He hadn’t planned to get so lost in the words...

...yet he couldn’t put the book down.

It was titled ‘Warning: Don’t Read’, so really, who could resist?

As Sav read the book he really couldn’t understand why it shouldn’t be read. All it was was a bunch of ‘magical spells’, obviously fake.

As a joke he read one aloud. “Spirit come forth, and become one with me.”

A gust of wind swept through the attic. An almost tornado formed in front of Sav, glowing with a blue light. When the wind calmed a wolf stood in its place.

Sky blue fur and piercing ice-like eyes. Two saber teeth stuck out of it’s jaw. “Name me.”

The deep voice was inside Sav’s head, almost echoing.

“Wh-“ he cut himself off and looked back into the book: a spell to summon a spirit, specifically one to search out danger.

He’d summoned a spirit.

“Um... Name you?”

The wolf nodded. “Or I’ll kill you. Whichever comes first.”

“Eh!? Then I’ll call you... I know! I’ll call you Sniff!”

The wolf deadpanned. “Sniff?”

“Because you search out danger, you sniff out danger...”

“It’s a pun?” Sniff clarified, “I cannot BELIEVE I got stuck with someone as immature as you.”

“Hey! I take offense at that.”

“You should,” Sniff said, “Now what do I call you?”

“Name’s Sav. Hey do you have any magical powers?”

“THAT’S what you care about?! You could have just gotten magic from the book! Page 43 has a list of basic spells, start there.”

“Meh? Well I didn’t think the spell would actually WORK! I was reading it out as a joke!”

“Terrible joke,” Sniff said with an eye roll.

“You know what? Magic isn’t real. I’m probably hallucinating.”

“I assure you, I am very real.”

“NOPE. Impossible!”

“To prove it to you I’ll teach you how to cast a spell!”

Sav stared Sniff in the eye. “Fine then. Teach me.”

“The words for the spell are ‘O’ Crazed flare, bless this earth with your graced presence’. Though with enough practice it can be shortened to ‘Crazed Flare’.”

“Okay,” Sav said, rubbing his hands together, “O’ Crazed flare-“

Sav was cut off as a flame appeared in front of him. He jolted back and let out a yelp.

“It worked!?” Sav exclaimed. He inspected the flame, which was hovering about a foot off the ground. He reached out to touch it but Sniff stoped him.

“Wouldn’t do that if I were you. Even if you created it it’s still fire.”

“Right,” Sav said, pulling his hand away.

“So what now? I mean, I can’t just leave it here.”

“It’ll burn out eventually,” Sniff said, “but if you’re in a hurry simply say the spell, ‘O’ Crazed flare your time is gone.’”

“O’ Crazed flare your time is gone.”

The flame went out and Sav smiled. “I’m going to try it again,” he said.

“Wait-“

“Crazed flare!”

Suddenly the ground burst into flame. “SAV I TOLD YOU TO WAIT!”

Yet libraries are but fickle things. Forever changing ideas and knowledge, it’s all within our reach. The words that drowned our worrisome thoughts, evaded to inspire new ideas and possibilities. Yet, no one could have imagined how lost we would get in the words, until they swallowed us in and never let go.