Chapter 4 - DREAM

There is bookstore in this town, it’s been around for a very long time. There are only two residents in that bookstore, but no person ever remembers the people inside the bookstore.

(DREAM – continued)

The bookstore welcomes everyone who opens their heart to it. The residents who live in the bookstore include a little boy who looks to be ten years of age named James Mathew and a woman in her elderly age. They have resided in the bookstore for over decades together, still unknown to the world outside the walls of the bookstore.

“We have never allowed a customer like Ava into our store, why did you choose her this time?” the old lady said towards the boy in front of her, knowing well about his deeds, James smiled at the lady and said, “she reminds me of someone I used to know, and I wanted to know what happened to her family, she interests me a little too much you know.”

The lady walked towards James with a smile on her face, gave him a glass of milk and said, “The last time someone intrigued you was about twenty years ago, he still hasn’t found his way back from the book you left him trapped in. but then again, none of our special customers have been able to leave these walls. I wonder if you can be able to let her leave this time? I know you already knew about what went down with that family. And yes, My Husbands smile has nothing to do with the story of Ava and her family, why did you take her to the forest though, and why would you share your favourite story with her?”

James gulped down the milk he had on his hand, stared straight at the lady and walked out of the room heading straight to his room. Right before he was about to enter the room he shouted to the lady and said, “You can bring the story book to my room so our next customer can come in, today feels like a special day.” As he chuckled uncontrollably.

His room had a kind of loneliness about it, apart from not having a bed, which is the basic necessity of a bedroom, there were only two sofa’s, one which was black while the other had a brown colour. Two coffee tables as well, and a huge bookshelf covering all the walls of the room. It looked more like a study than a room of a ten-year-old boy.

The lady entered James room and sat next to him on the brown sofa while he sat on the black one, holding a Violet coloured book on her right hand and a cup of tea on her left. She then spoke softly to James and said, “there are more pages missing from the book today, maybe you won’t need to relive the same day tomorrow as you have all these years. But then again, you have been around for ages and still nothing has changed thus far.” James looked at the lady with a concerned gaze and said, there is a reason why I’ve been around this long Grandma, we just don’t need to discuss it right now.

By the way I forgot to tell you something about Ava. She won’t be able to ever leave this bookstore until she comes to terms with what she did with her parents, so don’t worry about her anymore. Can you read the book today, there is a little boy who has been bugging me since this morning, he might be our second customer today.”

The lady looked at James who had his eyes closed while sitting in a perfectly still position and said, “I know she got rid of her little brother, and that’s why her parents killed themselves. You don’t have to tell me that James.” James smiled while keeping his eyes closed to signal the lady about her thoughts.

She then started to read the book she held, she said, “Once upon a time, “and with those three simple words James closed his eyes, falling into deep sleep. He found himself in a different world all together. Just when James had shut his eyes off in complete sleep, the lady opened another book which James had placed beside himself. the book had a velvet coloured cover with the author's name (Jackson Mathew) engraved on it. the book's name was 'MY HUSBAND'S SMILE'

Every person has secrete they wish to take to the grave, but what happens when that secret refuses to keep itself hidden? ...

The bookstore has two special kind of residents which live in it, James who has been living in the house for almost four decades with an old lady who he calls grandma.

there is a story behind every part of the store and not every part of the book store has shown itself to the residents yet.