The Mysterious Bookcase

It was the middle of the school vacation and my parents decided to rearrange my bedroom so that I would have more space for my desk and bookshelf. I was an avid reader and my bookshelf was constantly overflowing. On Saturday morning, we set of to find a new, bigger bookshelf for my room. Dad made the necessary measurements and we set off.

Mom had seen a new furniture store in the middle of the town. As we entered the store my parents were impressed at the craftsmanship of the furniture and the reasonable prices. I was immediately drawn to a heavy, dark wooden bookcase that was in the corner of the room. I pointed it out to mom and she asked the sales attendant the price which was very reasonable. Dad checked the measurements and it was a perfect fit. We quickly completed our purchase and the store promised to deliver it later that day.

That night before I went to bed I examined my bookshelf, eager to start placing my precious books on it. As I passed my hands over one of the shelves, I felt a little bump in the wood. It was not smooth and flat like the rest of the shelf. I examined the bump some more and when I pressed on it something out of this world happened. There was a flash and a dark hole opened up in the middle of my bedroom! It was like a doorway to somewhere else. I enjoyed reading science fiction books but I could not believe that there was a real portal in my bedroom.

I cautiously approached it. My heart and my thoughts were racing. What could there be on the other side? Would it be something dangerous? There was only one way to find out. I took a deep breath and stepped through.

Lush green vegetation greeted me on the other side. All around me were beautiful, colourful butterflies flitting from flower to flower. There were no clouds in the sky and the sun was shining brilliantly but the temperature was cool. Not sweltering hot like at home. However, it was very quiet. Not a sound could be heard. Until, that is, I heard a soft giggle. Then more and more giggles filled the air. I looked all around to locate the source of the sound but I couldn’t see anyone until they were ready to show themselves. One by one they appeared sitting on the flowers and leaves or on the back of the butterflies. They were not more than an inch tall with long, shimmering hair and glossy wings.

“You..you are fairies,” I said in amazement.

“Yes we are.” The blue one closest to me replied.

“Where am I?”

“This is our homeland. Fairieland.”

By now more fairies gathered closer to me. I asked them many questions about their home and how I happened to get there. They then explained that the bookshelf we bought was actually built by a group of fairies and they put in the special ‘bump’ that could open the portal to their homeland. Only certain people can find that bump and get the portal to open.

After chatting for a while, I decided that it was time to return to my room before my parents missed me. The fairies summoned the portal for me and after promising not to divulge their secret to anyone, I returned to my bedroom. The next day I carefully packed my books on the shelf, making sure that the bump was properly concealed.

What an adventure that was going to Fairieland! I wondered what other secrets my bookcase held. I guess I will just have to wait to find out.