The Library In the Back Room

My journey started as soon as I closed the door to my…our…apartment. It was near the end of the day, maybe six or seven at night, and the only thing in my hand was a cardboard box of all sorts of things she had left behind when she left, and my keys. Cars flew pass me as I walked down the sidewalk, not really headed anywhere, not in any hurry. Exactly twenty-four hours ago, I came across Lola’s, that was her name, diary. In her diary, I discovered things that seemed highly unrealistic, but at the end of her diary, she left me a note, as if she knew that the events of the past week would happen. In her diary, I learned of a place of eternal happiness. But, this place was not easy to reach. Not only that, but I did not know how to get there. In her diary, she said it would come to me in a dream. That night, I dreamt…

I was walking, I’m not sure where, but I was in a forest. The forest was misty, like it was early in the morning. I must have been walking for quite a while, for I could not remember anything before that forest. I was wearing a suit, all black, and some sort of hat that looked like it belonged in The Godfather. I kept walking, as if my legs were guiding themselves. Then, suddenly, I heard a voice. My own. It was like I was reading from a book. I could hear my voice above me, as if narrating my life as it happened. That’s when my voice from above said: “And somehow, I found what I was looking for.”

I don’t know what that means. I constantly thought about it as I walked. People passing me on the street probably noticed my confused expression. I finally reach my car, an old, red Pontiac Firebird. I opened the door, placed the cardboard box in the back, and climbed into the driver seat. Starting the car, I saw a cloud of steam fly into the air as the hot exhaust hit the cold winter air. I started driving. Let me introduce myself before I go any further. My name is Owen Cliven. I am a photographer for a small local newspaper, though I’ve only been doing that for the past six months. My girlfriend’s name was Lola. It was a beautiful name. It was perfect her, for she too was beautiful. She had the silky black hair, and the most gorgeous eyes, like multicolored crystals. I remember how lifeless they looked the day she died, and how wet mine were that night…

I had gotten tired of driving, so I stopped at a hotel off of one of the many exits between me and where I was going. I calculated it would be a short trip, but a long one once everything started happening. I took her box of things out of the backseat of the car, and brought them into the room. The concrete was still wet from the rain. I sat on the bed. The lights inside the room weren’t on, and the cloudy sky outside didn’t let any sunlight in, though, there wasn’t any sunlight anyway.
“Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone,” I said to no one. The sheets were red, and a bright red to. I bounced on the bed a bit, just to make sure it was comfy. I attempted to lie down, but my body was rigid, and wouldn’t let me. I glanced around the room, as if to see if anyone was watching. No one. I reached into the box and pulled out Lola’s diary. I guess I could read you some of what she wrote. Finally, my body allowed me to lean back, and the back of my head met a pillow. I took out one of her bookmarks, a picture of her and me in a forest, and started reading. “Today was a great day. Owen and I went to the beach, the first time I had been in years. Owen noticed…”

“Lola, look at that,” Owen said to her. Lola turned around, her dress twirling with her. The wind was blowing hard that day.
“What?” She asked, smiling. Owen stared at her freckled face.
“Uh, the waves. They’re almost as beautiful as you are,” he said. Lola’s smiled widened. She walked up to him and gave him a light kiss. He smiled. “Mm,” he moaned. He pulled her closer and kissed her back. She kissed him, harder than before. His arms wrapped her. The heat from the sun engulfed them, and the sound of the waves lapping the shore slow died as they drifted into another place together. Suddenly, there was a beeping noise. Owen looked around, and then noticed his watch. Lola’s expression turned from happiness to worry. She disappeared…

I lifted my head slowly. I realized I must have drifted off to sleep. Lola’s diary was still opened, and still in my hand. My legs were still on the floor. I must have fallen asleep to the side. I rubbed my eyes. It was still dark in my room. I wondered how long I had been asleep. Glancing at my watch, I soon knew the answer. About five hours. I took a deep breath and closed the diary. It was time to go.

It only took about five minutes to fill the gas tank in my car up. Steam flew into the air as my hot breath met the cold weather. Lola’s box of stuff was sitting in the passenger seat. I watched it as I filled the tank. The things I had found in her diary were incredible. Most if it I already knew, for she had told me some of these things before, but some things, like her springs at her grandfather’s house, were new to me. If any of it were true, then I could get what I was looking for. The gas pump clicked, so I placed the nozzle back into the gas pump and drove away. I started to think about the diary more as I drove. There was an entry in it about the time Lola and I drove to her grandfather’s house. Her grandfather had died long ago, but she said she went down to his house just to check on things, which I understood. I remember when we started walking through the forest…

Owen stepped over a giant root that was poking out of the ground. He held Lola’s hand as she did the same. She moved faster than he did. She already knew this forest like the back of her hand.
“I know this forest like the back of my hand,” Lola said. Owen nodded.
“I see,” he said. “When can we stop and rest?” He asked. Lola laughed.
“You can stop now if you want,” she said. Owen slumped to the forest floor.
“I think I’ll do that,” he said with a tired smile on his face. Lola shook her head and continued. Owen watched as she disappeared in the woods. He sat there. “You will come back for me right?” He cried. He heard Lola’s voice faintly.
“Of course,” her fading voice said.

The entry goes on to describe what she saw, which was the root of this…adventure. A tree. But not just any tree. I saw the exit that I needed to get off on and took it. This was the part of the journey that I worried would get me too excited. If this tree didn’t do what she wrote it would, then all of this would be for nothing. The road twisted every which way. A few times, I almost lost control of the car because I was going too fast. I swerved around a corner and saw her grandfather’s house. The gate was open, which surprised me. She always closed it when we left, and she had the only key to get back in. This only confirmed my thoughts. I pulled into the front yard and jumped out of the car, leaving the car door open behind me. This was where it was. I stumbled through the forest, the same forest that I always difficulties getting through when Lola and I came before. Everything was misty, I could hardly see two yards in front of me, but I didn’t care. This tree, this giant wooden oak tree that I had been searching for, somehow had the gift to restore life. I knew it. It wasn’t just some crazy dream. Lola was here. That’s why the gate was open. She must have been waiting for me. I stumbled for what seemed like hours until I came to the giant tree. I remembered it from my dream, and from the times Lola and I used to walk through this forest together. I walked up to it. Looking around, I quickly found that Lola was not anywhere near. I became worried. I didn’t come all this way from nothing.
“Lola,” I said. There was nothing. I decided to try again. “Lola!” I shouted. There was a noise, and there she was. She looked no different, almost like I saw her just this morning. She smiled when she saw me, and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back. Finally. I took her hand started to leave, but she didn’t move. “What’s wrong?” I asked. She frowned.
“We can’t leave now Owen,” she said, “this is where we live now.” I shook my head, not really understanding what she was saying.
“What do you mean?” I asked her. She took a step closer to me.
“This tree can give us life, but only if we stay near it,” she started, “and now that you’re here, you can’t go. Once the tree has you, it has you, and you can’t go back there,” she said, nodding her head in the direction of the car. I must have had a very confused look on my face, because she giggled softly. It started to make some sense.
“So, I am dead now?” I asked. She nodded without saying a word. I thought it over some more. “Will I be here, with you, forever?” I asked. She nodded again, this time she smiled. I smiled back at her. I took out her diary and tossed it. I didn’t need it anymore. Lola looked at me. “I don’t see a reason to keep it,” I said, “all I needed it to do was bring me here, and somehow, I found what I was looking for.” She smiled, and we walked deeper into the forest mist.