Magic

• Cat Thomas, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2019

The books had minds of their own…
This was no ordinary library.
Books about knights and castles would gallop all over the library, bravely and boldly ordering the other books around. The books about thieves would sneak around, lurking behind bookshelves in the shadows. Books about wild animals would occasionally roar and bite other books. The ones containing stories set in the winter would often shiver, covering their neighbours with snow and frost.
Lucy loved this place like no other. Reading was the most exciting thing in the world here: everything she read seemed to come alive and out of the pages…
Every day was the same, Lucy would pack her bag give her Mum a quick hug, head to primary school, do her mundane lessons, come home, unpack her bag and so on. You get it. The young girl was only in 1st grade but worked at a 6th grade level. She wanted to explore, see the outside world, discover. That is why she came to this amazing place. This amazing Library. The adventure and inspiration the books gave were extraordinary. Everyday her chocolate brown eyes scanned over page after page filling her developing mind with wonder and excitement. She would often talk to the books. “What should I read today” She would ask, and hundreds of books would rush up to her saying “pick me, pick me!”
Lucy slumped, smiling in the huge, blue chair. Books zigged and zagged around the ginormous library, flying like eagles. Piles of literary texts covering the old rug on the floor standing as tall as towers. The young girl sat back and sighed gently to herself. She loved her friends, who always played with her on the monkey bars at school, and her home with her loving parents, but nothing can match her love for this place.
Then one day it all changed…
Just like any other day, Lucy skipped happily to her enchanting place. Dumped her bag just outside the reception, and entered, but instead of seeing the magic that she usually saw all her eyes rested upon was a heartless, metallic world of technology. Her stunning adventure novels were being put into big, garbage bags and thrown into the back of the rubbish truck waiting impatiently out the back. The mystery, spy tomes followed in their footsteps. All the incredible books were being thrown out like they were nothing and replaced with a new world of kindles, Ipads, computers, desktops and anything else that you could name. The surprised, little girl stood at the door with her lip dropped to the floor, her mind racing through different scenarios.The wonderful feel of her small hands cradling around a capturing book, was just too hard to bear without. Disappointment and anger rushed over her. Disheartened she turned slowly and stumbled out the door. With a leadend heart, she walked away from her awestrucking second home, vowing she would never return. The young heavy-hearted girl realised that if she wanted the magic she experienced, she would have to write it herself.
And that is why I’m here today writing this story...