Chapter no. 1 : In the library

In the country of Dreamla, where golden fields met the horizon and the soft breeze carried the scent of jasmine, Ami lived in the quiet town of Thornhill. It was a peaceful place, where the streets were lined with cobblestones, and the houses had a simple charm. Ami’s family was comfortable—former managers who weren’t retired yet, but not wealthy either.

Ami’s heart, however, wasn’t set on following the path they had in mind for her. While everyone around her spoke of clear paths and expectations, Ami had a different dream. She wanted to write.

Ami's world existed in stories. Her journal, worn at the edges with pages full of half-told tales, was her escape. She filled it with characters she crafted in the quiet spaces of her mind—a runaway princess, a daring knight, a world where anything could happen. But life outside her stories felt confined—she was expected to follow the path her family laid out for her: clear her schooling and, eventually, take the exams to become a doctor.

Yet, Ami’s true passion lay between the lines of her diary. Every evening, when the world outside her home grew quieter, she would slip away to the one place that gave her a sense of freedom—the town library.

The library stood at the heart of Thornhill, an ancient structure of stone and wood, hidden by the cascading ivy that clung to its walls. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of old books and dusty scrolls, some so fragile they seemed to whisper when touched. The library was a sanctuary, a place where Ami could forget the weight of expectations and lose herself in the magic of her imagination.

That evening, as the golden light of dusk filtered through the high windows, Ami sat at her usual table. The pages of her journal lay open, but her pen hesitated above the paper. The story of When We Become Us, a tale of two souls finding each other despite their differences, had been plaguing her thoughts for days. She was disturbed by the uncertainty of the ending—it tugged at her, leaving her confused and unsettled.

Frustration crept in, and just as she was about to close her diary, a voice interrupted her.

“Stuck?” the voice asked, warm and understanding.

Ami turned, startled. A middle-aged man, his hair graying and eyes gentle, stood across from her. He wasn’t a librarian but a frequent customer, one who often spent hours at the library, lost in the world of books.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said with a small smile, “but you seem a bit lost in thought.”

Ami didn’t know how to respond at first, but then she shrugged. “I’m just… struggling.”

The man stepped closer, his gaze landing on her open diary. “You’re writing something, aren’t you?”

Ami felt a sudden flush rise in her cheeks. She had never shared her writing with anyone before. “It’s just a story,” she muttered, trying to hide her words.

The man smiled kindly. “No, it’s not just a story. You write with emotion. With soul.”

Ami blinked, surprised. “I—”

He didn’t let her finish. “I’m Theo, by the way."Whenever I come to Dreamla, I visit this library."

May I read a few pages?”

Ami hesitated. There was something about Theo’s gentle demeanor that made her trust him. Slowly, she pushed her diary across the table toward him.

Theo took it carefully, as though it were something delicate, and began to read.

For the next half hour, Ami watched him, her heart pounding in her chest. His eyes flicked from the page to her, and then back to the words, as though he were lost in the world of When We Become Us. Occasionally, his lips twitched into a smile, or his brows furrowed in thought. Ami wondered what he was thinking, and she couldn't help but feel nervous about what he might say.

Finally, Theo closed the book and looked up at her with a thoughtful expression.

“Did you ever post this anywhere?” he asked. “On social scrolls, forums, or platforms?”

Ami shook her head. “No. I’ve never shown it to anyone. I don’t want to.”

Theo nodded slowly, as if he understood. “Why not? This has something special. It deserves to be read.”

Ami felt a little embarrassed. “It’s just for me. It’s not ready for anyone else.”

Theo leaned back, considering her words. Then, after a long pause, he said, “Can I borrow it for just one day? I promise I’ll bring it back tomorrow. Same time, same place, same chair.”

Ami blinked in surprise. “Why?”

“I just want to finish it. You have something here that deserves to be told. I’ll bring it back, I swear.”

Ami wasn’t sure why, but something in his calm eyes made her feel safe. After a long pause, she nodded, whispering, “Okay.”

Theo smiled and tucked the diary into his bag. “I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”

As Theo disappeared into the night, leaving the library behind, Ami sat still, her mind racing. She had never done anything like this before. She had never shared her story. Likewise, she never shared her stories with her family; they didn’t believe writing was something worth spending time on.

They wanted her to focus on becoming a doctor, not waste hours lost in fictional worlds. So she wrote in silence, tucking her words away like treasures, hoping one day they would mean something more.

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