Between the Pages: Chapter 1

Elianna

Elianna pushed herself through the small gap between the corner bookshelves. She
turned to watch as the old woman rang up her last customer of the night. Like clockwork, at exactly 7:00 PM she turns off all the lights and leaves for the night. Presumably to some cute little cottage with a white picket fence somewhere along the outskirts of town.

Elianna waited motionless after the ding of the closing register drawer. She faced the wall hoping her black hair would be better camouflage than her pale face and
bright blue eyes. She counted how many times she had stood in this corner like a toddler enduring time out, 7 maybe 8 . It didn’t take long to pick up on the old woman’s habits. The same routine day in, and day out, or so it seemed from the snippet of her life that Elianna had been able to observe. Her aging eyes made it difficult to spot her in the dark crevasse
between the book cases. This was quickly becoming her favorite spot to sleep.

The moment she walked into Rose’s bookstore she knew she had found refuge. The sign read “Find a Home Between the Pages”. She didn’t expect to find home, rather a safe place to get a little sleep. The location appeared to be promising especially with the owner and sole employee being an elderly woman.

Elianna shifted out from her hiding spot, confident that the old lady was well on her way home by now. She had the place all to herself, at least until 7:00 AM. She would be long gone by then, usually waking up before dawn. Then she would casually walk out the back, making sure to lock the door behind her.  She walked to the furthest corner of the book store by memory, the rooms
now thick black. She retrieved the small flashlight hidden between the books. Covered with a torn piece of cloth it illuminated just enough to see but not enough to raise alarm if a passer by happened to see a glimpse in one of the windows. She quickly memorized the laborth of bookshelves and tapestry on her first visit. She knew every nook and cranny by heart, often utilizing them to stash necessities, long before she dared the
overnight sleep-ins.


Elianna made her way to the front of the shop to make sure the old lady lowered the blinds on the front windows. Sometimes she forgets and one time Elianna risked lowering them just for the added security. To her relief they were both closed. She turned to retreat back into her labyrinth of safety when something caught her eye. The old lady’s lunch bag. The one she brought everyday, sat in her chosen chair. She must have forgotten it. Elianna debated the likelihood of her returning to fetch it? Should she hide in the corner just in case? Then another thought echoed through her mind. What if it still contained food?

She hadn’t ate a decent supper in longer than she could remember. Usually lunch at school would be her last meal of the day, but during breaks, like now, food was hard to come by. Her belly rumbled and mouth watered as she thought of all the possibilities. Mild starvation pushed her to risk opening the bag, just for a peek. Her heart trembled when she saw a
fully packed lunch. Ham and cheese sandwich with potato salad on the
side and a red shiny apple.  Elianna pondered the chances that
she wouldn’t notice. Could the old lady possibly think she ate it? If not, finding her missing lunch pale tomorrow with devoured contents would be sure to raise suspension. Obviously the ol lady’s cognitive function was slipping if she forgot not only her lunch bag, but to eat her lunch as well.

She decided the least risky choice was the apple. So, despite the risk, she ate it slowly, savoring each bite. After she finished nibbling. away at the core  her little belly rumbled for more. Desperation encouraged her to eat the rest despite the danger of the possible consequences.

Overly grateful to have a full belly, she returned the bag to its original place and retreated to her sleeping spot. A far back corner where she could stretch out on the floor, her little
backpack used as a makeshift pillow. At night she liked to read stories of fairy tales and far away lands. Stories that always had heros and happy endings. The sound of her internally narrating the words would lullaby her to sleep, where she would dream of her own hero and happy endings. But tonight the hunger pains were subdued, no longer stealing her rest so sleep came swiftly and peacefully. She loved the way rows of books blocked out sound and created a sense of security. The tall stacks offer shelter and hope.

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Rose

Rose unlocked the bookshop door and scurried to her lunch bag. She had to prove to herself she wasn’t getting batty in her old age. Sure enough, the lunch she purposely left was all gone. Presumably by whomever had been staying in her shop. How else could the dead bolt be unlocked and her food missing. The first time she saw the door unlock she chalked it up to her aging mind. The second time, she seriously began to doubt her sanity. The third time she knew something was wrong. Nothing was ever missing nor out of place, but someone undoubtedly
was hiding away in her shop at night. The question was, what were their intentions?

Rose pondered all day as to what she should do. Should she call the police and inform them of a break in? Could it be a criminal on the run or some mentally disturbed person? Could it be a wife leaving her husband or an illegal immigrant looking for freedom?

Curiosity got the best of as she formed a plan to spy on the sneaky snake to see for herself. She locked up as usual, turning the sign to “Close”, lowering the blinds and turning off the lights. She locked the door behind her and double checked that it was locked. Then climbed in her car and drove away. Instead of going home she parked about a block down the road where she waited for darkness to settle.

Slowly she walked back to her beloved book shop, adrenaline causing her to feel 10 years younger. She cut through the back alley and across the adjacent yard stopping at the furthest corner of the shop. She slid around the side of the building, immersing further into darkness and preparing to wait on the mystery mooch to emerge out the back door.