| Children Fiction posted March 21, 2025 |
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Two Endings - One Story
B In The Alphabet Soup
by Begin Again
Ben shoved his video game into his book bag and followed the other students off the bus. He stared at the massive building, scuffed his tennis shoe against the sidewalk, and sighed, "Who cares about a bunch of old books?"
The Hamilton Library was a mansion with a lot of history and stories about people who lived long ago within its walls — people Ben didn't care about.
His grandfather told him many important people had visited the home before it became a library. He said — "If walls could talk, we'd learn the truth about many things."
Builders constructed the outside walls from limestone. Inside, it had arched ceilings, chandeliers, and rows and rows of books.
Ben didn't like a field trip that included whispering and walking in lines, but he considered it better than math class. While the others gawked at the rare book exhibit and argued over the world's oldest dictionary, Ben wandered away until he found a spiral staircase leading upstairs.
He wasn't trying to snoop. He only wanted to find something interesting. Then he heard something. Giggling and whispering.
Curious, Ben climbed the stairs, but he only found more books at the top. About to go back down, he heard something again. It sounded as if someone were reading out loud.
A wooden door stood cracked open at the end of the narrow hallway. Ben crept down the hall and peeked into the room to see what they were doing.
Nothing — no one was there.
He stepped inside.
The room was cold, round, and filled with books—except for one thing. A pedestal stood in the center of the room, and on it sat a book bound in rich brown leather. It didn't have a title or author's name—just a single blinking eye on the cover.
Ben took a step back, convincing himself to leave. He took one last look at the book and turned — only to hear the giggles again.
He turned back and couldn't believe what he saw. The eye winked.
ENDING 1 -
The eye blinked once more. Then the book opened, and the pages turned. Golden letters formed across the page as if someone were writing them. It READ — "The Story That Hasn't Happened Yet."
The eye blinked once more. Then the book opened, and the pages turned. Golden letters formed across the page as if someone were writing them. It READ — "The Story That Hasn't Happened Yet."
Ben's eyes widened, and he moved closer. Images appeared when his fingers touched the pages and started moving across the paper. There were pictures of battles in kingdoms, dragons that cried pearls, and a boy who looked just like him standing in front of a blinking book.
The book glowed, and another sentence appeared on the next page: "We're waiting for you."
Ben couldn't believe his eyes. He was suddenly excited. He turned the page and saw an entire spread of stars and a spaceship zooming across it.
"Wow!" Ben exclaimed. "What happens next?"
Suddenly, voices from the bookshelves answered, "Now that's up to you."
"To me? I don't understand."
"Imagine what you'd like to read, and it will appear in the book. It can be your adventure to take everyone to new places."
Ben grinned. "I can make the book be anything I want. That's awesome!"
He heard, from somewhere in the room, "That's what an author does, Ben. They dream of new ideas and adventures and then share their thoughts with others."
He picked up the pen and began to write. The pen flew across the pages as Ben imagined the spaceship racing through galaxies, discovering brand-new worlds. When he finished, the book sighed and closed, and something new appeared on the cover — Space Travel, Written by Ben Jones.
He couldn't believe what he saw. He'd written a story — an amazing adventure. He wanted to write more, but it would have to wait for another day. It was time to go home.
As he reached the door, he looked back, and a new book was on the pedestal. The eye winked, and he heard a voice whisper, "Being an author can be fun."
Ending 2 —
The book's eye blinked, followed by a soft voice that whispered, "Do you want to know a secret?"
Ben looked around but didn't see anyone who could have spoken to him. He hesitated, and even though he felt foolish, he nodded.
The pages rustled and turned to one with his name on it. Below it, in looping silver letters, was a drawing of a girl he didn't know. She stood beside a stone fountain.
She was dressed in black and had very long blonde hair, but her eyes caught his attention the most. They were the bluest blue he'd ever seen, and she was crying. Each teardrop spilled from her eyes, sparkling like diamonds, and rolled down her cheeks.
It felt strange, but Ben could feel her sadness. He let his fingers touch the page, running them gently across her face. Before he could stop himself, he whispered, "I wonder why you are so sad."
Words formed beneath the image. "You'll have to read her story."
Another voice called his name and startled him from where his mind was wandering. "Ben, the bus is leaving. We've got to go."
He frowned because, for once, he'd found a book he wanted to read. But his teacher called again, and the image faded. The girl was gone.
He blinked, and the room was silent.
As he reached the door, he was sure he heard a whisper, "Please come back."
On the bus, all his classmates talked about the exhibit they had seen, but Ben couldn't take his mind off the library's second floor. He wondered if he'd only imagined the whole thing — until the following week when his class revisited the library.
As soon as they entered the building, Ben slipped away, searching for the stairs, but they were gone. He rushed outside, looked up at the building, and gasped. There wasn't a second floor.
How could that be?
Back inside, the librarian asked if she could help him.
He stammered, "I saw a book — a girl standing near a fountain. She was so sad."
The librarian smiled gently. "Something told me you'd be back."
She moved to the desk and picked up a book. Without another word, she placed it in Ben's hands.
He opened the page, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
The girl was standing by the fountain.
She looked right at him and smiled. Her tears were gone.
It was as if she'd been waiting.
The End.
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