May's anthology

From Gray Skies to Rainbow Days

Once again, Aiden found escape from the world which didn't understand her in the library, her sacred place. The worst thing about being misunderstood was not the strange looks and harsh words, it was the fact that no one even bothered to discover the beauty of her soul.

She was a modest person, yet even she could feel that there was a spark burning in the depths of her soul that none seemed to share. That often made her feel like she didn't belong anywhere.

However, that's where her salvation came in. One day, as she was running away from another teasing by her classmates, she ran into the library, and ever since, it has been her happy place.

Devouring books became her reason for living. The worlds that opened up to her felt more real than the physical world. In the pages of those books, she felt comfort and a sense of belonging that she never felt outside the library walls.

As years went by, she came to learn every nook and cranny of her town's grand library. She got to discover different worlds and emotions the way she was never able to do in the outside world.

However, one day she noted something strange. There was a set of doors in the library that she had never seen before. How it was possible to miss such ornately decorated doors was a mystery to her.

Looking at them more carefully, she observed that none of the library patrons ever went through them. They acted as if the beautiful doors weren't even there.

Her curiosity peaked; Aiden decided to take a closer look. After all, the library was her home, and one had to know everything about one's home.

"How could I have missed such beautiful doors?" Aiden wondered as she gently brushed her fingers against the carvings that decorated them.

Her thumbs followed the shape of a beautiful rose that encircled the door handle, and she could have sworn she heard a soft whispering voice, calling to her soul. It was as if her whole life was leading her to that moment as if she would finally find what she was looking for.

Without thinking too much, she pushed the door opened and stepped through only to be blinded by a brilliant light. So strong was the light that she had to shield her eyes to allow them to adjust.

"Oh, I was starting to think the portal was broken," a man said. "Welcome to a land of magic."

Aiden let out a small squeak of surprise before managing to compose herself.

"Thank you, but pardon me for asking, how did I get here?" Aiden said, looking at the old man with a long beard sitting behind the cash register.

"The portal was designed to sense when someone was too radiant to stay in the dull human world and appear to them, allowing them the choice to go through. When you traced the rose pattern, you activated the portal, and here you are," the little man said.

"And where exactly is here?" Aiden asked.

"Why, the Magician's Corner, of course. The best store in the land, if I may say so, myself. The name is Acel, by the way. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Acel said.

"It's nice to meet you, too. My name is Aiden. Would you mind telling me what is this land of magic like?" Aiden asked.

Her eyes kept roaming the shop, trying to discover what kind of shop it was. However, the store seemed to be equipped with so many different objects, that she didn't know what to think.

There were many books whose titles revealed them to be magic books, but there were also different cauldrons and potions on old-fashioned shelves. Some of the objects were even levitating in the air to her utter wonder.