The weird: You walk into a store that has a sign over the door upon which dons odd symbols on it that spell out 'bookshop', you walk past what seems like an endless line of books, there are books from the floor to the ceiling, you spot a staff member of this most unusual shop, its takes you quite a while to reach this staff member because of the amount of books that first must be passed, finally you reach him, he's sitting on a chair behind a large desk with a twin towers of books on each end, his face is framed by these books and he is deep in concentration as he prices another pile of books with a slow and purposive, click click click from the pricing gun in his hand. You inhale as you prepare to ask the question that has been on the tip of your tongue ever since you walked through the doorway. The worker's slighty larger that normal eyes are sharply focused on you now and you speak in a tone that seems too loud for the surroundings, "DO YE SELL BOOKS?". (I can't emphase enough how often I get asked this bloody stupid question while I'm at work, I used to think it was funny to answer that no we don't, we sell bookselves and that the books they see are only there for decoration, but recently I thought of a new thing to say the next time its happens, so the story continues after this bracket, here it comes. . .). The staff member looks at you with suspision clouding his slightly larger than normal eyes after what seems an age he finally speaks with an incredibly monotone voice, "I have been sitting here, waiting enons to hear someone ask that question, I am older that wind and more patient that the mountains and finally what the scriptures spoke of begins. . ." he sits after that sentence and forks his long fingers into a spire and rests his chin on the tips, his slightly larger than normal eyes look you up and down and finally fall to rest on your face and he says,". . .and it begins with you". Confused and mildly scared you not sure whether to leave or wait to hear more, but this is the first time that you felt special so you stay and wait. As if pre empting your question he begins to speak again " Let me explain, My name is the BOOK-KEEPER " even though he didn't speak his name loudly it still seems to reverbate around inside your skull. " and I have been given a vital responsibility by the Order of the Zouch, for you see your question of me was quite pertainent, I can see that you must be the 'one' that the writing of lore have spoken of because of your insightful question, because this is indeed not a bookshop, but the books are merely a thinly veiled guise that hides the true purpose of this place. I was chosen to guard a gateway, a gateway to a place in which all the wonders of the universe lie exposed for your perusal" The excitment within you has been building like a tropical storm, this man with the slighty larger than normal eyes has you hook, line and sinker. He says " one of the books in this place once it is pulled from the shelf opens this gateway, and now it falls to you to choose, but choose wisely, for you can choose only one and more importantly you can choose only once for if you choose incorrectly I must kill you."
And that is exactly what I would love to say, but until the next time, I say to you, keep watching the book shop, for it could be you.
