Belle sat on the edge of the pile of books and Boots sat next to her. She listened as he told his story...
He began... "It all started a few months ago when I first came to this library...
I had never seen so many books before. I was in awe. There were books from all walks of life about anything I cared to read about. I would read for hours and sometimes I would sneak in late at night to read.
I was an ordinary cat back then... no one paid me no mind. Oh, now and then the head librarian would shoo me away... but I'd make my way back into the library somehow. I found a nice hole in the window in the basement. It was easy to squeeze through and I'd wait til everyone went home and then I'd make my way upstairs. The door was almost always open or if it was closed I'd slither through a small gap in the wall I found, that leads to the main hall.
One night I lost track of time reading and fell asleep. I had been reading a fairytale and started dreaming. I dreamt that an evil queen cast a spell on me to become a statue every night at the stroke of midnight. I would stay a statue all day until the sun went down and then I'd become alive again... til midnight... then the cycle would start all over. I woke up and never gave another thought to the dream until the clock struck midnight that night. I felt my bones stiffen and my body soon followed. I stood on a pile of books like a statue. The librarian thought someone had added me as a decoration to the library and proceeded to dress me in a hat and boots. People looked at me and started calling me Boots. I just stood there staring because I could not move.
Now... Every night when the sun goes down... I wait until the library is closed and search for the book I was reading. I figure it may have a clue as to what happened to me. I have not been able to find the book until now. YOU have the book. It is magical of that I am sure. It changes its title with everyone that touches it. That is why I've not been able to find it sooner. I tried to grab the book from you when I saw the new title. But it's never the same title for very long. I can see the title has already changed!"
Belle looked at the book and shook her head no... "It still says 'The Cat-in-the-Hat' to me!"
"That's impossible... I've seen it change title at least 3 times since we've been sitting here" said Boots in an excited voice. "I've been watching THAT book the last few days. Everyone that touches it sees a different title."
"Well it says 'The Cat-in-the-Hat'... I'm looking at it right now. Was this the story you were reading when you fell asleep" Belle asked Boots?
"I don't remember... My mind is all fuzzy," said Boots.
"I know this story well," remarked Belle... "But there is no evil witch in it. Just a cat in a hat." She let out a giggle. Boots... IS... a Cat in a Hat.
"What ARE you laughing at," he growled?
"Well.... YOU... ARE... a cat in a hat... do you think that is a clue," asked Belle? She opened the book to see if there were any clues. She was surprised to see a different story inside. It wasn't the Cat in the Hat story at all. "Boots... there is a different story inside this book. It's NOT the Cat in the Hat story. It's a story about an evil queen. This MUST be the book you are looking for!"
"That HAS to be the book," said Boots. "Read me the story... maybe together we can find a clue as to how to get me back to myself. I don't want to be a statue anymore."
Belle agreed to help him and proceeded to read Boots the story from the book...
No comments:
Post a Comment