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Mr. Linden's Library
Anna was not looking for trouble on that cold, October day as she walked down Baker Street. She was headed for Mr. Linden's library. She had been there many times before; it was part of her weekly routine - finding books, checking them out, and returning them. She entered the small, old-fashioned library and made her way to the shelf with her favorite novels.
Running her fingers across the spines of the books, and reading the titles carefully, Anna stumbled across a book with no title written on it. She pulled the book off the shelf to examine it closer. It was nothing but a plain brown book. She thought nothing of it and added to her stack of romance novels.
She made her way to the front counter and set her books down in front of old Mr. Linden who began to check the books out. He paused when he came to the big brown book. His eyes widened and the air became very still. “Where did you find this book?” Mr. Linden said. His expression remained the same, struck with fear. “This was never to reach the shelves again. There have been too many accidents.” “Accidents? Mr. Linden, it’s only a book. What damage could a book do?” asked Anna. “I have said too much already,” he answered quickly. “Let me rid you of the book and check out your others, OK?” “Mr. Linden, let me read the book I honestly think the book had nothing to do with these accidents. It was all just bad luck.” Anna replied. He became angry at her words. “I’m just an old fool! What do I know?” Mr. Linden was shouting now. “Take it home! Read it, just like all the others! Don’t come running to me when you find yourself in a situation you cannot fix!” He shoved the brown book toward her and ordered her to get out at once.
Anna made her way through the busy afternoon crowds of the city and ran to her apartment. “Mr. Linden is an old man; he doesn’t know what he is saying,” she thought as she opened her apartment door,” but, could his warnings be true?” Forgetting to lock her apartment door, she pushed the worries aside and set the books she had gotten on the table. She looked at the clock. It was late. She went to get herself ready for bed, and when she was comfortable in her bed, she picked up the big brown book and began to read it.
She loved the book! It was as if the book could read her mind and was writing the story as she read it. In the middle of the book, she collapsed. She was too tired to continue reading. She turned off the lamp beside her bed and dreamed of what would happen in her book.
The city was quiet now.Only a few people roamed the streets, one of those people being Mr. Linden walking home from his library. He took a quick look at Anna’s apartment windows to find that all the lights were out. He looked worried. “Had she listened to my warnings?” Mr. Linden thought.
Back in Anna’s apartment the book began to shake. Out of the book grew thousands of little vines. They moved across the bed to where Anna lay sleeping. Slowly the vines began to wrap around her, starting at her feet and moving upward. Mr. Linden wasn’t such an old fool after all. He had warned her about the book, but now it was too late. The vines wrapped around her neck and slowly choked her to death.
Mr. Linden walked in to Anna’s apartment later the next morning and saw her lying there lifeless. He bowed his head and shed a tear that rolled down his face and onto the book. As he left the room the vines began to loosen their grasp and a faint heartbeat filled the room.
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