"Excuse me, miss, is this your book?"
I turned around, unfamiliar with people calling me 'miss'. Now 'madam', on the other hand, I have experience with, most namely when I am in trouble at home.
The woman that called me had Gran's book in her hand. I froze, hoping she wouldn't have the indecency to open it and flick through the pages.
"Miss?" she was still calling me.
"Yes, I must have dropped it. Thank you so much!" I held out my hand to take the book, fingers outstretched. She let go as my fingers touched the spine.
"That's a very unusual book you got there." She was still looking at it when she spoke.
"Yes...It was...my grand mother's. She...she collected antique books." And pots and pans, and anything that could take up space, but didn't say that out loud. I wanted to get away from this woman.
"Well, that looks like a rare book. You'd want to be careful now, you don't lose it some where."
She was still looking at the book as she spoke. I took a step back and tried to take her in. She was small, smaller than me and I almost had to look down at her to make eye contact. She had wild grey hair and a long crooked nose.
"Yes, thanks again. I must get back to my friend." I turned to walk away but she caught my arm.
"Be careful, my dear. And mind you don't lose that book."
"Yes, yes. Goodbye."
I turned m back to her and started walking quickly, holding my grandmother's book tightly under my arm. I turned to look back and see if she was following me but she was gone. I looked up the hill above where we stood but there was no sign of her. Weird.
I kept walking and stuffed the book back into my bag. It was difficult to put back in and I tried to remember if I felt it slip out of my bag. But it must have if that woman had stopped to pick it up.
After a while I was back at home. I ran up my room to check the book and see if any pages had fallen out. They hadn't. I picked up Gran's note and re-read it.
To visit the outside you must first look inside.
It still made no sense. Was I supposed to find something in the house that would lead me to something outside? Where would I start looking? What would I be looking for? Another crytic note that didn't tell me anything real?
I turned around, unfamiliar with people calling me 'miss'. Now 'madam', on the other hand, I have experience with, most namely when I am in trouble at home.
The woman that called me had Gran's book in her hand. I froze, hoping she wouldn't have the indecency to open it and flick through the pages.
"Miss?" she was still calling me.
"Yes, I must have dropped it. Thank you so much!" I held out my hand to take the book, fingers outstretched. She let go as my fingers touched the spine.
"That's a very unusual book you got there." She was still looking at it when she spoke.
"Yes...It was...my grand mother's. She...she collected antique books." And pots and pans, and anything that could take up space, but didn't say that out loud. I wanted to get away from this woman.
"Well, that looks like a rare book. You'd want to be careful now, you don't lose it some where."
She was still looking at the book as she spoke. I took a step back and tried to take her in. She was small, smaller than me and I almost had to look down at her to make eye contact. She had wild grey hair and a long crooked nose.
"Yes, thanks again. I must get back to my friend." I turned to walk away but she caught my arm.
"Be careful, my dear. And mind you don't lose that book."
"Yes, yes. Goodbye."
I turned m back to her and started walking quickly, holding my grandmother's book tightly under my arm. I turned to look back and see if she was following me but she was gone. I looked up the hill above where we stood but there was no sign of her. Weird.
I kept walking and stuffed the book back into my bag. It was difficult to put back in and I tried to remember if I felt it slip out of my bag. But it must have if that woman had stopped to pick it up.
After a while I was back at home. I ran up my room to check the book and see if any pages had fallen out. They hadn't. I picked up Gran's note and re-read it.
To visit the outside you must first look inside.
It still made no sense. Was I supposed to find something in the house that would lead me to something outside? Where would I start looking? What would I be looking for? Another crytic note that didn't tell me anything real?
