3: Traveling Books
There is a book in a library near David's town that is entitled “The Gateway to the Past.” It's an old book and particularly boring, so boring in fact that it is subtitled “You Sure May Fall Asleep.” No one has checked it out since the library opened back in 1865. Perhaps one of the reasons for it's stagnant position on the shelves in the
farthest corners of the library is the fact that it was a poorly translated work. Further research would reveal this to be a particularly clever cover up. The title properly read in the native language would come out more like “The Gateway to Halifax: Your Doorway to Paul's Keep.” Unknown to the masses, back before books were used for reading they were designed for transportation. Unfortunately, you could easily get lost in the pages of a good book and buying a pair of traveling books was a luxury few people could afford. David had little time for such concerns now and this book happened to be free so he took it to a private room and crawled on in.
Traveling books were thought of as gateways to another part of our world, specifically to another book which acted as the receiving end. The truth of the matter is that they are gateways to another world all together. This world appears flat in nature much like looking at an illustration drawn out on a page in front of you. There is depth but it is experienced not perceived, everything is flat to the touch, and color
is vivid and brilliant. David watched as leaves fell from trees and drifted gently through the air like loose pages making their escape from a vacant desk in the evening breeze. Off in the distance the rustle of leaves long since settled to the ground attracted David's attention. How could there be anyone else here? Surely nobody uses these books anymore, who even knows that they exist? A fox appeared from behind the tree closest to David, the other two came out from hiding shortly afterward. “Hey little gaffers, you appear to be lost too. Let's see if we can find a way out of here.” In response the foxes fell in line behind David as he searched for a path, a signpost, anything to guide the way. As if in answer to his predicament, the wind suddenly blew the leaves aside to revealed a well-worn path. Their way was clear enough for now, the foxes ran off ahead of David along the newly cleared route as the wind moved elsewhere to play with the leaves in the forest. “What a marvelous place.” David thought, “Pity I can't stay longer.”
