Lara Dahl, was sent away from her mother, her home, and her entire life in May of 1939,
just as the war in Germany was beginning. Most everyone in Germany believed in Hitler and the
Nazis, but there was a small amount of people who were suspicious. Her mother was one of
those people. She had seen situations similar to ours before and the majority of them went from
hopeful to hopeless. Lara knew her mother was doing this to keep her safe. Although, a part of
her couldn’t help but think she was doing this only so she could run away with Mr. Adler, her
mother’s lover, which Lara strongly disapproved of. Every time this thought came to her mind,
Lara would push it away immediately, but the thought kept crawling back, poking and prodding
at her, striving for her attention.
After a seven hour train ride, Lara finally arrived in Denmark. At the station, she was met
by a driver and was taken to the place that would be her new home until the end of the war. As
Mr. Poulson, the driver, eased up the drive way, Lara was in shock. In front of her stood the
largest house she had ever seen. It stood four stories high, and had a porch on each floor that
wrapped around the whole house. Placed in the most precise spots along each of the porches,
were white rocking chairs that rocked back and forth, creaking with the sweet countryside air.
After the driver had pulled away and the maid went to fetch someone whose name Lara didn’t
catch, she started to explore the porch. She ran her hand along the green vines of the ivy that
crept up the white painted brick of the glorious house. She day dreamed about the days upon
days she would spend here exploring the vastness of the inside of the house, and the rolling hills
in the surrounding area. The more she thought about it, the more perfect it became and the more
Lara began to look forward to her stay here in this beautiful hideaway.
After ten minutes had past, although it seemed longer to the anxious and impatient Lara,
the plump maid with the wide smile returned with a fairly unattractive older woman who seemed
to be in her fifties or sixties. Lara began to soak her in like an old dried up sponge. The woman
was tall, but not tall enough to surpass the height of most grown men. Her hair was pulled tightly
into a silvery-gray pristine bun at the back of her small head. Her nose was crinkled and her lips
were pursed as if she smelled something foul, although all Lara could smell was the scent of the
wild flowers that were growing somewhere nearby. Along with her crinkled features, her face
was very hollow and the rest of her body was very skinny. So skinny that her expensive looking
clothes seemed to hang off of her limbs as if they were hung there to dry. Lara could not tell if
she was shaped like that due to a bird like bone structure, or if she had not eaten in a long while,
or even both of those things combined. Lara suddenly became very curious, as she often did, as
to what the cause was to her skinniness.
After several seconds of effort, the only thing Lara could find attractive about this women
were her eyes. Her eyes were blue. Not the ordinary sky blue, or the color of the paint flaking off
of the old shed in the back of the field, or even the little flowers that sprang up by the side of the
road. When looking into the sun, her eyes were blue like the sea, crystal clear blue- shimmering
and crashing and churning. Looking into hers eyes you could hear the waves falling against the
shore, and see the foam flying into the air. Although, when looking away from the sun, her eyes
were blue like the sky right before the sun disappeared- a dark rich indigo, with specks of wild
colors here and there and they sparkled like the clearest night sky one would be lucky to ever
Both Lara and the old woman realized they had been only staring at each other for a long
while, without breathing a word. Lara was about to speak up, but the lady spoke first with an
aging, but confident, steady, and strict voice. “I am Mrs. Henrikson. You will obey all of the
house rules, obey every command given by me or my husband, and you will stay out of my way.
If you do all of these things, our stay here together will be a pleasant one. Is that clear?” This
statement took Lara by surprise and, for the first time in her life, she was speechless. Mrs.
Henrikson spoke again, this time a little bit louder, “I said, is that clear?” Still incapable of
words, Lara nodded, and caused her blonde ringlets to bounce a little. Mrs. Henrikson, before
disappearing deep into the house, order Aada, the maid that came after the ring of Mrs.
Henrikson’s bell, to show her to her room. Lara picked up her one suitcase filled with her most
prized possessions, and followed the maid across the threshold of the glorious house, anxious to
discover the secrets her new home held.
After scaling two massive stair cases with chestnut railing and red velvet carpeting, going
down a long hallway with door after door on either side, taking a right at the end of the hall, and
going through the first door on the left, Lara arrived in her new room.
The style of the room had obviously not been renovated in a long while, but the furniture
was still in mint condition. Nothing was peeling, chipping, or fading in any way. It was almost as
if no one had ever slept here, which was a possibility considering the amount of rooms this house
held. The theme of the room was centered on emerald green, the color of Lara’s eyes, so she
figured this room would suit her. The green that filled this room was the kind of green that peeks
from under the lumps of frigid snow as a reminder of the upcoming spring that will bring light
and color into a world of white and darkness. She saw green in the silk drapes that were
billowing from the wind streaming in from the open window they concealed. She saw green in
the satin comforter that covered a king sized mattress that she could sink into all day and never
be discovered. The mattress was placed upon a dark wood bed frame with etched floral detailing
across the head bored.
For the umpteenth time that day, Lara was in shock. She could not believe this would be
her room. It occurred to her that she could probably stay in any guest room she liked, she could
even switch rooms every night if that’s what she wished, but this room was one Lara never
wanted to leave. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, especially compared
to her, now empty, room in Germany. She used to sleep in a bland, one window room with
cream colored walls and cheap wood flooring. This room had an entire wall full of monstrous
windows, looking over a meadow of wheat. She saw a pond at the other end of the field and day
dreamed about the summer days she would spend swimming and fishing there.
She was snapped out of her day dream by a knock at the door. She did not want to let
them in, seeing as it would ruin her dream. Despite her denial, her high pitched voice spoke
through her cherry red lips, “Come in.” The plump maid that introduced her to Mrs. Henrikson
walked through the creaking door.
“Hello Miss Lara,” She said sweetly, flashing her wide smile at her, “I have message for
you.” A message? Lara thought. Who could it be from? Mother? Lara took the card off of the
silver tray. It could not have been from her mother, for it was not her handwriting. It didn’t say
who it was from at all. All it said was “Now that you are here, our story may begin.” Lara
wondered what her anonymous correspondent meant by this. She sat at the desk in the corner of
her room, pondering what this note could mean. All attempts to solve this mystery, plummeted
downhill furiously.
A long time passed, and Lara finally decided to put this mystery on hold until tomorrow.
She was sure she could solve it after she got some rest. She got up from the desk chair, walked
across the room to where her suitcase lay after she dropped it at the sight of her bedroom, and
slipped the note inside where it would be found again when she will begin to unpack her few
possessions in the morning. After closing her suitcase, she went to the dark mahogany dresser
and found silk nightgowns in her size, and slipped one on. It was beautiful, Lara began to realize
most thing in this house were. She ran her hand down her small figure, feeling the slickness of
the pink silk on her palm and in between her fingers. The exhausted Lara floated to her bedside,
slowly climbed under the heavy blankets and fell into a deep sleep.
* * * * *
Two months after her unforgettable arrival and cryptic note, Lara was roaming the halls
on the fourth floor. She ventured through the house often, trying to find an unexplored room she
could entertain herself in. She soon found herself at the end of the last hallway, standing in front
of a broad oak door. She put her hand on the doorknob, already feeling its mass in her hand,
when suddenly it swung open. Lara was so shocked, she forgot to take her hand away from the
doorknob and was pulled to the ground. She looked with her big green eyes at a man who was
probably in his forties or fifties standing above her.
He looked tall, but Lara could not know that for sure until she rose to her feet. She
figured she looked foolish laying on the ground, staring like she was. So with great effort, she
pushed herself upright and soaked in the man’s features, as she had done with Mrs. Henrikson’s.
His hair was thinning, but it was the color of sweet chocolate milk. The soft warmness of his
amber eyes wrapped around her like a blanket and made her feel like she was finally home in the
vast, lonely house. He sported a white button-down shirt that clung to his round belly, and black
pants that seemed to fit his skinny legs just right. The man’s figure seemed uneven, but,
strangely, Lara thought it suited him.
“You must be Lara. I wondered when you would come to my door.” The man spoke with
a deep voice that came from the pit of his large stomach.
“Yes, sir.” She responded and then realized he had not introduced himself and she had
never seen him before, “I am afraid I do not know your name.”
He ignored Lara and continued with a confused look on his face, “How old are you?”
“Thirteen.”
“I would have thought you to be older.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” Lara said blandly for she did not want to lose control of the temper
for which she was known.
Still ignoring her he said, “Nevertheless, we must begin.”
“With what sir?” Lara was becoming more confused by the minute.
“With our story of course.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone. He turned without saying
another word, and went into the room behind him. He left the door open, showing Lara she was
welcome to come in.
Lara stepped into a circular room that, at first glance, looked like a man’s office, but Lara
would soon find it to be so much more. The ceiling had to be at least ten feet high, and the walls
were painted deep maroon that matched the chairs on the front and backside of the desk. All
along the walls were newspaper clippings and younger pictures of the man. She saw one
newspaper clipping that read “Anton Henrikson, at it again!” There was a picture of a younger
version of the man, who she now knew to be Mr. Henrikson, holding a book and another young
man who she did not know. She wondered what the article was about, so she started to read the
rest, when Mr. Henrikson appeared in front of her out of nowhere.
He startled Lara, and by doing so, he angered her. “What were you thinking scaring a
younger girl like that?!” She shouted, “You should be ashamed of yourself! Who do you think-”
she was cut off by Mr. Henrikson’s belly jiggling laughs. “Wh-Why are you laughing at me?”
She stuttered. She was on the verge of crying. She did not like to be scared nor laughed at, and
on top of everything, she was very overwhelmed by meeting Mr. Henrikson. She imagined
screaming at him so ferociously that his head would fall off of his shoulders from the impact of
“I’m not laughing at you my dear.” He reassured her, trying to calm his cackles.
Now angry again, Lara semi-shouted, “Oh yeah? Well what are you laughing at then?”
Mr. Henrikson stopped laughing at stared at her for a long moment, and then finally said,
“You are exactly the girl I hoped you be. Come. It is time.” Lara didn’t say a word. He turned
around and started to walk towards the wall opposite to where she was standing. He reached up
to a small picture frame of him and his wife, took it off the wall, and revealed a small, black
drawer knob. Shock froze Lara to her spot on the red carpet, and when Mr. Henrikson gestured
her to come closer, she still could not move. With his long legs, he slowly and patiently walked
over to Lara and pulled her gently to the drawer in the wall. Then he guided her hand slowly to
the knob, and made her open the drawer; she was just tall enough to see inside. There was red,
velvet fabric lining the drawer, and there was a press in the shape of a key in the middle, but it
was empty. It was empty until Mr. Henrikson turned the knob, and then a brass key flipped into
sight from a compartment below. Neither of them uttered a single word. Lara just looked at him
in amazement. He took the key from its place and bent down to a hole in the flooring, put the key
in the hole, turned it, and then stood back.
Right before her very eyes, the wall opened. It parted like the Red Sea parted before
Moses, right down the middle. Lara could not believe what she was seeing. Row after row of
neatly lined up books with their spines facing outward. Thousands upon thousands stacked in
neat rows, all orderly arranged and aligned back-to-back where their insides could not be judged
by their covers. Their titles all curled and looped in one direction and turned to the side so that
one had to tilt their head in order to read them. Each book held its own world of wonders and
answers to short and lifelong questions about humanity that had lasted for hundreds of years.
Lara was looking at the greatest library she had ever seen. She flashed a white smile at Mr.
Henrikson, and he was grinning just as big as she was. She thought she could have cried she was
so happy, but before she could Mr. Henrikson said “You can come explore here anytime you
wish. After you get accustomed, we can begin to come here together and go on wild adventures.
We could even write a few of our own.”
She could not stop smiling long enough to talk, so she said through her smile “I would
really like that, sir.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go make new friends! Go on an adventure! Dance with
elephants! Go do whatever you wish, and I will wait in my study to hear all about it.” Lara did
* * * * *
Almost a year had gone by since the day the door opened, and now it never shut. Lara
would wake up every morning, comb her long blonde hair, put on clothes according to what she
would be doing in the library that day, and run to Mr. Henrikson’s office where she would stay
until Mrs. Henrikson rang for supper. Recently Mrs. Henrikson had been getting onto Lara for
staying cooped up in a dusty old library all day, but it was so much more to Lara. She was never
really in a dusty old library, but in the jungle with Robin, who was very kind and adventurous, or
in the city with William, who was very charming and cunning, or even at the circus with Harry,
who was very funny and outgoing. She had made so many friends over the last year it was hard
to keep up with all of them!
Today was a whole new kind of adventure. Night was falling and Lara struggled to stay
conscious. Glass and bits of wood were scattered all across the burned grass that had been green
and beautiful just yesterday. Lara could not stay upright, but she could not bring herself to give
up. She kept thinking over and over again Get to the library! Get to the library! Save them! Save
them! It was too late now to save them, but Lara was too poisoned to notice. She had inhaled too
much smoke trying to rescue her friends. Thankfully, she managed to save one, her precious
William. She was pulled out of the library by Mr. Henrikson as she was grabbing him, and right
before the fire burned through the flooring. She watched almost all of her friends die, and she
was now about to join them for the adventure of a lifetime.
* * * * *
A year after the death of Lara and Mrs. Henrikson, Mr. Henrikson finally brought himself
to give up Lara’s beloved William. He was the character Mr. Henrikson heard the most about.
They went on so many adventures together, it was hard for him to just send William away. He
wondered if this is what Lara’s mother felt when she was sending her away.
As he walked down the rain covered sidewalk, avoiding the eyes of mysterious strangers,
Mr. Henrikson held the book tightly to his chest. He struggled to keep his trench coat closed, so
the rain wouldn’t ruin the book and the magical story it contained. He finally got it to stay closed
just as he got to the public library.
He immediately went to the “youth” section, where he knew he would find bright,
adventurous girls, similar to Lara. As he wove through a maze of bookshelves, he searched for
just the right girl to give his and Lara’s prized possession to. He walked past one girl after
another, but they weren’t quite right. One looked as if she was going to fall asleep reading her
book. Lara was always intrigued and wide awake while reading, so this young girl wouldn’t
work. Another girl was too young, another too old. Finally, in a dark corning in the very back of
the library, Mr. Henrikson found the perfect girl. She was small, but her face had matured, and
she was curled up alone, just as Lara usually was. He could tell by the wrinkles in her pale
forehead that she was very concentrated on her book, which was a good sign. He cleared his
voice and said, “Excuse me, Miss? Are you interested in a new book?”
She looked up at him with emerald green eyes, and flashed a wide smile, “I always am,
He smiled at her and said joyfully, “Well, then. Our adventure may begin”
just as the war in Germany was beginning. Most everyone in Germany believed in Hitler and the
Nazis, but there was a small amount of people who were suspicious. Her mother was one of
those people. She had seen situations similar to ours before and the majority of them went from
hopeful to hopeless. Lara knew her mother was doing this to keep her safe. Although, a part of
her couldn’t help but think she was doing this only so she could run away with Mr. Adler, her
mother’s lover, which Lara strongly disapproved of. Every time this thought came to her mind,
Lara would push it away immediately, but the thought kept crawling back, poking and prodding
at her, striving for her attention.
After a seven hour train ride, Lara finally arrived in Denmark. At the station, she was met
by a driver and was taken to the place that would be her new home until the end of the war. As
Mr. Poulson, the driver, eased up the drive way, Lara was in shock. In front of her stood the
largest house she had ever seen. It stood four stories high, and had a porch on each floor that
wrapped around the whole house. Placed in the most precise spots along each of the porches,
were white rocking chairs that rocked back and forth, creaking with the sweet countryside air.
After the driver had pulled away and the maid went to fetch someone whose name Lara didn’t
catch, she started to explore the porch. She ran her hand along the green vines of the ivy that
crept up the white painted brick of the glorious house. She day dreamed about the days upon
days she would spend here exploring the vastness of the inside of the house, and the rolling hills
in the surrounding area. The more she thought about it, the more perfect it became and the more
Lara began to look forward to her stay here in this beautiful hideaway.
After ten minutes had past, although it seemed longer to the anxious and impatient Lara,
the plump maid with the wide smile returned with a fairly unattractive older woman who seemed
to be in her fifties or sixties. Lara began to soak her in like an old dried up sponge. The woman
was tall, but not tall enough to surpass the height of most grown men. Her hair was pulled tightly
into a silvery-gray pristine bun at the back of her small head. Her nose was crinkled and her lips
were pursed as if she smelled something foul, although all Lara could smell was the scent of the
wild flowers that were growing somewhere nearby. Along with her crinkled features, her face
was very hollow and the rest of her body was very skinny. So skinny that her expensive looking
clothes seemed to hang off of her limbs as if they were hung there to dry. Lara could not tell if
she was shaped like that due to a bird like bone structure, or if she had not eaten in a long while,
or even both of those things combined. Lara suddenly became very curious, as she often did, as
to what the cause was to her skinniness.
After several seconds of effort, the only thing Lara could find attractive about this women
were her eyes. Her eyes were blue. Not the ordinary sky blue, or the color of the paint flaking off
of the old shed in the back of the field, or even the little flowers that sprang up by the side of the
road. When looking into the sun, her eyes were blue like the sea, crystal clear blue- shimmering
and crashing and churning. Looking into hers eyes you could hear the waves falling against the
shore, and see the foam flying into the air. Although, when looking away from the sun, her eyes
were blue like the sky right before the sun disappeared- a dark rich indigo, with specks of wild
colors here and there and they sparkled like the clearest night sky one would be lucky to ever
Both Lara and the old woman realized they had been only staring at each other for a long
while, without breathing a word. Lara was about to speak up, but the lady spoke first with an
aging, but confident, steady, and strict voice. “I am Mrs. Henrikson. You will obey all of the
house rules, obey every command given by me or my husband, and you will stay out of my way.
If you do all of these things, our stay here together will be a pleasant one. Is that clear?” This
statement took Lara by surprise and, for the first time in her life, she was speechless. Mrs.
Henrikson spoke again, this time a little bit louder, “I said, is that clear?” Still incapable of
words, Lara nodded, and caused her blonde ringlets to bounce a little. Mrs. Henrikson, before
disappearing deep into the house, order Aada, the maid that came after the ring of Mrs.
Henrikson’s bell, to show her to her room. Lara picked up her one suitcase filled with her most
prized possessions, and followed the maid across the threshold of the glorious house, anxious to
discover the secrets her new home held.
After scaling two massive stair cases with chestnut railing and red velvet carpeting, going
down a long hallway with door after door on either side, taking a right at the end of the hall, and
going through the first door on the left, Lara arrived in her new room.
The style of the room had obviously not been renovated in a long while, but the furniture
was still in mint condition. Nothing was peeling, chipping, or fading in any way. It was almost as
if no one had ever slept here, which was a possibility considering the amount of rooms this house
held. The theme of the room was centered on emerald green, the color of Lara’s eyes, so she
figured this room would suit her. The green that filled this room was the kind of green that peeks
from under the lumps of frigid snow as a reminder of the upcoming spring that will bring light
and color into a world of white and darkness. She saw green in the silk drapes that were
billowing from the wind streaming in from the open window they concealed. She saw green in
the satin comforter that covered a king sized mattress that she could sink into all day and never
be discovered. The mattress was placed upon a dark wood bed frame with etched floral detailing
across the head bored.
For the umpteenth time that day, Lara was in shock. She could not believe this would be
her room. It occurred to her that she could probably stay in any guest room she liked, she could
even switch rooms every night if that’s what she wished, but this room was one Lara never
wanted to leave. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, especially compared
to her, now empty, room in Germany. She used to sleep in a bland, one window room with
cream colored walls and cheap wood flooring. This room had an entire wall full of monstrous
windows, looking over a meadow of wheat. She saw a pond at the other end of the field and day
dreamed about the summer days she would spend swimming and fishing there.
She was snapped out of her day dream by a knock at the door. She did not want to let
them in, seeing as it would ruin her dream. Despite her denial, her high pitched voice spoke
through her cherry red lips, “Come in.” The plump maid that introduced her to Mrs. Henrikson
walked through the creaking door.
“Hello Miss Lara,” She said sweetly, flashing her wide smile at her, “I have message for
you.” A message? Lara thought. Who could it be from? Mother? Lara took the card off of the
silver tray. It could not have been from her mother, for it was not her handwriting. It didn’t say
who it was from at all. All it said was “Now that you are here, our story may begin.” Lara
wondered what her anonymous correspondent meant by this. She sat at the desk in the corner of
her room, pondering what this note could mean. All attempts to solve this mystery, plummeted
downhill furiously.
A long time passed, and Lara finally decided to put this mystery on hold until tomorrow.
She was sure she could solve it after she got some rest. She got up from the desk chair, walked
across the room to where her suitcase lay after she dropped it at the sight of her bedroom, and
slipped the note inside where it would be found again when she will begin to unpack her few
possessions in the morning. After closing her suitcase, she went to the dark mahogany dresser
and found silk nightgowns in her size, and slipped one on. It was beautiful, Lara began to realize
most thing in this house were. She ran her hand down her small figure, feeling the slickness of
the pink silk on her palm and in between her fingers. The exhausted Lara floated to her bedside,
slowly climbed under the heavy blankets and fell into a deep sleep.
* * * * *
Two months after her unforgettable arrival and cryptic note, Lara was roaming the halls
on the fourth floor. She ventured through the house often, trying to find an unexplored room she
could entertain herself in. She soon found herself at the end of the last hallway, standing in front
of a broad oak door. She put her hand on the doorknob, already feeling its mass in her hand,
when suddenly it swung open. Lara was so shocked, she forgot to take her hand away from the
doorknob and was pulled to the ground. She looked with her big green eyes at a man who was
probably in his forties or fifties standing above her.
He looked tall, but Lara could not know that for sure until she rose to her feet. She
figured she looked foolish laying on the ground, staring like she was. So with great effort, she
pushed herself upright and soaked in the man’s features, as she had done with Mrs. Henrikson’s.
His hair was thinning, but it was the color of sweet chocolate milk. The soft warmness of his
amber eyes wrapped around her like a blanket and made her feel like she was finally home in the
vast, lonely house. He sported a white button-down shirt that clung to his round belly, and black
pants that seemed to fit his skinny legs just right. The man’s figure seemed uneven, but,
strangely, Lara thought it suited him.
“You must be Lara. I wondered when you would come to my door.” The man spoke with
a deep voice that came from the pit of his large stomach.
“Yes, sir.” She responded and then realized he had not introduced himself and she had
never seen him before, “I am afraid I do not know your name.”
He ignored Lara and continued with a confused look on his face, “How old are you?”
“Thirteen.”
“I would have thought you to be older.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” Lara said blandly for she did not want to lose control of the temper
for which she was known.
Still ignoring her he said, “Nevertheless, we must begin.”
“With what sir?” Lara was becoming more confused by the minute.
“With our story of course.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone. He turned without saying
another word, and went into the room behind him. He left the door open, showing Lara she was
welcome to come in.
Lara stepped into a circular room that, at first glance, looked like a man’s office, but Lara
would soon find it to be so much more. The ceiling had to be at least ten feet high, and the walls
were painted deep maroon that matched the chairs on the front and backside of the desk. All
along the walls were newspaper clippings and younger pictures of the man. She saw one
newspaper clipping that read “Anton Henrikson, at it again!” There was a picture of a younger
version of the man, who she now knew to be Mr. Henrikson, holding a book and another young
man who she did not know. She wondered what the article was about, so she started to read the
rest, when Mr. Henrikson appeared in front of her out of nowhere.
He startled Lara, and by doing so, he angered her. “What were you thinking scaring a
younger girl like that?!” She shouted, “You should be ashamed of yourself! Who do you think-”
she was cut off by Mr. Henrikson’s belly jiggling laughs. “Wh-Why are you laughing at me?”
She stuttered. She was on the verge of crying. She did not like to be scared nor laughed at, and
on top of everything, she was very overwhelmed by meeting Mr. Henrikson. She imagined
screaming at him so ferociously that his head would fall off of his shoulders from the impact of
“I’m not laughing at you my dear.” He reassured her, trying to calm his cackles.
Now angry again, Lara semi-shouted, “Oh yeah? Well what are you laughing at then?”
Mr. Henrikson stopped laughing at stared at her for a long moment, and then finally said,
“You are exactly the girl I hoped you be. Come. It is time.” Lara didn’t say a word. He turned
around and started to walk towards the wall opposite to where she was standing. He reached up
to a small picture frame of him and his wife, took it off the wall, and revealed a small, black
drawer knob. Shock froze Lara to her spot on the red carpet, and when Mr. Henrikson gestured
her to come closer, she still could not move. With his long legs, he slowly and patiently walked
over to Lara and pulled her gently to the drawer in the wall. Then he guided her hand slowly to
the knob, and made her open the drawer; she was just tall enough to see inside. There was red,
velvet fabric lining the drawer, and there was a press in the shape of a key in the middle, but it
was empty. It was empty until Mr. Henrikson turned the knob, and then a brass key flipped into
sight from a compartment below. Neither of them uttered a single word. Lara just looked at him
in amazement. He took the key from its place and bent down to a hole in the flooring, put the key
in the hole, turned it, and then stood back.
Right before her very eyes, the wall opened. It parted like the Red Sea parted before
Moses, right down the middle. Lara could not believe what she was seeing. Row after row of
neatly lined up books with their spines facing outward. Thousands upon thousands stacked in
neat rows, all orderly arranged and aligned back-to-back where their insides could not be judged
by their covers. Their titles all curled and looped in one direction and turned to the side so that
one had to tilt their head in order to read them. Each book held its own world of wonders and
answers to short and lifelong questions about humanity that had lasted for hundreds of years.
Lara was looking at the greatest library she had ever seen. She flashed a white smile at Mr.
Henrikson, and he was grinning just as big as she was. She thought she could have cried she was
so happy, but before she could Mr. Henrikson said “You can come explore here anytime you
wish. After you get accustomed, we can begin to come here together and go on wild adventures.
We could even write a few of our own.”
She could not stop smiling long enough to talk, so she said through her smile “I would
really like that, sir.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go make new friends! Go on an adventure! Dance with
elephants! Go do whatever you wish, and I will wait in my study to hear all about it.” Lara did
* * * * *
Almost a year had gone by since the day the door opened, and now it never shut. Lara
would wake up every morning, comb her long blonde hair, put on clothes according to what she
would be doing in the library that day, and run to Mr. Henrikson’s office where she would stay
until Mrs. Henrikson rang for supper. Recently Mrs. Henrikson had been getting onto Lara for
staying cooped up in a dusty old library all day, but it was so much more to Lara. She was never
really in a dusty old library, but in the jungle with Robin, who was very kind and adventurous, or
in the city with William, who was very charming and cunning, or even at the circus with Harry,
who was very funny and outgoing. She had made so many friends over the last year it was hard
to keep up with all of them!
Today was a whole new kind of adventure. Night was falling and Lara struggled to stay
conscious. Glass and bits of wood were scattered all across the burned grass that had been green
and beautiful just yesterday. Lara could not stay upright, but she could not bring herself to give
up. She kept thinking over and over again Get to the library! Get to the library! Save them! Save
them! It was too late now to save them, but Lara was too poisoned to notice. She had inhaled too
much smoke trying to rescue her friends. Thankfully, she managed to save one, her precious
William. She was pulled out of the library by Mr. Henrikson as she was grabbing him, and right
before the fire burned through the flooring. She watched almost all of her friends die, and she
was now about to join them for the adventure of a lifetime.
* * * * *
A year after the death of Lara and Mrs. Henrikson, Mr. Henrikson finally brought himself
to give up Lara’s beloved William. He was the character Mr. Henrikson heard the most about.
They went on so many adventures together, it was hard for him to just send William away. He
wondered if this is what Lara’s mother felt when she was sending her away.
As he walked down the rain covered sidewalk, avoiding the eyes of mysterious strangers,
Mr. Henrikson held the book tightly to his chest. He struggled to keep his trench coat closed, so
the rain wouldn’t ruin the book and the magical story it contained. He finally got it to stay closed
just as he got to the public library.
He immediately went to the “youth” section, where he knew he would find bright,
adventurous girls, similar to Lara. As he wove through a maze of bookshelves, he searched for
just the right girl to give his and Lara’s prized possession to. He walked past one girl after
another, but they weren’t quite right. One looked as if she was going to fall asleep reading her
book. Lara was always intrigued and wide awake while reading, so this young girl wouldn’t
work. Another girl was too young, another too old. Finally, in a dark corning in the very back of
the library, Mr. Henrikson found the perfect girl. She was small, but her face had matured, and
she was curled up alone, just as Lara usually was. He could tell by the wrinkles in her pale
forehead that she was very concentrated on her book, which was a good sign. He cleared his
voice and said, “Excuse me, Miss? Are you interested in a new book?”
She looked up at him with emerald green eyes, and flashed a wide smile, “I always am,
He smiled at her and said joyfully, “Well, then. Our adventure may begin”