by Topaz Hauyn
The Magic Book
Topaz Hauyn
Heros do not exist in reality. No romance heros. Not for Marie. Don't they?
Marie dreams of a romantic happy end for herself like in her romance books.
Reality check. Alone. Baggy clothes. At home. No way to meet her future love. Heros do not exist in reality.
A male voice challenges Maries believes. A male voice coming from the recently closed book.
Love, Suspense, Faith and adventure. Will they get to the meet-cute?
“Yes, answered the lovely heroine to the question asked by the priest. He nodded and then declared them husband and wife.” Marie read the last page of the novel again, envying the heroine for the wonderful church she was allowed to marry in.
Marie literally saw the smile of the bride and her bright future with her beloved husband glowing from the page. All the fights paid out for the romance couple in the book.
She let her fantasy run loose and imagine herself at the wonderful cathedral. Organ music played and a choir in red robes sang her and her husband a bright future.
Marie's dream self looked to her dream husband. Empty spot. Dream over.
Marie sighted in self-pity.
She opened her eyes, looked down at herself in disgust.
She felt fat and ugly. She sat on her comfy bed which looked old and used. She should put clean sheets on the bed, soon, she reminded herself. The greasy spot was from last weeks' pizza.
The oversized gray university shirt together with the baggy trousers made her seem even fatter. Never, in all of her books were there a fat heroine.
Additionally, she herself would never be a heroine like the ones in her romance books.
Marie tossed the book on the green sheet next to her and reached for the bag of chips on her other side. Reading romances with ho hope of ever finding her soul mate always made her hungry.
She crumbled while eating. In her world, heros didn't exist and neither did brave heroines. At least she would never become one of those fearless women fighting for love, justice, peace and the man they loved. Not to talk about risking her health and her life to save the world.
Marie shuddered. Way too much work and uncertainty involved.
She wiped away the chips crumbs from her lap to the carpet.
“So, you don't think there is a soul mate for you on this planet?”, a foreign, female voice asked.
Marie jumped up and looked around to the door of her living room which was her bedroom too.
The door frame with the many notches and dents was empty.
Was she dreaming? Marie looked up at the clock above the door. Seven o'clock in the evening- Early for a Saturday evening and Marie had only drunk water today.
“No dream”, the voice confirmed.
Was the woman talking laughing? Marie wondered.
“Why do you think yourself to shy to search your soul mate?”, the voice asked again and requested an answer.
Marie drew her blanket closer around her. The heating was off. This was surely the only reason she froze now. Something about the voice sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before? Anyone from the house? She scratched her right foot with the toes from her left foot. Was it anyone from her work in the bookstore? Someone from back at her university days? She couldn‘t put her finger on the right page in her mind.
“I'm a book reader and a poor book store assistant, afraid of mice and spiders”, Marie said, feeling observed without knowing to whom she was talking. “And who are you? Come out!”, she urged with more courage that she felt. Hopefully it was just a bad joke of her neighbor.
She continued to look around. The invisible voice was frightening her, and she drew her bottle of water closer, just in case. It was the only thing within reach, besides the novel she had finished seconds ago.
“I'm Raina. I'll guide you to find your soul mate”, the voice promised and sounded friendly, yet somehow impatient. “Get up. Dress yourself. You'll have diner outside your room tonight”, the voice commanded now.
“Why should I?” Marie wasn't willing to follow the instructions of an invisible speaker without objections.
“Meeting your soul mate”, the voice whistled. “Now, get out of bed and under the shower, he would hardly come to ring at your door as you know pretty well”, Raina commanded. Marie gave in and robbed out of her cozy bed. The book was over and dinner sounded great. Her stomach rumbled with approval. The book fell down and hit the floor. “Be careful. Pack me into your purse, I will go with you tonight”, Raina immediately commented.
Marie looked down at the book with her eyebrows rising. She finally put the water bottle aside, lifted the book and turned it around, searching for a loudspeaker to explain the talking rationally. Some of her neighbors obviously loved to play her a trick, she thought. But no matter how much she searched, she couldn't find a loudspeaker.
“You are talking to me? The book?”, Maria finally wondered. “I am dreaming”, she concluded and started to climb back into her cozy bed with the orange covers and pillows.
“I am real”, Raina's voice tried to convince Marie. “You don't sleep. Dress yourself, now, Marie”, Raina demanded again.
The bed was warm and inviting. Marie felt the book in her hand. It was warm too, from her holding it during the last hours of reading. The paper felt smooth although it was covered with black letters. Could a book really talk? Marie stroked over the cover with her fingertips and heard her dreams about her dream man awake. It was worth a try, wasn't it? She started to crawl out of her bed again. A shower would be a great idea and eating out too. She loved to eat delicious meals but rarely did, because of the little money she earned and the fact, that eating out alone wasn't much fun since her best friends had married and pulled away. She would ask her brother David to go with her, Marie decided before finally walking to the bathroom.
The doorbell rung punctual half an hour later. Marie smoothed her red dress one last time and took her purse into which she had put the book, then opened the door and stumbled back a step. Her eyes grew wide while looking at the stranger in front of her. He casually leaned against the door frame, wearing a navy suit with a white shirt and brown hair falling into his face which he stroked behind his ear with his fingers. No ring, Marie noted. The man smiled at her and before she could react he stepped in a step, so she couldn't close the door anymore.
“Good evening, Mrs. Fischer. I am Nils Brandner”, he introduced himself and offered her a hand. Marie automatically took it. It was a warm, male hand, belonging to a man with a careful modeled voice in a suit that didn't really fit. The suit was too big for him. Suspicion kicked in.
“Hello, Mr. Brandner, go out of my door”, Marie took back her hand and waited for him to step back as manners required it. But he didn't.
“Sorry to surprise you. Your brother asked me to go with you tonight. He is impeded”, Nils Brandner explained and smile at her.
Marie refused to smile back. She hated surprises and strange foreigners were at the top of her list of unwanted surprises. Well, no, since this evening they were only at the second place. Talking novels had crept up to the first place, she admitted to herself. But what to do now with this stranger?
“Why do you know my brother?”
“He called me and ordered me to go with you during dinner.” Nils crossed his legs standing on only one leg while leaning against the door frame. Marie felt the cold from the hall around her ankles. A dress had been a bad idea like it was a bad idea to call her brother. He had sent her a call-boy, she thought still not believing it.
“You are a call.boy. David really sent you?”, she asked.
“Well, I prefer to call myself an escort”, Nils answered, still smiling relaxed.
Marie saw red. She push
ed the man out of her door frame and slammed the old wood door shut into his surprised face. She could eat on her own perfectly fine. She didn't need a call-boy to go out. Her brother was an idiot. She stormed back into her living room and dialed his number. Waiting furiously that the connection was established, she kicked away her red high heels. The line was taken and she put the phone aside.
“Why don't you go out with Nils? He seemed to be nice”, Marie heard Raina asking from inside her purse. Before, she could answer the doorbell rung again. “Go, open him. He wouldn't bite you”, Raina motivated.
Marie didn't want to open, but the ringing continued and finally she turned around, but this time she put the door chain in place before opening the door.
“Yes?”, she asked.
“I can understand you don't like the idea your brother had, but why not enjoying it? I love books as you do. Having a funny evening at the ”Kreuz“ isn't this bad.” Nils made a pause, obviously waiting for an answer she didn't give and continued: “Your brother is paying all the bills. No risks attached.”
He got her, Marie thought. David knew exactly that she couldn't refuse an invitation to the cities' nobles restaurant. The chef at the Kreuz was fantastic, and she loved his zucchini pasta and the hot raspberries he served as a dessert.
“Go”, Raina whispered in the purse. Marie nodded. She already had decided to go.
“I'll get my shoes and be back in a moment”, she let Nils know and closed the door.
Marie sat down to the chair Nils offered her. It had been a funny walk down the street, and she was wondering if Nils really was this funny or if he only wore a masque to do his job.
“So, why did you become an escort? You don't seem to like those suits”, Marie asked him when he hardly sat down himself.
“Circumstances”, was the taciturn answer. “What do you like to drink?”
The waiter brought the menu and lit the candles on their table. Nils started to study the menu carefully. Marie didn't put up her menu. She knew she would take a soup, her beloved zucchini pasta and the hot raspberry dessert together with the fruit juice of the day.
Nils looked up. “Don't you want to choose?”
“I'm always eating the same.” Marie smiled at him, and he put down his menu too. The light was a bit subdued and the candles on their table glowed in a warm yellow.
“What do you recommend then, Marie? I'm new in the city and haven't eaten in this house yet.”
Marie looked at his shirt which was too big like his jacked and wondered if being an escort really brought that much money the newspapers employment ads always promised. “The juice of the day is always a great choice. The zucchini pasta is a poem, but my brother prefers the rare steak they make from the beef living ahead of the city.”
The waiter returned and they ordered the same.
“I love vegetables more than meat”, Nils confessed.
Marie loved this attitude and relaxed a bit. It was really fun to eat out with him, and she heard Raina whispering from her book to continue talking. Marie looked to Nils trying to find out if he heard the book too, but it didn't seem so.
“Have you ever heard about talking books?”, Marie asked the first thing coming to her mind.
“Sure”, came the answer and her eyes became round. “I own such a book. I love it. It's a great companion and the characters are helping me to organize my day. That's why I am an escort today. I wanted to meet you.”
Marie looked at the waiter who brought the first course and gave her time to digest Nils confession. She hadn't thought there would be more books, but in this case, it seemed to be a book conspiracy to bring them together.
“Excuse me a moment please.” Marie got up and walked to the lady's room, her purse hold tight in her hand.
“Raina, what do you do? Is this a conspiracy?” Marie looked at the cover with the girl in the elegant wedding dress and the groom with his navy suit in the back. Raina didn't answer. “Do you know the characters of Nils book?”, Marie continued to ask. She was standing in the toilet booth with the door firmly shut, trying to get answers but the book stayed silent. Out of a wimp Marie began to browse through the book. “If you don't answer I'll rip out the pages”, she promised grinning wickedly. She longed to rip a book apart since childhood but never did it because she was brought up in the teaching that books were valuable and not to be destroyed. But now she felt like doing so.
“Please don't”, Raina responded with a low voice. Marie had to press the book next to her ear to be able to hear her. “I was asked by his book to help him. He wished to find his soul mate and I thought why not. You're dreaming the same dream. Sorry for interfering. I'll refrain from doing so in the future, but please don't rip me apart.”
Marie twisted the book back and forth indecisive of what to do next. Someone closed the door of the neighbor booth with a loud bang. Her soup would become cold quickly if she didn't return now, Marie remembered. “You keep silent, Raina”, Marie told the book and stuffed it back into her bag. She would at least eat the meal, It was too delicious to let it go to waste. Marie opened the door of her booth, washed her hands and walked back to the table.
Nils was still waiting for her, Marie realized as she came closer to the table. He hadn't even started his own soup. All the dates she had during her life would have eaten the soup alone not caring about her. She felt warm and cared for.
“Sorry. Do you think the soup is still warm?”
He looked into her face. “No, it's cold. Shall I ask the waiter to reheat it?” Not a hint of an anger in his voice. Another new experience for Marie.
Marie shook her head, sat down and started to eat. She didn't care for the temperature of the soup. She was still thinking about what Raina had confessed. Nils was looking for a wife, but she was sure he would be disappointed by her.
“Nils, I did ask my book. It confessed of being a conspirator with your book to fulfill your wish. I am very sorry you end up with me here.” Marie looked down at her plate, she didn't want to see his disappointment.
“I love being here with you, Marie”, Nils used her forename. “Why shouldn't I? You love books and vegetables as I do. What a great start to learn more about each other?” Did he really play the ‘let‘s become friends‘ card? Marie didn‘t believe him, especially after knowing better thanks to her book.
“Look, you're a handsome looking man, Nils, while I am a fat shop assistant. Nobody falls in love for me”, Marie said, refusing to accept his words. The restaurant faded around her, and she felt alone and isolated like all her life.
The waiter arrived and served the main course. Marie thanked him and tasted a bite, but it tasted like dish detergent with cleaning rags to her. Her evening was spoiled. She had trusted a book to go out and now even her favorite dish didn't taste any more.
“Please enjoy my desert too, Nils. I'm going home.” Marie stood up, and Nils did the same. “Alone!” He didn't even try to hold her back, Marie thought while walking out of the restaurant, not having any glance for the noble furniture and the exquisite decorations she always admired. She walked down the street back to the quarter where she lived. She really wasn't what he had expected to meet, she was pretty sure. She lingered on her way home. Her red dress felt soft on her body but her high heels did hurt, so she finally put them off and walked barefoot. This felt forbidden. When was the last time she did something unusual? She remembered doing so with her best friend years back at university when life had been easy and laying glamorous in front of them with promises of a great live waiting for them. Her friend married and left, she had stayed back. Maybe she should give her a call asking how she was doing.
The way home seemed to become longer with each step.
Marie turned on the light in the hall and wanted to open the door, but in front of it stood a small brown package. She bent down and picked it up. There was the label of the Kreuz restaurant on the box and a message scribbled on it with a pencil: “Hope to meet you again. Call me if you want. Nils�
� and below was his phone number. Marie opened the box, inside were the hot raspberries. Tears started to dwell, and she hurried to get inside to not being found and interviewed by a neighbor. She pushed the door shut behind her and threw her shoes and her bag to the side, holding the brown box like an expensive jewelry case. He had cared about her dessert. She was amazed by this little gesture. Where should she find the bravery to call him?
Marie yawned and stretched her muscles elongating her arms over her head and to the sides. She hadn‘t slept half of the night and the other half was full of nightmares about missing the only chance to meet love in her life. Being set up by her book felt like becoming a puppet in a puppetry. Looking at her alarm she were wide awake. Eleven in the morning she sprang out of the bed. Midway to the shower she remembered it was Sunday and calmed down, turning to the kitchen instead to make tea. The memory of the last evening woke too and Marie regretted being unable kicking herself for her stupidity. There was a man interested in her and two books which, as crazy as it sounded, had worked together to make a meeting between them possible. And what did she do? Emphasizing her weaknesses and running away too proud to step over her shadow.
Marie reached for the phone. Caroline, her old friend would be awake already. She dialed the number and waited, while pouring the boiling water in her teapot with the fruit tea.
“Good morning”, the familiar, always laughing voice of Caroline answered the phone.
“Good morning, Caroline, this is Marie from university times”, Marie answered. “How are you doing?”, she quickly added to avoid having to answer this question first.
“Fine. Divorce is done”, came the short answer and the laughing sub tone vanished from Caroline's voice.
“I am sorry to hear about your divorce.” Marie was shocked. Caroline had always been her model of a perfect love match.
“You shouldn't be. He was a bastard, dating another girl while I am pregnant.” Caroline waved the fact away and Marie nearly burned her lips while sipping a bit of the tea. Caroline pregnant?
