The Bookstore

Nimbus clouds filled the sky as I walked past the bookstore of my dreams. It was not just the books that I loved, but also Alicia, whose father owned the bookstore. It was rightly called The Reverie Bookstore. My usual coffee joint was placed right next to it and I missed no opportunity to shuffle past the neat bookstore that lay await for avid readers to drop by and pick something up. It wasn’t a bustling street and people usually spilled into the coffee joint instead of the bookstore. But I was enchanted by The Reverie Bookstore. It was my reverie.

The fact that Alicia had no idea who I was was a constant annoyance in my head. I didn’t have a lot of friends and the few ones that remained behind urged me to go in and take a chance. It seemed like a dangerous thing to do given that she was a prized colt. She was extremely beautiful and had eyes that could hold you captive for a very long time, your senses in a whirl until you recover. I on the other hand looked like the average guy who would easily go unnoticed. You could say I was a nerd. 

Not wanting to remain a creepy stalker like countless other ogling maniacs, I decided to go into the store. Not holding any particular thoughts in my head, I embarrassed myself by asking for a job. Forward to the next day and I’m working Alicia’s shift because she had dealings out of town. I kept cursing myself but the books in front of me seemed to calm me down. They were the only things in my life that could pull me out of misery anytime and place me in a lush world free of any sort of conflict. I was a neatness freak and a tiny kink could result in a fit of rage, even though I try not to give in to meaningless outbursts. My shift was one of perfection, not one book out of place. The old ones especially under special care because I loved their smell, which reminded me of my childhood, my grandfather’s books strewn about everywhere.

The day seemed to slowly whirr past me when suddenly I was jolted awake by the door’s chime. It was Alicia. Before I could ask her anything, she ran into the office room huffing and puffing. I quickly followed her and happened to brush past one of the shelves. One book dropped to the floor and it eerily was my favourite book as a kid. The first page of the Agatha Christie book said in bold letters, RUN. I picked up the book and noticed that every word in the book said RUN. Or was I just seeing things? I probably was. 

I hear the door open again and a bald man in his late thirties enters with his hands behind his back. As I rose to greet the customer who wore an olive turtleneck sweater proceeded to withdraw this huge axe that resembled a medieval weapon. I was taken aback by the man wielding this terrorising weapon and before I could tell him to put it away, he takes a mighty swing. Owing to my surprisingly good reflexes, I quickly jumped out of the way screaming “What the f**k?” at the top of my voice. He turns around and takes another swing. I was nearing the door by this time and I didn’t miss the chance to pop out and start running. 

As I was darting towards the Police Station, I decided to do the stupidest thing by going through the alleyways into the bookstore to get Alicia. There she was, gasping for breath on the floor of the room. I took a quick peek to see if the axe swinging giant was still there. He seemed to have disappeared but nonetheless I grabbed Alicia by the arm and strutted out of the store. She was still in a daze. We quickly made it to the Police Station to inform them of the damage the axe-wielding man had caused who would later tell us that the store was fine and it looked like nothing had happened. We were chided for the false alarm and our constant reassurances of seeing a strange man went in vain. It couldn’t have been a dream. Alicia remembered seeing him too, but she never spoke a word. Disappointed and disturbed, we parted ways before Alicia managed to mutter a faint “Thank you” for coming back for her. I managed to smile back, acknowledging her gratefulness even though she seemed fishy. 

Back at home, a lot of questions started popping up. What the f**k was going on? How can such devastating damage disappear in a matter of minutes? And who was that man? What was Alicia doing back at the bookstore and why did she seem disinterested in talking about such a bizarre event? I was starting to lose my mind. I decided I would confront her father about this the next day and forced myself to sleep for a few hours. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t connect with reality anymore. But I had to. 

The next morning, The Reverie Bookstore seemed undisturbed. I rummaged through the reception desk looking for a way to reach Alicia’s father. I never knew him and had never seen him. But I knew it was owned by her father only through her friends. I couldn’t find anything related to Alicia’s father. I had to ask her myself, but her shift was late in the evening. I proceeded to call her number asking about her father. She said, in a rather dull tone, “Come home, he’s here. My address is in the records.” Huh, strange. 

I locked the store and reached the given address as fast as I could. The prospect of seeing my employer for the first time and the fact that Alicia was with him meant he had answers. I arrived at a sprawling white house, a garden that seemed like it was thousands of yards in size, and a driveway that could house at least three buses. I was in awe of the structure and also in wonder what such people could be doing with a bookstore. The door opened before I could knock on it. Huh, very strange. A huge hallway snaked into the house and I began my journey inside. To my absolute horror, I saw two snakes in the hallway slithering towards me. In panic, I instantly reached for my pocket to find a lighter and crumpled paper. I torched them without second thought to scare the snakes away and it surprisingly worked. A few other scary things popped up here and there and it seemed like a haunted mansion.

It was getting weirder every second and I couldn’t understand what was going on. The only way was forward now. I reach the living room and a familiar voice greets me. It was Alicia, but she was nowhere to be seen. I turn around and see someone familiar. It was the axe wielding giant!

Filled with terror, I try running back only for the hallway to shut down and collapse in itself. Only the living room seemed to exist, the huge man now picking up his solitary weapon. I was urged to think fast, but nothing came up. 

In total despair, I started making a run for it. There was nowhere to run, but I kept dodging the man’s swings with every move not skilfully, but in fear. It drove me to live. My stamina running out, I thought of a strategy to beat him. I had no other choice. While he drove his axe at me, I had a near miss and I quickly grappled him to throw him around. He was taken by surprise but he kept coming back relentlessly. I kept on doing the same thing until at last I pushed him from the edge of the living room which seemed to end in a black void, still a mystery. As he fell down, complete whiteness blinded me. I woke up in a white room, a display in front of me that said,

“Congratulations on passing the lucid dreaming test, you have been declared the winner of the Reverie Game!”