1.
He had warned her about the book; now it was too late. She had not trusted her friend, Mr. Linden, and was suffering the consequences. As she fell, she thought about the events that had happened the day before. What had gone wrong?
The day had started out normal, or at least, as normal as it could be in the O' Conner household. An alarm started buzzing beside Stephanie O' Conner's bed. Like magic, a ball rolled down from the track over the clock and hit the snooze button.
“Thank you, Jacky,” mumbled Stephanie. A large brown ferret stuck his head out of the hole and walked down the track. He then jumped off and landed softly next to Stephanie. Three minutes later, Hannah O' Conner, Stephanie's mother, walked in the door, hands on her hips.
“Stephanie Jane O' Conner, get up this instant!” she yelled. Stephanie pulled the pillow over her head and groaned. Jacky poked his head out of the covers, wrinkled his nose, then burrowed back down close to Stephanie's feet.
“Come on mom, let me sleep,” muttered Stephanie. Her mom glared, then walked over and yanked the covers from under her. Stephanie yelped as her body hit the cold floor. Jacky hissed at the culprit of his discomfort, then scurried back into his hole.
“Mom!” whined Stephanie. What did you do that for?” Her mom stared at her sternly.
“That's what you get for sleeping in late,” replied Hannah. “Now get ready for school!” With that, she walked out the door, treading down the steps to fix her family breakfast.
Stephanie stood up, her feet still aching from the shock the floor had given her. After she got dressed, she trotted down the stairs, Jacky following close behind her.
When she made it down the stairs, Stephanie was greeted by the spicy smells of bacon and eggs. Even Jacky seemed to be licking his lips, anticipating breakfast. Stephanie sat down at the table, scarfing down her breakfast as soon as it was sat in front of her. She didn't notice that Jacky was crouched down by her plate, lapping up some of Stephanie's food occasionally.
“You and that ferret sure make an odd couple,” commented Stephanie's mom. She then bent over and kissed her daughter on the forehead.
“Have a nice day at school, honey,” she said. Then she ushered Stephanie out the door, and Stephanie walked to school.
The day dragged on, and soon the school day drew to a close. Stephanie rushed out of the building, down the street, and into the gilded doors of the legendary Elderville Public Library.
“Good morning, Mr. Linden,” she called.
“Good Morning, Stephanie.” a strained voice from behind the counter replied. As she raced through the halls, Stephanie suddenly heard a frantic squeak behind her.
“Jacky!” she gasped. Stephanie scooped up the wriggling ferret in her arms. Jacky climbed up her shirt and perched on his owner's shoulders. Stephanie then started running again, staring at book after book on the shelves. Suddenly, a strange shimmer caught her eye. Stephanie approached the shelf cautiously, then found a slim book with a blood red cover emitting a soft silver glow. The words The Hetra, glistened on the front. Just as she was about to open it, she felt a hand grip her shoulder.
“That book is off limits to the public.” said Mr. Linden. “You should put it back where you found it.” Then he started walking down the aisle. When he reached the end, he looked back at her, fear in his eyes.
“What ever you do, don't open that book,” he warned. After he left, Stephanie quietly crept over to the settee, where she sat down, and in spite of Mr. Linden's warnings, she opened the book.
There was a bright flash of light, and when it dimmed, vines began curling out from between the pages. They grasped onto her ankles, and slowly began pulling her in. She screamed!
After five minutes, Stephanie was almost totally enveloped into the book. She knew she only had one more chance to save herself.
“Mr. Linden, help!” yelled Stephanie. Then she was into the book.
Stephanie awoke on the settee, the book laying by her feet.
“What happened?” she questioned, her speech slurred with sleep. Suddenly, she heard a scared squeak in her ear.
“Jacky!” Stephanie exclaimed, suddenly awake. The large ferret was lying around her neck, squeaking frantically. Stephanie looked around, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light.
“Where am I?” she questioned. The room she was in looked like the library, but it was darker than it had been before. She walked down the aisles, fingers running along the spines of the books lining the shelves.
“Mr. Linden, where are you?” Stephanie called. Nobody answered. Stephanie shrugged her shoulders, then walked out the door. Upon seeing the outside, she stopped in her tracks.
The sky was bright red, and clouds were swirling above her like a vortex. All around her were gigantic screens mounted on large buildings. She turned around, then gasped.
“Jacky, I don't think we're in Elderville anymore,” she said. Jacky just continued staring at her with his dark black eyes.
Suddenly she heard the sharp sound of a whistle behind her. She turned and saw a policeman running towards her.
“Hey you, stop right there!” he ordered. Stephanie stared at him for a moment, then did the only thing that came to mind. She ran.
“Stop in the name of the law!” commanded the policeman. Stephanie couldn't hear him though. She was running too fast. The policeman began to give chase.
Stephanie knew that in a few minutes he would catch her. Suddenly, an unseen hand grabbed her shirt collar and dragged her roughly into an alley. Stephanie quickly got to her feet and found herself staring at a pair of deep, chocolate eyes. A finger was pressed against the figure's lips, signaling her to remain silent. Then he grabbed her hand, and the two ran as fast as they could down the alley.
Soon they were housed in an old, rundown shack on the outskirts of the city. It was then that Stephanie got a better look at her hero. He had short, dirty blonde hair and bright, intelligent blue eyes, just like she did. He wore a ragged blue denim coat, a grimy white t-shirt, blue jeans, and red sneakers. On his head sat a Boston Blue Sox baseball cap. When the boy caught his breath, he held out his hand.
“Hello, my name is March,” he said. “What”s your name?”
“My name...is Stephanie,” she stammered. March circled around her, examining her every aspect. She just stared back at him.
“What were you doing in the library, Ms. Stephanie?” he asked, eyebrows arching upward.
“I don't know,” Stephanie answered. “I was in Elderville one minute, and now I'm here.”
“You know the library is off-limits, right?” accused March. Stephanie's eyes widened.
“Why would they close the library?” questioned Stephanie. “It's a place of learning and enjoyment!”
“It has been forbidden to enter the library since Dr. Robynn decreed that it would be moved” answered March. “Rumor has it that he has a secret hidden there, so he's moving it all to his castle.” Suddenly Stephanie remembered. The book! “If that book brought me here,” she thought. “Maybe it can take me home!” She reached into her coat pocket and gasped. The book wasn't there! Suddenly, she knew where it was.
“March, we need to go to the library right now!” she cried.
“Why?” questioned March. He looked at her with curiosity.
“The book that brought me here, it's in the library!” Stephanie answered. “We need to go there right now!”
“But you can't,” replied March. “The books are being moved even as we speak.”
“What!” Stephanie gasped. She then got up and rushed outside, Jacky close at her heels.
“Wait!” yelled March as he scrambled after her. As they got outside, the group saw the ironclad trucks carting away load after load of books.
“We need to go after them!” exclaimed Stephanie. “March, do you know where the trucks are going?”
“Yes,” replied March. “And if you need that book so bad, we'll follow them.” Stephanie nodded, and the team started out after the trucks, into a place the people of Lederville knew only as, The Dark.
2.
The trucks were too fast. In three hours time, March and Stephanie had lost them, and were surrounded by trees on all sides.
“Oh great, we're lost.” sighed Stephanie.
“It's all right, look!” said March, pointing. Stephanie looked and gasped in excitement. The trucks had left a path leading through the forest. March looked at her, nodded, then raced off down the path. Stephanie soon followed close behind him.
They raced through the forest, their feet thudding softly against the forest floor. Suddenly, March heard Stephanie scream. He turned around and found her sinking in the ground, barely keeping afloat.
“Stephanie, hold on!” he shouted. Quickly, March grabbed a vine and tossed it out to her. Instinctively, Stephanie clutched the vine and held on tight. March pulled as hard as he could, until finally, he pulled her out. Stephanie sat on the ground, coughing up sand.
“Thank you,” she said softly. Jacky crawled up beside her, head burrowing restlessly into her calf.
“I'm all right, Jacky,” Stephanie muttered, a small smile lighting up her face.
“Come on, we have no time for nonsense.” said March. Stephanie shakily stood up and wiped herself off. March looked at her, nodded, than ran off down the path. Stephanie smiled, then ran after him.
They arrived at the castle just as the sun rose the next morning. Stephanie and March were cut, bruised, scraped, and sore from their trek through the woods. Jacky however, was unscathed.
“Follow me,” warned March. “And be quiet!” The group sped silently through the halls, trying to find the room where Dr. Robbyn had hidden all of the books. Suddenly, Stephanie heard someone scream, someone she knew very well.
“Mr. Linden!” she gasped. Then before March could stop her, she ran down the corridor at a break-neck speed, soon rushing into an open door at her right. What she saw made her stop in her tracks. Standing in front of her was not one, but two Mr. Linden's.
Stephanie looked from one Mr. Linden to the other, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. The one at her right was wearing a long tan lab coat, while the one at her left was wearing the same clothes she had seen him in earlier that day.
“What's...going on here?” Stephanie stammered. The Mr. Linden on the left spoke first.
“Oh, my dear Stephanie, I told you not to open that book,” he said. “I never wanted you to meet him.” He pointed to the other Mr. Linden, who was grinning menacingly.
“Hello, Ms. Stephanie, I believe we have yet to be introduced,” he said. Then he held out his hand, and said five words that sent a chill up Stephanie's spine.
“My name is Dr. Robbyn,” Stephanie slowly backed away from him, suddenly seeing the truth.
“You are both the same person,” she said. “I'm in a parallel universe.” Dr. Robbyn grimaced, then he ran over and grabbed Stephanie roughly by the arm. He pulled out a knife, and held it at her throat.
“You have learned our secret, Ms. Stephanie,” he said. “Now you must die!”
“Mr. Linden, help!” Stephanie screamed. Suddenly, March barged in, Jacky following in close pursuit.
“I'm coming, Stephanie!” he yelled. Then March charged into Dr. Robbyn, while Jacky ran over and bit his ankle. As Dr. Robbyn tried to catch Jacky, Stephanie raced over and untied Mr. Linden. He shakily got up to his feet, then hugged Stephanie.
“Thank you, my young librarian,” he said, smiling. Stephanie smiled back, then turned around. When she saw March, her expression turned grim. He was struggling to hold his ground against Dr. Robbyn, who was swinging at him with his knife. March looked up suddenly, saw Stephanie, and winked.
“Go!” he said. Stephanie quickly gave him a thumbs-up. March then turned back to tussling with Dr. Robbyn. Stephanie ran quickly to the parked trucks, found the Hetra, then returned. She gasped again when she walked in. Dr. Robbyn had Mr. Linden and March by their necks.
“One wrong move,” he hissed. “And these two will be no more.” Stephanie looked around in confusion, she didn't know what to do. Jacky climbed up onto her shoulder and stared at her. She took one last look at Mr. Linden, and saw him mouth three words.
“Open the book.”
She nodded slowly, then looked up defiantly at Dr. Robbyn.
“You'll never win,” she said. Then, without another word, she kicked the decayed pillar at her right. It immediately gave way, and the building started to collapse.
Stephanie quickly shouted, “Goodbye!” then silently opened the book. The scene around her vanished, and soon she found herself sitting on the settee. She sighed, then walked home. Three days later, they held Mr. Linden's funeral. Stephanie was the only one who knew what had actually happened to him. As they read his will, she peered absentmindedly out the window. Suddenly, the preacher said something that caught her attention.
“The library is to be left under the care of Ms. Stephanie O' Conner, the new guardian.” he said. “Effective immediately!” After he said this, Stephanie knew instantly what Mr. Linden meant. She started her knew job soon after, as head librarian, and also as the Guardian of the Hetra.
Twenty-six years later, she came across her thirteen-year-old friend, Grace Miller, staring at a certain book with curiosity.
“That book is not available to the public.” Stephanie said, a smile on her face. “You should put it back where you found it.” Then she walked away, knowing all too well who she would meet again in the next few hours.

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 04.04.2012

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