Elayna was running down the street. She didn’t dare look back, she knew they were after her. They always were. She looked at the buildings for any indication of a store. All the signs were either blank or filled with pictures. No words anywhere. Elayna sighed in frustration. She heard footsteps behind her and decided she couldn’t keep running. She was already tired and she was worried she was going to pass out. She had been on the move for weeks now. She thought she had escaped them, but yesterday, they were on her trail again.

She scanned the buildings and saw a weird looking sign and barged inside. It was dark inside and she anxiously peered out the window, watching as the soldiers sped past. She let out a breath and backed up, bumping into something. She quickly turned around and put up her arms in defense. Everything was still. She squinted at the area, only seeing darkness. She heard a match strike and jumped, whirling towards the noise. A grizzled old man stood in the back corner of the room. His beard was cut ruefully as if he’d done it himself and his clothes seemed to be made of parts of the forest outside.

Elayna froze, unsure if he had seen her or not.

“You can come in,” he said in a gentle but slightly rough voice. Elayna looked around, but still held back. She had met too many people who had lied and tricked her to know to trust this man.

“I can see you hiding,” he told her, not unkindly. “I may look blind, but I’m not,” the man said, chuckling at his own joke.

“What do you want,” Elayna said fiercely, stepping slightly into his candlelight.

“What I want?” He said, pausing before he replied, “There’s too many answers to that question. What I want is peace.” He sighed, as if he carried the weight of the world on his back. We waited in a silence as he seemed to contemplate his answer, then eventually he turned away, heading up a creaky staircase behind the a curtained off doorway. He left the candle sitting on a counter nearby.

Elayna hesitated. She knew she should leave. It wouldn’t be safe for her here. It was never safe for her. She moved slowly to the window again and peered out. A bright torch flashed and she ducked down out of sight. Panicking she tried to even her breath. They were still looking for her. She gripped the paper in her hand even tighter. What if the man upstairs knew what she had. She had promised him that she would protect it. What if they had found out. The light outside passed again, closer this time. She knew she couldn’t risk to leave.

Carefully, she made her way to the candle and using it, she shone the light on the stairs. They each had a weird star pattern on them as if they each represented a constellation. They glimmered softly and when she looked closer, it seemed as if they had words etched on them. But no- that would be impossible. Intrigued, she pushed past the curtain and made her way up the stairs.

At the top, Elayna gazed around the room. An odd assortment of objects were scattered everywhere and she was tempted to pick a couple things up such as the hand telescope, the crystal globes, and the crown, but kept moving. She followed the light coming from a larger room with a fireplace. She hesitated at the threshold. No one sees to be there, but this room felt powerful. She took a tentative step in, then her eyes went wide. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something. A book! She rushed over to it and picked it up. She ran her fingers over the pages and scanned the words. Most people her age wouldn’t have been able to read but Elayna’s mother always told her.

‘Never let anyone take knowledge away from you. This is your power. Share it with the world.’

She heard a noise behind her and hid the book behind her back.

“Ah, you like books?” The old man said, coming into the room, near to where Elayna was standing. She stood frozen, but indignant.

“How do you have books!” She exclaimed, truly shocked. “They are banned throughout the kingdom. Anyone who has books are killed or jailed for life?”