Gurbal's Books

A short, 500-word story about a magical bookstore

All races love to read, and humans are no exception. Yes, self-centered as they may be, there is no hope for a curious mind against the pages of a worn, forgotten tome. Especially when these ancient texts hold pages upon pages of incantations; sigils and spells filled with well-guarded wonders. Although the books that lined the walls of Gurbal’s Books were aged, they were affordable to all those who walked into the world of books that was Gurbal’s store.

This is no exaggeration. Gurbal’s Books was literally a store in it’s own dimension.

Anyone with the capabilities to hop through time and space could certainly afford any of the books for sale. Gurbal, being the wise orc that he was, did not accept currency of any kind. Only trade. Trade, or perhaps a good story. Once, Gurbal offered a book to a kind stranger who handed him a snack. To good hearts the books went, and to good homes they would remain. These magic books Gurbal breathed life into had a tendency to show up when their owners needed them most.

Down the long aisles of his literary dimension Gurbal would go, often seen wearing a long robe of brown cotton. Like a monk in his monastery, Gurbal would greet those pursuing his wares. His orc-green skin only seemed to brighten his genuine smile, nodding along to customers as they expressed what they sought.

From the pages of these hand-crafted marvels of magic jumped bursts of arcane whimsy. Although the magic within the tomes was created to never bring harm to others, it often contained spells that brought wonder and awe. Many of the books circling the idea of evocation were best sellers, often with window shoppers testing out the spells, summoning forth all sorts of interesting creatures.

Children of the tourists visiting the store would often be drawn to the smaller tomes, with spine worn and bare. Reading the lines aloud proved easy for most children of any race, casting forth balls of light, or light gusts of winds that would jostle the books resting within the many rows. Laughter was often heard following these harmless expressions of magic.

No matter the condition of those who entered, all who left were well accounted for. With smiles and renewed hope, many of these fine visitors would gain a new perspective of life, holding the keys to success in their hands.

Many magic books moved along, with many more still resting on the polished, wooden shelves of Gurbal’s Books, awaiting their owners to arrive when the time was right. Some visitors would be surprised when Gurbal mentioned there was a book waiting for them upon their mysterious arrival. A few visitors didn’t even understand how they got to his dimension of books and happy magic. More often than not, these were the ones who had books waiting for them.

But no matter the means, whoever entered Gurbal’s store, they were welcomed with open arms and powerful magic.

Author's Note

I tried to challenge myself by writing a story with only 500 words, while making it compelling enough to read. Tell me what you think.

Reviews

[Schatz]

It's just wonderful Kane! (Sorry it took me so long to read it.) It's as enchanting as any Tolkien or Harry Potter novel. I like how it's purely descriptive. Of course, you are portraying something you love, but you never say it, in fact you never say "I" anything, and it's more powerful that way.

A tip of the hat,

Bob

[Kane Hagwood]

I've been feeling a little under a weather recently, so I haven't been online as much. I just saw your review and it made me smile. Thank you for the review, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[Schatz]

I'm the one who has been incommunicado.

[W. Barrett Munn]

Kane,

I’ve written a ton of these 500 word stories and it is imperative to start in media res, in the middle of things.

Why not begin this with a young reader desperately searching a book yet needing to keep his activity secret for some reason. Boom, you’re into the story and the setting can become part of the action. Mr. so and do who owned the store peered over the top of his glasses and in a voice much like fingernails scratching a blackboard said, ….

You get the idea. Show rather than tell.

[Kane Hagwood]

You make a good point, Winston. Writing short-form stories has always been a bit of a challenge for me. I tend to let the yarn tumble as it may, with characters and places growing organically. I think if I would have gone the route you mention, the story could have had a more interesting experience.

That, and with short form content, I wanted to try to give an overview of the mysterious bookstore realm rather than just one perspective.

Perhaps I'll have to revisit this idea in the future, if I feel the call to do so. Thank you for the review Winston :)

[W. Barrett Munn]

Sure. Keep in mind my prose history is stories for kids 9-13 ish where the Pov was always single from the protagonist only.

[Kane Hagwood]

Yet in a way, that perspective would probably fit the setting of this story even better, come to think of it. I feel like my version was a more "filler news article in the local magic newspaper" sorta deal. I enjoyed writing it, but I could see this being reworked into something more young adult fiction. And a first person point of view could really add to the charm.

Thanks for giving me the idea, Winston :)

[W. Barrett Munn]

It’s fun. If the protagonist doesn’t know it or see it neither does the reader. Think Harry Potter.

[FGFRANKLIN]

Hints of The Never-ending Story and esoteric fantasy ; a bit of Stephen King's, "Needful Things" mixed with possibilities of witchcraft and sorcery rolled into a poem. What's not to love? I would like it better if the lines weren't so tightly packed together. It made it difficult to read but any text editor will allow you to set your line spacing. I've done it on here when I forgot in my original draft. I just had to space bar at the end of each individual line. I enjoyed the trip to the magical bookstore. Luckily I didn't buy the Grand Grimoire in there. That always brings as much trouble as the Necronomicon.

[Kane Hagwood]

Thank you so very much for the review, sir! I completely agree with you about the spacing. I write in a writer program that when I copy and paste to WritersCafe, well, it doesn't like it too much. I might have to go back and fix that. But thank you for enduring through that and enjoying the story. It always means a lot when people take time with my work and examine it. I look forward to your future reviews, and you have a wonderful night/day (depending on when you see this)

[FGFRANKLIN]

I don't know if you use MS Word or some other program but Libre Office has a free Writer Document format that's pretty easy to navigate. I had Word and now I use Libre. Just throwing that out there for what it's worth.

[Kane Hagwood]

That's really funny you mention that! I myself use Libre Office, and have had wonderful results with it. I was using Open Office for a while, but I can't remember the reason I stopped using it. I just don't like how invasive MS word can be, even if all the tools it has. It takes the liberty of correcting things that were never meant to be a mistake.

[FGFRANKLIN]

I understand and relate. Word has not always been my friend either.

[living lavender]

i would love to visit such a place. makes me wonder if there would be a book waiting for me.
{what book could it would possibly be.}

this was enchanting to read. i love the wordplay. the imagery is beautiful.
i felt as if the stage was being set for something to go wrong.
{and then the real adventure begins.}

like the calm before a storm.

[Kane Hagwood]

Thanks for checking out my story. When I wrote it, I had a lot of fun with the story, even if it was short. I'm glad other people get to see it with me.

As for your book, hmmm.... something to do with dragons, perhaps? Just a feeling haha.

And perhaps the stage is being set. I could see this becoming an interesting little story, if I took the time to pen one out. I'll have to give it some thought now....

[Stu. T.H.]

The idea presented in the work is very fun to play with as a writer or a casual reader. It reminds me of the Western mystical fairy tales I've read when I was but a toddler, those were most enjoyable and fun to read. Overall, a very fun work, author Kane Hagwood. I believe you had fun writing it.

[Kane Hagwood]

Thank you for reviewing my story! I'm flattered to hear you enjoyed it. And yes, I certainly did enjoy writing it, even if it was short.