The Book That Shouldn’t Exist.

“Some books are forgotten by time . Others are waiting for the right reader. “ The rain arrives before sunset and refused to leave. From the tall windows of NorthCity library, Clara watched the streets disappear beneath heavy sheets of thunderstorm rain.The town grew quieter with every passing hour until the only sounds left were the ticking of the old grandfather clock and the soft turning of pages. She loved evenings like this. Library had always made more sense to her than crowded places . Books never judged , they never lied . They simply waited for someone willing to listen. “Closing time ,” Clara called gently. The last visitor looked displeased . He returned the Novel and hurried out into the storm. Then silence settled all over the library. Clara gathered all the returned books and began her usual routine which was singing her favorite song as she placed back each one on the shelves they belonged. Everything felt familiar and ordinary. Until the clock stopped She looked up The hands were frozen at a spot of 11:11 No ticking. No chime. Nothing. “ That’s odd, “she murmured. The clock has been running without fail for decades. She stared towards it , but before she could reach it , a loud crash echoed from the far end of the library. A book had fallen. Clara sighed. “It probably wasn’t shelved properly “ She took her lantern and walked into the oldest section of the library, where towering shelves blocked most of the light. The air smelled of aged paper and polished woods. The fallen book lay open in the middle of the floor. Whilst she was about bending over to pick the book . She heard footsteps , slow and deliberate somewhere behind her. She froze. “Hello?” She called but there was no response. She turned quickly to check the aisle but it was empty . Only the long rows of shelves stretched away into darkness. Her heart began to beat faster . While she was trying to convince herself that it’s just the storm, even though she was not convinced. Clara returned the book to its place on the shelf. As she stepped away, another sound reached her but not footsteps. This time it was a whisper , it was too soft to understand. Even though she spun around again but there was nothing to her surprise. Ignoring the growing unease in her chest, Clara continued locking the reading rooms one after the other. Everything seemed normal until she reached the oldest wing and found a single lamp still burning. Whilst been uneasy, she reached for the switch but before she could get close to the lamp , the light went out , than another lamp flickered on farther down the aisle. Then another. One by one, the lamps lit a narrow path between the shelves, as if someone or something were guiding her forward. Clara stood perfectly still . Every instinct told her to leave. Instead, she followed the path. It led deeper into the oldest part of NorthCity library, where cracked shelves held books that haven’t been borrowed in years. Her eyes moved carefully along the shelves, until one book caught her attention. Unlike the others , it was completely clean. Its spine was blank. Curious she pulled it forward but nothing happened , she pushed it back into the place. A low grinding sound echoed through the room, Clara stumbled backward as the entire bookshelf began to tremble. Dust drifted down from the ceiling while the shelves slowly slid apart, revealing a narrow passage hidden between them. She stared at the opening in disbelief , she had worked here for six years . How has she never noticed this ? . Lantern in hand, Clara stepped closer , the darkness beyond looked endless … almost alive. She raised the lantern higher hoping to see the ends of the passage.The light reached only a few feet before the shadows swallowed it completely A strange feeling settled over her. It was not fear. It was recognition. As if the passage had been waiting for her , then she heard the voice , it was faint , almost carried by the thin air itself. “…Clara…” She turned around. The library behind her was empty. The voice came again , but closer this time. “…Clara…” Her grip tightened on the lantern . Every sensible thought told her to run. Instead, she took one careful step int the hidden passage. The bookshelf groaned, then without warning , it slid shut behind her. Darkness swallowed the library Clara was trapped And somewhere ahead , something moved.