of the store when I felt it. A sudden pressure built up as I neared the second hand section and a tingling sensation washed over me like a wave.
I glanced around to see if anyone had noticed the same thing. There was no one else around except me, the shop keeper and the books. I shook my head and it turned into a shiver before the mysterious pressure lessened and the tingling subsided to a point on the right hand side of my body.
I turned to face the direction I though that the weirdness was coming from and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just more books, piled untidily in a plastic bin in the corner with a label on the side reading “Bargain Bin – All Items 50% Off!”
Cautiously, I approached the bin half expecting something or someone to leap out and scare the life out of me for an easy laugh. However nothing did and I found myself looking more closely at the books strewn about haphazardly within. My breath quickened as I counted several assorted musty paperbacks, a handful of outdated textbooks and a single oddity.
Sitting on top of the heap was a small tome. At first glance it was leather bound, black and less than an inch thick. The binding certainly looked like it had seen better days. The whole thing was covered in scuff marks, the leather worn and torn in several places and the pages yellowed with age. It had no title, yet it had the look of a well read book.
I couldn’t help myself. My curiosity overcame my better judgement and I reached out an unsteady hand towards the mysterious book.
The instant my extended fingers brushed the cover of the book, a jolt of static crackled up my arm and I jerked away with a gasp. The damn thing had shocked me!
I looked around again. The shop keeper had not noticed the sound as he was preoccupied with a thick novel, his feet comfortably placed on the counter. I felt a surge of confusion enter my mind as I tried to puzzle out the reality of what was happening and I came up with no answers. I tentatively touched the book again and was surprised when the expected shock didn’t arrive. Now convinced that there was no further danger, I picked the damaged tome up.
And then it spoke.