
For Grandmother

Parker Mendel

Smashwords Edition  
Copyright 2014 Parker Mendel
Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

# Prologue

Mrs. Alessandra Robbins is a pretty old lady with graying wavy hair that she ties in a high ponytail. She had a quirky smile that softened the wrinkles around her jolly brown eyes. She was a very common 64-year-old lady, but in the eyes of six-year-old Luna, she was the most amazing grandmother anyone could ever have.

"Faster gran'ma. Faster!" Luna giggled as she waved her hands in the air, balancing rather carelessly on the back of the old lady.

Grandma Sandy laughed along as she ran as fast as she could across their front lawn. The sky was blue with floating fluffy cumulus clouds and it was a warm cozy summer morning. After a few minutes of running and laughing, the old lady felt the rush of old age. Her back started to feel heavy and cramped as her heart beat like horses galloping on a race. She paused for a few seconds to catch her breath and then she turned her head to look at the still giggling little girl on her back.

"Let's rest for a while, my sweet. My age seems to have caught up with me," Grandma Sandy said, trying to breathe through her smile.

"Okay gran'ma," Luna replied, smiling sweetly back at Grandma Sandy.

The old lady bent down and allowed the child to take her time going down. The two of them laid on the drying grass of the lawn and they looked up the sky, trying to look for various animal figures from the clouds above.

"Oh look gran'ma. A duck!" Luna pointed excitedly as two white irregularly shaped clouds collided.

"Oh yes, it is a duck." Grandma Sandy nodded although she could not see where the little girl was pointing at, exactly.

As the two of them rested, joggers from their neighborhood and probably from another, were passing by. Most of the joggers were wearing earphones or headsets for either listening to music to drown the world around them or talking over their mobile phones chatting away their businesses as they catch up on their morning run.

"No!" one man shouted as he stopped on the street in front of the Robbins' house, getting the attention of Grandma Sandy and Luna. "There is no excuse for that. How do you expect our clients from London to understand?" He continued, pressing his left ear with his index finger and hitting his forehead with his right palm.

Grandma Sandy listened closely and then she started to chuckle. Luna looked at the old woman with her eyebrows moving closer to each other. Just as Luna was about to open her mouth to ask, Grandma Sandy pressed her index finger on her lips and softly shushed at the little girl. Luna immediately placed one hand over her mouth and waited until Grandma Sandy allowed her to speak.

"The coast is now clear," Grandma Sandy said as the man jogged away from their house, still talking loudly over his headset.

"What was so funny gran'ma?" Luna finally asked, tugging at the old woman's red cotton shirt.

"Come with me and I will show you."

Grandma Sandy pushed herself up and helped Luna to her feet. She held the little girl's tiny hands and then she lead her to the low fence towards the street and to a spot close to where the man was standing.

"You see that brownish smudge over there?" Grandma Sandy said, pointing at the hand-sized light brown smudge on the ground. Luna nodded slowly with her eyebrows still close to each other. "Earlier, before that man came, Mr. Bennings' dog, Shelby, seemed to have treated the street as his personal toilet, and when the man shouted, Shelby got scared and ran away. I think the man did not see what Shelby left on the ground that he stepped on it." Grandma Sandy laughed as Luna crinkled her nose and hid her head behind Grandma Sandy's hand.

"I think we should tell Mr. Bennings that he needs to clean that." Grandma Sandy continued laughing as she carried her disgusted granddaughter towards the house.

That night, Grandma Sandy read to Luna, in the little girl's bedroom. A few sentences away from the end of the book that she was reading, Grandma Sandy noticed the slow paced breathing of her granddaughter. Luna had fallen asleep. Grandma Sandy closed the book and smiled at the sleeping girl. She watched the rising and falling of the girl's chest and then she pulled the blanket higher, towards Luna's round chin. She tucked Luna's black wavy hair behind one ear and then she kissed the little girl's forehead.

"Good night my sweet."

"Good night gran'ma. I love you." Luna sleepily mumbled, slightly opening her eyes and holding up her hand to Grandma Sandy.

Grandma Sandy reached for Luna's tiny soft hand and then she smiled.

Luna was the happiest six-year-old because of Grandma Sandy's wide variety of playtime ideas. But, four days before Luna's seventh birthday, Grandma Sandy's body seemed to have lost all its energy. She was often tired and her jolly laughters turned to weak coughs. Her leukemia had become stronger and her body could no longer contain it.

Luna did not quite understand the gravity of the situation. Every day, she would go to Grandma Sandy's room to show the old lady a new picture she drew or to simply hear one of her grandmother's funny stories. At night, Luna would bring a book and have her grandmother read it for her. Luna would keep herself awake as she listened to the soft, shaky voice of Grandma Sandy. Twice or thrice Grandma Sandy would cough, waking the little girl, and then Luna's father would come in and ask Luna to go to her room for Grandma Sandy needed to rest.

One evening, Luna excitedly ran to Grandma Sandy's room to show her the gift she received from her parents. She opened the door with delight and saw her grandmother holding a book on her lap, obviously anticipating the little girl to come. Grandma Sandy smiled when she saw Luna enter.

"Gran'ma look!" Luna jumped on Grandma Sandy's bed and waved a thin white rectangular gadget which was as big as the book that the old lady was holding.

"That looks so fascinating, what is it?" Grandma Sandy asked,tilting her head on one side while she stifled a cough.

"It's an ebook reader gran'ma. Mommy and daddy gave it to me, they said I could read from here and they could add books for me."

"I see. Would you like for us to read now, my sweet?"

Luna simply nodded and she sat closer to Grandma Sandy. Luna offered her ebook reader but the old lady shook her head and then she set the device down on the bedside table. Grandma Sandy then opened the book on top of her lap and allowed the little girl to look at the pictures with large eyes and wonder.

"This was my favorite story when I was your age," Grandma Sandy introduced, placing a hand around Luna's shoulders.

Luna looked up at Grandma Sandy and then she hugged the old lady back. Then they started reading the book. They were a few pages to the end when Grandma Sandy stopped to catch her breath. Luna looked at Grandma Sandy once more with a worried expression.

"What's wrong, my sweet?" Grandma Sandy asked in a small voice as she let the book lie on the child's lap.

"When will you be better, gran'ma? It's nearly my birthday and I want us to go and have a little picnic," Luna replied, holding Grandma Sandy's hand.

"Soon, my little darling. Soon," Grandma Sandy replied, smiling at the little girl as she stifled another cough. "Would you like to continue reading for grandma, my little one?"

"Okay, gran'ma," Luna replied as she took the book from Grandma Sandy's feeble hands.

As the little girl read, Grandma Sandy fought to keep herself awake. Once in a while, the little girl would ask how to read a word or two and the old lady would whisper the correct pronunciation and then Luna would continue reading. When Luna reached the end of the book, she happily looked up from the book.

"I finished it gran--" Luna stopped as she noticed her grandmother's eyes already closed.

The little girl watched Grandma Sandy and then she embraced the old lady. Luna rested her head on the shoulders of Grandma Sandy and then she closed her eyes.

"Good night gran'ma. I love you."

# Chapter One

I miss you grandma.

Luna had been staring at the same sentence since eight in the morning. It has been six years since her Grandma Sandy died from cancer. Luna had been mourning her grandmother's death ever since and no one could seem to console her. She deleted the words and then she clicked ALT then TAB to activate a different window—her English module.

Luna was not entirely bad at English, she just had a hard time understanding and relating to the stories and books that strict Ms. Walters gave them in class. So, as a way of helping her—more like punishing her, as she believes—Ms. Walters and her parents agreed that she get summer classes online. For that week, she was asked to submit a three-page essay on the thing that she loves most. Identifying what she loved the most was easy, but writing anything about her grandmother was hard. She was very young when Grandma Sandy died so she could hardly remember her. The only thing she remembered was that she loved Grandma Sandy so much that when her grandmother was buried, she locked herself in Grandma Sandy's closet just so she could feel Grandma Sandy's sweaters and pretend that the old lady was hugging her.

_Ding!_

Luna changed the active window to her chatbox. She just received a message from her long distance friend, 18phoeb2014. Luna, like most children her age, had locked herself in the world wide web. The most number of interactions she had were with 18phoeb2014, who was half way across the world.

**18phoeb2014:** hey!

what's up? :-)

**looneyluna12:** nothing much

just my english homework and it's killing me i don't know what to do with it >:-(

**18Phoeb2014:** is it about that thing you love most?

**looneyluna12:** yep. :-((

isn't it late there? Why are you still up?

**18Phoeb2014:** i couldn't sleep.lol

Luna's interactions with 18phoeb2014 have been limited due to their time difference. However, Luna still considers 18phoeb2014 her bestfriend since she talks to her more than anyone else, even more than her own parents.

After chatting about time, weather and Luna's English paper, 18phoeb2014 finally logged out and Luna was left with a blank window that she had to fill with meaningful words about what she loved the most. She was still clueless that she decided to activate a new window and open her blog to write a new post.

Hi!

It's around 9AM and I'm supposed to be writing a paper. The topic's really easy but, I don't know, I have a hard time writing something about it. I need your help, I think. _I always need your help_.

_Sigh._

I need to remember. I really do, but I can't. I was reading your favorite book yesterday. I remember the story, but it doesn't feel the same. I don't remember you reading the story to me. I really don't.

#imissyou

Little Luna

Luna clicked the "close" button and then she switched off her computer. She stared at the blank monitor for a while and then she leaned back, resting her head on her palm that she stretched behind her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _I need to think._

She pushed the floor with her feet and then her wheeled-chair moved towards her bedside table where her iPod shuffle was. She picked up the small thin device and then she attached her earphones on it. She took a stretch and then she tried to reach for her black sneakers from under her bed. Unfortunately she could not reach her shoes so she dropped to the floor and crawled under the bed. She wrestled dust, used socks, dirty clothes and torn pieces of paper, and then she was able to get her black, highcut Converse sneakers that had been eaten away by time. After putting her shoes on, she took a black hooded jacket from her closet then wore it. She fixed her long wavy black hair into a ponytail then checked herself in her full-body-sized mirror. She was ready to go out. She pulled her jeans up since they were a little too big for her size then walked out of her room, as she placed her earphone plugs to her ears.

"I'm going out for a walk, mom!" She shouted as she rushed down the stairs.

She saw her mother by the kitchen, typing something in her small netbook. It was probably a new recipe for healthier waffles. Her mother was a huge health buff, or, as how Luna sees it, her mother was probably scared of getting fat. Her mother looked up from the tiny purple netbook then smiled at Luna, showing a deep dimple on her left cheek. Mrs. Robbins had a very dazzling smile, maybe that was why Mr. Robbins noticed her. Her hair was, unlike Luna's, shiny and straight that runs all the way to her shoulders. Mrs. Robbins had full bangs and her eyes were as brown as Luna's.

"Be home soon darling!" Mrs. Robbins shouted as Luna opened the door into their front porch.

Mr. Robbins, Luna's father, was out by the green lawn, stretching his legs on the grass, sporting a navy blue shirt. He had his slim laptop on his lap and a cup of coffee sitting next to him. His hair was basically wavy, like Luna's, however, he had them cut very short so they do not have to be all tangled in front of his blue eyes. He was about to sip from his cup of morning warmth when he saw Luna walking down the stairs of their front porch.

"Good morning sunshine," Mr. Robbins greeted, as he pushed his rectangular glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Hi dad," Luna mumbled, staring down her black sneakers.

"Out for a morning run?" Mr. Robbins asked, bringing his coffee to his lips but before he could sip, a steam of fog pressed against his glasses.

"Just a walk around the neighborhood dad. I'll be back soon," Luna replied and as she crossed the lawn to the street where some joggers were busy chatting away.

Mr. Robbins nodded then went back to his laptop. Luna stood by their knee-high fence for a while, as she turned on her iPod. She looked up the sky and squinted her eyes as the sun's rays lashed at her dark brown eyes. She fixed her side bangs then watched a dog drag its master towards her. She turned down the volume of her iPod and then anticipated for the dog to drag its master closer to her.

"Hi Chubby." Luna smiled as she bent down to pat the German Shepherd's head.

The dog closed its eyes and allowed its long tongue to hang out of its mouth as Luna stroked its snout and ruffled the brown fur at the back of its ear. The dog's master seemed to not have noticed Luna patting the dog, as he was staring down on his flat wide-screened mobile phone.

"Hello Mr. Randolph," Luna greeted, still focused on the dog.

The tall man, who was in his forties with a balding blonde head, simply grunted to acknowledge Luna. Mr. Randolph squinted at his mobile phone then tugged the dog away, this time dragging the dog. Chubby resisted but Mr. Randolph was insistent.

"Come on, we have to be home by ten-thirty or we'll miss my meeting," Mr. Randolph said, and the dog reluctantly followed as it looked back at Luna with its tongue still hanging out and its tail down.

Luna shrugged her shoulder then waved at the dog. When the master and the dog turned to a corner, they were no longer in Luna's sight. Luna sighed then walked towards the direction where Mr. Randolph and Chubby came from. She was not really aware of where she was going for she was concentrated on the music she had turned up from her iPod. She was mentally singing along with the song when she realized that she had walked all the way to the playground.

The playground was one of the few places that she and Grandma Sandy used to visit. Before, it had a colorful swing set with pastel-colored slides. There were also green-painted benches where Grandma Sandy used to sit as Luna, while going down the slide, was calling to her. Now, the colors have faded away and the children were clogging a few benches as they watched a fighting game in their PSP. Luna had the urge to see what they were very enthusiastic about but she just chose to sit next to a boy who was around her age. The boy was busy typing and smiling at his iPad. Luna looked curiously at the red-haired boy. He did not notice Luna staring at him and so, Luna decided to peek at what he was doing. Luna stood from the bench and acted as casual as she could while she walked behind the boy to see what he was doing. Luna guessed it was a game or something related to it.

**billyjames14:** i'm 18

i live in utah

u?

**prettysam41:** cool

i'm 17

new jersey

what are your hobbies?

**billyjames14:** the usual

net, chatting, music

u?

Before Luna could read prettysam41's reply, billyjames14 seemed to have noticed someone behind him and so he turned his head as Luna walked away as fast as she could. Of course the boy saw her, but she still convinced herself that he did not as she tried to escape behind a crowd of children. Luna laughed at herself for a while then walked away from the ruckus of children playing by the benches and towards a different street.

It was quite a sunny day, and the sky was splashed with thin feathery clouds. Luna turned down the volume of her iPod then sat down by the curb on the street. She was trying to figure out her way back home from the playground. She felt a little lost and so she looked around for any landmark or familiar sites. She found none. The only familiar site there was the playground. There were a few people passing by, but she was too scared to ask anyone. She took her mobile phone from her pocket then swiped it. The wide-screened touch phone illuminated when Luna swiped her thumb over it. She clicked a circular icon with the colors red, yellow and green around a smaller blue circle and then she clicked on _Google maps_. She typed the playground and then the window showed her a map where a bubble pointed at location of the playground; she swiped over it then found the route going back to their house.

Luna walked back slowly to the playground, careful that she might bump into billyjames14. The boy seemed to have left. A slight feeling of relief overcame Luna, and then she briefly smiled at this light feeling. She walked out of the playground and into the direction that the map said would lead her back home. After a few minutes, Luna found herself in a familiar street. She placed her mobile phone in the front pocket of her jacket then continued to walk homeward. She was sure of her path. But, half way through the street, Luna stopped. She saw a short old lady with silvery gray hair close the door of her house. She froze on her track. It was Mrs. Chandler, her scary neighbor.

Mrs. Chandler was the librarian of the rundown library in town. She had the habit of scaring children with her growl-like voice, which was why Luna stopped walking. Mrs. Chandler fixed her button down blouse and her thick round glasses that seemed to magnify her gray eyes, and then she walked out to the same street where Luna was walking.

Luna became rooted on her spot when Mrs. Chandler started to walk towards her. Her heart was hammering against her chest and her eyes began to water that she wanted to close them, but her eyes just widened with horror as Mrs. Chandler drew closer and closer towards her. Luna's mouth dried as Mrs. Chandler stopped a few steps in front of her to straighten a wrinkle on her tight, peach, knee-high skirt. Luna bit her lower lip to make sure she does not make any noise. Mrs. Chandler hated noise, especially when it comes from a thirteen-year-old, like Luna. _Why does she like wearing that?_ Luna thought as she recalled her first encounter with Mrs. Chandler.

Luna was five when Mrs. Chandler moved to their neighborhood. She and Grandma Sandy baked a dozen muffins and placed them in a basket for Mrs. Chandler, as a new neighbor present. When Mrs. Chandler opened her wooden door, she was wearing that same tight, peach, knee-high skirt that she was wearing. She looked painstakingly uncomfortable in those that Luna stared at it and then Luna noticed Mrs. Chandler's magnified eyes and her tight bun.

"Do you find me amusing, child?" Mrs. Chandler asked in a tone that seemed like a tiger holding its growl as she looked from the small child with her bespectacled magnifying eyes.

"N—n—no ma'am." Luna stuttered in her little girl's voice as she held tightly on Grandma Sandy's rough hand.

"Welcome to the neighborhood, miss." Grandma Sandy smiled, offering the basket of muffins to the growling woman, "I am Sandy and this is my granddaughter, Luna." Grandma Sandy continued, looking pointedly at Luna, "We live just around that red-roofed house, so if you need anything, you can just call us and we'll do our best."

Mrs. Chandler took the basket and then gave them a pained look wherein she stretched her thin lips. Luna started to pull at Grandma Sandy's hand as she looked at the woman holding the bundle of warm, sweet muffins that she and her jolly grandmother made. Luna was expecting to see fangs come out of Mrs. Chandler's thin lips. Apparently, Mrs. Chandler turned out to be a normal human without any fangs. She was just downright scary for five-year-old Luna.

Eight years from that first day encounter with Mrs. Chandler, Luna still felt that fear. She was still expecting that, at some point, Mrs. Chandler's fangs would come out and she would be ready to bite off a chunk from Luna's arm. As Mrs. Chandler approached Luna on that street, Luna could not move or even blink. She held her breath, probably thinking that if she did so, Mrs. Chandler would not see her there and then she could escape the roar of the tiger next door. Apparently, no one could escape Mrs. Chandler's magnifying-glass-eyes. She saw everyone right through and she saw Luna standing and staring at her with wide eyes. Mrs. Chandler stood in front of Luna and then gave the girl what seemed like a stifled yawn. Luna nodded her head and then Mrs. Chandler continued to walk.

_Did she just smile?_ Luna thought as she tried to replay Mrs. Chandler's expression in her mind's television. In Luna's mind, she saw Mrs. Chandler slightly opening her mouth and then her thin pursed lips stretched, forming wrinkles at the side of her mouth. _I guess it was a smile_.

Luna shrugged and when she was about to continue walking home, a thought crept into her mind. She turned around and then looked for Mrs. Chandler's figure. Just before Mrs. Chandler could disappear on a corner, Luna walked briskly towards the old woman, keeping a safe distance between them. Luna followed Mrs. Chandler.

# Chapter Two

_She smiled at me,_ Luna kept on thinking as she followed Mrs. Chandler cross the street and towards a coffee stall. _That creepy old woman actually smiles!_

Mrs. Chandler ordered a steaming hot cup of tea and after paying, she blew over the clouding steam from the small sipping hole of the cup cover. She took a sip then wrinkled her nose. Mrs. Chandler looked at the young man managing the stall. The man seemed to have felt the stare of Mrs. Chandler and he slowly turned his head towards the old woman. His eyes widened for a while, and then he composed himself properly.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked, holding on the table-like counter between him and his nightmare.

"May I have another packet of sugar please?" Mrs. Chandler asked as politely as she could but her voice still came out harsh.

"Sure, ma'am," replied the man as his shoulders relaxed with relief. He bent down then took two packets of sugar and gave them to Mrs. Chandler.

Mrs. Chandler moved to the side of the counter, and then she took off the cup cover and opened one sugar packet. She poured the sweet white powdered crystal over the hot tea then stirred it with a plastic red stirrer. She took a sip from the cup, and then her face brightened a little. She opened the other packet and emptied its contents on her tea, and then she mixed it again. She placed the cup cover back then continued walking.

All the while, Luna was hiding behind a couple standing behind Mrs. Chandler. She muffled her laughter when she saw the man panicking over the old woman, and then she continued to follow Mrs. Chandler.

After a few more stops and a few more blocks, Mrs. Chandler stopped in front of an old building with a rusty sign that said "Library". The library seemed to have not been maintained properly. The bushes in front of it had grown wildly against its dirty walls. The windows were high and quite covered with dust and dirt. If the day had been gloomy and there was a little bit of lightning, the building would have passed as a haunted house.

Mrs. Chandler brought out a loop of various keys from her mustard-colored shoulder bag. Some of the keys had rust on them, as if they have not been used for quite some time. She fitted some keys on the keyhole and it took her five tries before she finally unlocked the doorknob. Then she fitted some more keys on the double lock of the large wooden two-door building. It only took her three tries and then she twisted the large, round, silvery doorknobs of each door. She leaned between the doors  as she held on the knobs, and, using her weight, she pushed the doors open. One of the doors creaked open as the other needed a little nudging before it budged. The doors then opened wide as Mrs. Chandler placed a door stopper at each door. The old woman disappeared in the darkness of the library as Luna stooped outside, hiding behind the bushes.

After a few minutes of hiding, Luna stretched out then carefully looked around the front of the library to see if Mrs. Chandler would come back out. Mrs Chandler seemed to have stayed inside the library. Luna tiptoed to one of the high windows of the library. It was a little dirty, but she managed to see tall shelves of what seemed like a hundred books inside the building. She searched for Mrs. Chandler but the old woman was nowhere to be found. Luna rested her toes and legs then walked slowly towards the library door. She was about to enter when she saw a tall thin woman with a high bun and a tight, peach, knee-high skirt come out from around one of the shelves. Luna immediately hid behind the wall of the building. She peeked through the crack by the hinge of the door and saw Mrs. Chandler sit behind the high counter-like table near the door.

Luna wanted to go in, but she was too scared to move from her hiding place. _What if I crawl in? She might not see me._ However, she knew that it was impossible. No one could escape Mrs. Chandler's superhuman magnifying eyes. She thought of a different entry point and so she quietly walked away from her hiding spot to survey the surroundings of the building. She walked around the building but, unfortunately, there was no other door except for the fire exit which was locked from the inside. She surveyed the building one more time for open windows and, this time, she was lucky enough to find one. She stretched up to open the window, but, due to old age and probable accumulation of  rust, the window would not open any wider for her to fit in. Out of frustration, Luna jumped up and down, as if the ground would break open if she did so. She was like a little child having a quiet tantrum as she punched the air a few times.

Exhausted, Luna went back to her hiding spot and peeked through the crack. To her delight, Mrs. Chandler was not on her seat. Luna carefully walked in as she checked left and right for any sign of Mrs. Chandler. The old woman was nowhere and so the girl went in and hid behind a shelf. She was still anxious that Mrs. Chandler might catch and scold her, so she walked as quietly as she could.

Inside the library, there were tall wooden shelves with large hardbound and softbound books which were quite dusty. Luna covered her nose as if she might be breathing in dust. The ceiling of the library was probably once white but now, it looked like there were molds breeding there. The floor was made of red cement and, to Luna's surprise, it was shiny.

Luna's nose was now well-adjusted to the dusty smell that the building was fashioning. She removed her hand from her nose and tried to reach for a book but she stopped herself. She felt too scared to touch and break something so, she just placed both of her hands in her jacket pocket and allowed her eyes to feast on this new sight. She read the book titles and once in a while stopped to reread them. The books were a little old and some of them had stains, making the titles written on the book's spine quite unreadable.

As Luna walked on and explored the shelves, one book caught her attention. It was not the title of the book that made her stop, but it was the golden letterings of the book title. The words seemed to be dancing with the help of light and it amazed Luna. She brought her right hand out then reached for the book. She felt the letterings with her fingers. They were embossed and quite smooth. After doing that, she walked on, with her fingers touching the line of books. Her fingers dropped in for every small groove between books and she felt a sense wonder for every feeling each book gave. There were smooth books, rough books, tickly books, sticky books, dotted books, hard books, soft books, cloth-like books, wooden-like books, plastic-like books, embossed books, engraved books, sharp books and many other book types that Luna discovered. She found them interesting to touch.

Luna dared to pull one book out of its shelf but before she could do so, from the small crack between the top of the books and the shelf, she saw Mrs. Chandler, looking at the books. Luna immediately dropped, as quietly as she could, on the floor. She crawled towards one end of the shelf and prayed for Mrs. Chandler to not pass by that side of the shelf. Luckily, Mrs. Chandler went back to her seat. Luna sighed, and then she resolved to simply bend down and crawl as she moved around the library, towards its exit. She was, apparently, too frightened to stay a minute longer.

Just as Luna was about to crawl towards the other end of the bookshelf that she was checking, she saw a familiar book near her. It must have been old for it was found near the bottom of the bookshelf. Luna crawled over to pull it out. It was quite a thin book, around a hundred pages or so. Its plastic cover had been peeling off but it still felt smooth on Luna's fingers. It was only about half foot long and a quarter foot wide. The book cover had a faded golden brown margin and a picture with a face of seemingly cloud-like white Grinch on the left margin, a gray castle covered with clouds on the upper center, a scarecrow wearing a hat with a crow resting on one of its arms and a few trees on its right. It was Dianne Wynne Jones' _Howl's Moving Castle_ , one of the books that Luna made a review of for Ms. Walters before summer. She did not actually read the book but she was given an A+ for it. She bought an ebook copy of that book and she tried reading it but around six pages through the book, she gave up. She could not picture the story even though it was an easy read. So, to make her review, she just searched for a few reviews online then paraphrased them to be her own.

She opened the book at a random page then started reading. Halfway through the paragraph that she was reading, she stopped for she had a hard time understanding what was happening, so, Luna decided to read the book from the beginning.

"Howl's Moving Castle," she read under her breath as she opened the book to page one and sat on the perfectly polished floor of the library.

Luna quietly read the first few paragraphs on the first page with little to no enthusiasm. She just started reading to quench her curiosity and nothing more. In her mind, she could hear the words being read by an old man, droning on and on about the eldest child, Sophie. After a few more words, the voice in Luna's mind softened. The droning old man became a soothing voice of one you could hear from radios fifty or so years ago. Luna's mind became focused on the words. As the soothing voice read the words, gold, brown and gray dusts began to form empty images in Luna's mind. When the voice read "castle," a hazy dust outline of a castle formed in her mind's eye. As she read on, she could imagine the castle jumping from one part to another. The book said the castle moved from the moors, to the rocks and downhill, but Luna could not picture the moors, the rocks or downhill. She just saw the outline of the castle.

As Luna read on, more dust formed an image of a man, Wizard Howl, protruding his lips and sipping from a cup with a straw, but she could not think of the contents of the cup or what the face of the man looked like. _Are souls like milky or do they look like orange juice?_ She thought as she scratched her head for a few more thoughts. _If only this book had videos for me to see_. She shrugged, staring at the words on the page again. She resolved the contents of the cup as milk-like souls and she just let Wizard Howl be faceless. Luna's hazy dust imaginations fell on her mind's floor after reading Wizard Howl's description. _Heartless and cold-blooded._ She repeated in her mind over and over again. The soothing voice of the radio announcer became harsher and harsher as Luna felt the annoyance of the words. She was able to imagine a face for the faceless dust figure in her mind but it was a crocodile's face and so she stopped and felt a little confused.

"Ugh!" she breathed in annoyance and then she went back to reading, maintaining the crocodile-faced-Wizard-Howl dust figure in her mind.

She continued reading wirh much concentrationas music boomed in her ears. She was too focused on her reading that she did not hear the clacking of heels against the cement going louder and louder as it drew closer towards her. Luna's head was bent down on the book resting on her lap with both of her hands held the sides of the book when Mrs. Chandler saw her on the floor. The old woman walked slowly towards Luna as she placed both hands on her hips. Luna only noticed the presence of the old woman when she saw a shadow covering a portion of the floor. Luna slowly looked up with horror and saw Mrs. Chandler staring at her. The old woman's eyes were wider than usual and her lips were in one fine line. Her eyebrows were drawn together as Luna drew in air and held it. The growling was about to start, and Luna was not ready for it.

# Chapter Three

Mrs. Chandler looked at the girl on the floor and before she could even open her mouth, Luna stood up. The old woman's eyes fell on the book that the girl was clutching on one hand. Luna tried to hide the book behind her but it was too late. Mrs. Chandler's eyes went back to Luna.

"You're supposed to be reading that on one of the tables over there," Mrs. Chandler said, pointing at the direction of the long tables near the high windows. "The floor's dirty and cold, you might not feel comfortable." And then the old woman left.

Luna was surprised at this. She was expecting a scolding, instead, she received a soft roar from the tiger. She walked slowly out of the bookshelves then went over to the tables. She placed the book on the table and pulled one wooden chair as quietly as she could. Just as she was about to sit , her pocket started to vibrate. She received a text message.

Where are you? It's almost lunch. Come back now.

It was from her mother. Come to think of it, Luna did not have her breakfast and it was nearly lunch time and yet she was not that hungry. She wanted to reply and say that she wanted to stay out a little longer but she had to go home or else her parents might find out that she wandered a little too far from their neighborhood. She went back to where she got the book then placed it back on the shelf. She slowly walked towards the door and just as she was about to head out, Mrs. Chandler looked up from her desk and called her.

"Come back tomorrow and finish the story," the old woman said as she seemed to be examining Luna with her glasses hanging over the bridge of her nose.

Luna nodded and offered a smile, and then she walked briskly out of the door. Mrs. Chandler still gave Luna a jumpy feeling and so the girl walked away as fast as she could and crossed the street. She passed by the dress shop that Mrs. Chandler was looking at that morning and passed by the coffee stall where the old woman bought her morning tea. She crossed to another street and turned to the curb where she first chased after Mrs. Chandler, and then she brought her mobile phone out to send out a reply to her mother.

I'm coming mom.

Luna passed by a few houses and waved at familiar old neighbors, and then she was again, walking on their front lawn. Her father was no longer sprawled on the green grass, instead, she found him on their couch, reading something from the online news. Luna closed the door behind her, half hoping that her father would look up from his laptop, but, as always, he continued to read. Luna sighed at this. Her father had always been like that, even when Grandma Sandy was alive. He had always been busy working either at home or in his office. He, however, rarely goes to office now. Ever since he was transferred to online marketing, he had been at home for most of the week.

Luna went to the kitchen to show her mother that she is back from her walk. Mrs. Robbins was nearly done cooking the spaghetti sauce and now, she was carefully swiping on her iPad. She had copied another recipe online. It probably had something to do with the greens she placed in a bowl in front of her.

"I'm home mom," Luna said as she waved a hand in between her mother and the iPad.

"Oh sorry dear, I was reading on how to make a proper dressing for this salad. Lunch will be ready in a few," Mrs. Robbins said, still looking at the instructions on the iPad, "Can you fix the table please?" she added, looking at Luna.

Luna shrugged and smiled, and then she went over the kitchen cabinets to pull out three plates and three forks. She placed the plates and the forks on top of their long round dining table then went back to the kitchen to get three green handmade rectangular placemats. She went back to the dining table and placed the placemats carefully around. She placed one on the head of the table and one on its left and the other on its right. She then placed one plate and fork on top of each placemat. She went back to the kitchen to get three glasses then went back to the table to put one glass on each placemat.

After preparing the table, Luna went to the living room to call her father. Mr. Robbins did not notice Luna standing next to him until Luna tapped his shoulder. He was now busy making a report for his boss. When Luna tapped him, he finished typing one sentence and then he turned his head to look up at her. He raised both thick black eyebrows and looked at Luna as if he was asking her why.

"Lunch," Luna simply said, pointing at the dining table with her thumb.

"Okay, five minutes," Mr. Robbins replied then went back to typing.

Luna nodded then trodded back to the dining table. She sat on her usual place—the left seat from the head of the table—and simply waited for her parents. It took Mrs. Robbins ten more minutes to finish what she was cooking, and then she brought the food from the kitchen to the table. Mr. Robbins took fifteen minutes before he went to the table to join them. Mrs. Robbins still had her iPad on as she looked at some clothes online while Mr. Robbins had his laptop as he reread his report. Luna turned her iPod volume a little higher, and then she ate.

This was the usual dining set-up in the Robbins' house after Grandma Sandy died. Before, when they were eating, Grandma Sandy would ask her son and his wife to put their gadgets away as they ate. She would often amuse little Luna with stories and Luna would laugh or smile in awe as Grandma Sandy gave her a forkful of pasta or a spoonful of mashed potato. Luna thought of those days, and then she removed her earphones and took a swig of orange juice to dampen her throat and clear her mouth.

"Uhmm...mom? Dad?" she started, looking at her plate of spaghetti.

Luna's parents seem to not have heard her as they continued to do what they were doing. Luna thought that her voice was just probably too small and soft that they were not able to hear her. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"Mom? Dad?" she said again, this time louder and clearer as she looked at them.

"Hm?" her mother said as her father simply lifted his eyebrows.

"Have you guys been to the town library?" she asked, thinking of telling them about her morning adventure.

"Yeah," Mr. Robbins said, as Mrs. Robbins nodded.

"But it was ages ago. I don't even remember much about it," Mrs. Robbins added, forking out a green leaf from her plate. "Why?" she asked, looking at Luna as she chewed.

"Nothing. I just thought of it," Luna replied, twisting her fork on the pasta.

"That building's old and I think it's about to collapse so don't go playing around there, okay?" Mr. Robbins said as he looked at Luna.

_But it's still fine, it's just old,_ Luna thought as she nodded. Her parents might get mad at her if they knew that she spent her morning there, so she just kept it to herself.

On the remainder of lunch, Luna ate in silence as her mother showed her father some new stylish furniture that would seem to look good in their house. Mr. Robbins smiled in agreement then asked his wife to read his report and check for any mistake. Luna watched her parents for a while then went up to her room.

She shut the door behind her and leaned on the door, sighing. She looked up and saw her computer still switched off. Luna went over to her bed and removed her sneakers. She turned off her iPod and placed it back on her bedside table. She stretched on her bed for a few moments, thinking about the book she was reading earlier. She closed her eyes and saw the dust images floating in her mind. It was as though the gold, brown and gray dust came to life in her mind and magically formed the images she had been thinking of that morning. _Cool_ , she thought and the soothing voice came back to her mind's ear, whispering her thought. She smiled at the thought of the radio-announcer voice reading to her.

"Am I crazy?" she said out loud as she got up and sat on her wheeled-chair.

She kicked the floor a few times, here and there, and then she was in front of her computer again. She turned it on and waited for her computer to set up. She was playing with her computer mouse when her computer finished setting up. Her desktop was a picture of a tree that was once outside their house. They had to cut it off for the wifi connection in their house was getting disrupted. She activated her chatbox and then started to click on a group conversation she had with her friends the night before.

**looneyluna12:** anyone awake yet?

**bratpittsk23:** yep

hi luna

what's up?

**looneyluna12:** have you been to the library?

**77goferme34:** oh, you mean the one across Martina's?

**samanthawright:** the one that creepy mrs. tiger is running?

**bratpittsk23:** isn't that place like going to crash

like any moment?

**looneyluna12:** that's what my dad said

**samanthawright:** that place is creepy

and so is the librarian

lol ;-))

**looneyluna12:** so, did any of you go there?

**77goferme34:** you mean like actually enter it?

**looneyluna12:** yep

**77goferme34:** nope, not a chance

**bratpittsk23:** why would i want to go there?

**samanthawright:** i might die there

the books might suffocate me

or the boredom

or mrs. tiger might bite me

rofl :-)) :-)) :-))

**bratpittsk23:** btw

have you seen the new Ryan Higa vid?

it's funny!

Luna closed the window as her friends began talking about other things she was usually interested about, but, for this particular day, she just wanted to tell someone about her day in the library. Apparently, her friends are the type of people who would make fun of her for even entering the library, more so if they knew she read something from it. Luna looked at her chatbox list of online friends. She found no one sensible to talk to, or at least, she did not see 18phoeb2014, _she's probably asleep_ , Luna thought, as she closed her chatbox window and opened a new window. She logged in her blog and then she clicked a button to add a new post.

I feel alone at the moment. I have no one to tell this to, so I'll say it to you.

Do you remember that woman who lives near the corner to Mr. Bennings' house? She's called Mrs. Chandler. Anyway, she smiled at me this morning, I think. But I was too scared to smile back or anything. I don't exactly know what came to me but I followed her. I followed her all across town to that scary library that she works in.

I never thought that place still worked. I had this thought that it was probably haunted. Well, she's scary after all. I was just there, avoiding her and then I picked up a book. Would you believe that? I picked up a book. And then, I started reading it. It was weird though. I mean, I already know the story but then I just read it and I found it... interesting, I guess.

If any of my friends from school knew, they'd laugh at me. So please don't tell anybody. Anyway, I think I won't go back there anymore. Mrs. Chandler scares me too much plus, I already have a copy of that book in my ebook reader so, I'll just read it from there.

#interestedbutnotquite

Little Luna

Luna clicked on "Publish" button then closed her blog window. She opened her chatbox again and saw her friends now conversing about the new movies that they should watch during the summer vacation. Luna browsed over their conversation and simply closed the window. She placed her computer on sleep mode then picked up the ebook reader next to her. She searched for her copy of _Howl's Moving Castle_ as she walked over to her bed. She flopped on her belly, opened her ebook copy of the book she was reading earlier, and then placed it on the page that she stopped on when she was in the library. She connected her earphones on the reader's earphone plug and played a song. She began reading.

# Chapter Four

_"Hi little Luna."_

"Grandma?"

_"Hi my little one."_

"Grandma!"

Luna woke up in the darkness of her room. She opened her eyes and adjusted to the darkness, and then she looked at the digital clock on her bedside table. It was already eight in the evening. She stared blankly at her moonlit ceiling and admired the shadows forming on it until she remembered that she was reading before she fell asleep. She rolled on her stomach and allowed her hands to scan the floor for her ebook reader. She found her earphones on the floor and pulled it. Her reader was eventually dragged out of its hiding. Luna turned it on, and she raised an eyebrow when she saw that she had not moved a page, and then she shrugged her shoulders.

Luna laid back on her bed with the ebook reader and her earphones beside her. She stared at the ceiling once more then scratched her forehead. She closed her eyes with the intent to sleep again but before dreamland could engulf her, she heard her stomach rumble. _Dinner_.

For a few minutes, Luna battled with herself. She was hungry but apparently, she was too lazy to stand. A few times her laziness won and so she just laid there. However, her hunger seemed to not give up and so she was forced to get out of bed and walk down to the kitchen.

At the foot of the stairs Luna could hear her parents talking about the stocks they bought the other day online. Luna wanted to go to them and say something but she decided not to. She went to the kitchen where there was mashed potato, fish fillet and some string beans served on a plate on top of the kitchen counter. The plate was covered with plastic wrap and there was an orange note placed on top of it. Her mother's curvy writing welcomed her as she moved closer to it.

Here's your dinner honey. Heat it in the microwave.

Luna removed the note, crumpled it then removed the plastic wrap. Her food looks cold but she did not mind it. She took a fork from one of the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a seat from under the counter. She started to dig through the mashed potato. It was quite sticky as she licked her fork and allowed the dry soft potato to fill her mouth. She was half way through the potato when she started the fish and eventually the string beans. She wrinkled her face as she chewed on the beans. After eating, Luna took a glass and filled it up with orange juice from the refrigerator. The cold beverage was able to wash over the taste of food from her mouth. Luna burped. She was full and yet she felt quite empty.

She placed the plate in the sink and opened the faucet to allow water to flow over the soiled plate. She closed the faucet then went back to her room. It was a little over nine and her parents were still in the living room typing, chatting and swiping over their devices. Luna, on the other hand, was sitting on her wheeled-chair in front of her computer. She thought of going back to sleep but eating seemed to have woken her up. She switched her computer on and opened her chatbox. 18phoeb2014 was online and so Luna sent a message to her.

**looneyluna12:** hi :-)

**18phoeb2014:** hiiiiiii :-))

why are you still up?

**looneyluna12:** i just woke up

**18phoeb2014:** lol

i dyed my hair purple!!! :-)) :-))

**looneyluna12:** woah! Seriously?

you're allowed to do that?

why?

**18Phoeb2014:** i just felt like doing it haha

**looneyluna12:** oh.haha.

have you read howl's moving castle?

**18Phoeb2014:** that's a book?!?

nope. but i've seen the film

well, bits of the film

lol

**looneyluna12:** oh.

Luna had no other topic in mind and so she decided to log out. She clicked open an empty MS Word window hoping to start her English paper. She stared at the blank page for more than a few minutes, and then she sighed. She still had no idea what to do with it. She, however, decided that she will be writing about her grandmother, but there seem to be a block between the Luna trying to write the paper and the six-year-old Luna who was happy playing by the slide as she called to Grandma Sandy. Luna could remember the old lady's funeral, the wake and how her grandmother was to other people like Mrs. Chandler and her parents, but she could not remember how her grandmother was with her. She knew that her grandmother had a vibrant smile and a happy atmosphere around her but those did not feel true to Luna. She was writing on what she loved most and _I can't even remember her_ , Luna sighed as she played with her pointer on the screen.

My grandmother was a happy old woman. She had a smile that could light up the room in an instant.

She started to type but as soon as she finished the second sentence, she deleted it. She felt like she was making a story out of a character from a movie she had watched a long time ago. The words felt like they were lies charging from her fingertips to the computer screen and all the way to her own heart. She squinted her eyes on the blank screen and started playing with her keyboard. She felt annoyed with herself for forgetting but she tried to keep her cool by typing random nonexistent words on the screen that made her smile.

flintuwi wymanufi fulufifi juniloki

She sniggered as she typed and then deleted the words. They were meaningless but they were funny. _At least they felt real_ , she thought as she switched off her computer and went back to bed. She, once again, stared at the interplay of moonlight, streetlight, trees and passing cars on her ceiling. The shadows had become darker and the figures, as she stared at them longer, started to form other familiar yet strange figures. A figure of a faceless man sipping a cup of souls quickly appeared and disappeared on the ceiling as a car zoomed by. A castle that seemed to be traveling across her ceiling jumped from one part to another as a van honked by and parked next door. The night grew sleepier but Luna was wide awake, counting passing cars as she closed her eyes and invited sleep.

Luna woke to a gloomy morning the next day. Her head felt like a big rock had been thrown at it as it was aching from lack of sleep. Luna slightly opened her eyes and placed a hand over her head to massage it.

"Luna, come down and have breakfast already," Mr. Robbins said as he knocked on Luna's door. "Your mom made pancakes." Then Luna heard him climb down the stairs.

Luna's stare at the door lingered a little longer ,and then she sighed. She thought her father would wait for her to say something before leaving. Apparently, Mr. Robbins had other more important tasks for the day than to just wait outside Luna's door. Luna sat up and stretched her arms and legs. Her head still hurt.

The sound of a fast moving car came zooming from the street. Luna heard some joggers make angry comments as the car zoomed past them. Luna left her bed and went towards the window facing the street. She was able to get a glimpse of the green convertible before it made a turn. Luna smiled as she saw some of the joggers still cursing at the ghost of the green car.

Just as Luna was about to go back to bed and curl up for half of the day, she saw Mrs. Chandler walking. The old woman was now wearing a tight, black, knee-high skirt with a pink button-down shirt. Her hair was still in a tight bun and she was wearing the same dark blue clacking shoes as she crossed the street and disappeared to a curb. The old woman was heading towards the library.

Luna immediately changed her shirt and took a hooded gray jacket from her closet. She, again, fought with dust, used socks and pieces of paper just to get her sneakers from under her bed, and then she ran down the stairs. Luna could not explain it, but there was something about the library that made her want to go back. It might be the eerie yet cozy feeling that the library gave her or the feeling of the book on her fingertips, how each page felt alive in her hands as she flipped them, and how the soothing voice in her head comes alive every time she reads that book; not to mention, the figures that form in her imagination as she read.

Before Luna could even cross the living room and make her way to the door, her mother saw her.

"Luna!" her mother called from the kitchen door, "just where do you think you're going?"

"I was just going out for a walk, mom," Luna lied, clutching the iPod from inside her jacket pocket.

"You're not going out, not until you eat something, young lady," Mrs. Robbins pointed, walking towards Luna.

"Okay mom," Luna replied, sighing as her mother came closer to her.

They were having breakfast by the kitchen counter. Mr. Robbins was already seated with a steaming hot coffee in his hand, his laptop in front of him, and next to the laptop, a plate of pancakes ready to be eaten. He was wearing a pair of black slacks, a blue buttoned shirt and a maroon necktie to match his outfit. Luna sat next to him and saw her father reviewing a few advertisements. She raised an eyebrow as her mother served her with a plate of pancakes and a glass of orange juice.

"What's with dad?" she said, looking pointedly at her father.

"He has a meeting today," Mrs. Robbins replied as she cut her husband's pancakes for him.

"Don't you usually do that online, dad?" Luna asked, cutting her pancakes into four and then pouring maple syrup over it.

"Not today, honey," Mr. Robbins answered, looking at Luna, "the big boss wants to see me and talk to me personally." Then he went back to his monitor.

Half way through breakfast, Mr. Robbins jumped out of his chair as he stared at his watch. It was nine-thirty and his meeting was in thirty minutes. He gave his wife a quick peck on the lips then ran out the house, to the garage where his black car was, while there were still bits of pancake in his mouth. Luna smiled at her rushing father and slowly drank her juice.

"Can I go out now, mom?" Luna asked as she got up from her seat.

"Put your plate in the sink and then you may go," Mrs. Robbins replied as she browsed over her iPad.

Luna placed her plate in the sink, walked fast towards the door, and then she was outside. She walked across the street and towards the path that Mrs. Chandler took this morning. The sun was hidden behind dark clouds and it seemed like it was about to rain but Luna did not mind it. The air was quite cold, but the thirteen-year-old girl pretended it did not exist as she crossed to the town's library with both hands in her jacket pocket.

# Chapter Five

Luna found Mrs. Chandler flipping over the pages of a book. The old woman seemed to not have noticed the girl enter. Luna stared at the old woman for a while, hesitating to go in any further. The girl bit her lower chapped lip then nervously licked her upper lip. She cleared her throat a little louder than usual to catch Mrs. Chandler's attention. Apparently, the old woman was too busy browsing over the book that she was holding. Luna sighed at this for she thought the old woman would get mad at her for doing what she did. Luna stood at the entrance of the library for a few more seconds and decided to simply walk in.

_The tiger seems to be tamed,_ she thought as she made her first step in. Mrs. Chandler did not look at Luna or even make any gesture that she noticed the girl enter. Luna walked towards the shelf where the book she was reading was, as quietly as she could. However, half way through, Mrs. Chandler lifted her head and squinted her eyes in Luna's direction.

"Make sure that you read in the proper place now," the old woman said and went back to what she was doing. Luna nodded then continued to walk, although she was already having doubts on coming back to the library.

It took her quite a long time to find the book. She had forgotten where she found it since all the shelves looked alike. After reaching out for the book, she went to the tables and pulled herself a seat. She sat down and flipped to the page where she stopped.

_"Sophie listened and felt sad,"_ Luna's mind voice droned as she read. It was becoming perkier as she read on and eventually the soothing voice of a radio-announcer came to life in her mind. The gray, gold and brown dust also came to life in her mind's eye. She could see Sophie walking anxiously in a crowded street. Sophie's face had still been empty but Luna knew that she had to look pristine and a little like Cinderella or Snow White.

As the story unfolded like dust scattering aimlessly in the Luna's mind, there was a loud thud of thunder from the sky. Luna's concentration broke and the dust figures along with the radio-announcer voice disappeared from her mind like bubbles popping in space. She stared at the nearest window with both hands clutching the book as her eyes grew wider. Despite her facade of none-carelessness, Luna still feared lightning and more so, thunder. The loud glass-breaking sound of thunder seemed to make the hair at the back of her neck rise. Luna wanted to stand but her fear was great enough to hold her on the spot. She tried to close her eyes, and then she allowed her mind to wander in the words that she had just read. Lightning had broken from the sky and Luna's breathing became faster. She really hated times as such. _It's summer and we're having this?_ She thought as she turned away from the window and back into the book. However, no matter how big Luna's enthusiasm towards the book was, she still cannot get over the rolling thunder passing over. She was incredibly scared. When she was younger, her grandmother would usually hold her tightly and then read a book to her to distract her from the overwhelming tandem of thunder and lightning. When Grandma Sandy died, Luna went through days of thunders and lightnings by holding as tightly as she could onto something and simply closing her eyes until it passes.

"What's the matter?" Luna immediately opened her eyes and looked at Mrs. Chandler, "did the lightning frighten you?" Luna forced a smile, and then she made herself look at the book and pretend to be reading it.

"You know, your hands would turn purple if you held that book any tighter," continued the old woman. "That lightning will not strike us, just continue to read." Then the old woman left.

Luna watched as Mrs. Chandler went back to her position by the door of the library. The old woman seemed to be very calm at this very fearful hour. Luna raised an eyebrow as she remembered how calm her grandmother was as well. Luna shrugged her shoulders then went back to the book.

The sky seemed to have quieted down. The lightning and thunder were silenced as the young girl continued to read. Luna was able to concentrate again as dust after dust lay alive in her mind. This time, she was able to see a little bit of facial features and more details that the book described and not just pictures of empty dust figures as what she usually saw. Luna felt her eyes begin to tire, and then she took out her mobile phone from her pocket and swiped it open. There were a few messages from her mother. Luna bit her lower lip then checked the time. It was a quarter to one in the afternoon. She had missed lunch.

Luna got up to return the book. She walked over to the library entrance and tried to say goodbye to Mrs. Chandler but the old woman was not there. Luna did not wait for her and walked as fast as she could back to their neighborhood and to their house. She found her mother napping in the living room with her laptop on the coffee table along with her iPad. Luna smiled at this. It was a rare sight for her to see her mother sleeping and not browsing over the internet. Luna started to walk over to the couch but she thought better of it. She might wake up her mother and so she just went to the kitchen to have her lunch of cold left over pancakes and meatloaf.

After eating, Luna went to her room and laid on her bed. She lacked sleep for staying up almost the entire night but she felt more awake. She wanted to go online and see if any of her friends were available to chat with but she was too lazy to stand and cross her room to her computer. She closed her eyes and images of Sophie, Lettie, Fanny, Wizard Howl and the other characters from the book engulfed her imagination. She smiled at this, even though the images were just  monochromatic dust figures that could easily be blown away by wind.

Just as Luna was about to curl up and invite sleep to wash over her mind's morning workout, rain pelleted over their roof and splattered on the windows and on the ground below. Luna sat up from her bed and stared at the splashing droplets of water on her window. The rain made the day lazy and sleepy but for some reason, Luna was wide awake, watching her window as it became clear and blurry while rain washed and dripped over it.

The wind seemed to have become stronger but the dust figures in Luna's imagination refused to be blown away like the leaves of the trees. Luna simply smiled then got out of bed and went hunting for her umbrella which was probably buried inside her closet. Luna scoured the closet, pushing past unfolded jeans, shirts and underwear. Finally, after what felt like an hour of searching, Luna found her small purple folding umbrella. It had been stuck with a pile of unwanted jeans at the bottom of the closet. There were quite some dust seemingly breeding on it but Luna simply brushed it away and climbed down the stairs.

She slowly crossed to the living room as Mrs. Robbins was still on the couch sleeping. Luna could hear her mother's soft yet loud breathing amidst the turmoil in the sky. She gave her mother a smile then carefully opened the door, and she was welcomed by flush of wind and rain. She pushed open her umbrella on the front porch. The umbrella was quite a fighter. It refused to open as Luna's legs felt cold due to the water seeping through her jeans. She finally pushed open the umbrella and she crossed their front lawn. She was careful to walk only on the stone steps just so her shoes and feet would not carry mud along with it.

Luna crossed the street, walked as fast as she could, stopped at a few stalls where there was enough roof to cover her from the rain, and then she was in front of the library again. This time, the building looked like the type they used in horror movies. It gave Luna the chills but she was too cold and wet to think twice about entering. One of the doors was closed while the other was slightly open. Luna could see light inside and so she pulled open the slightly opened door and made herself fit at the narrow opening she had made. It was a good thing that she was skinny.

Mrs. Chandler was on her desk sipping a hot beverage from a white mug. Luna could not ponder upon the contents of the mug as her hair was sticky from rain and her jeans were sticking to her legs like cold, wet glue was placed on them. She closed her umbrella then shook the coldness by ignoring its existence. Mrs. Chandler lifted her head and looked at Luna through her magnifying eyes. The old woman's eyes gave Luna another set of chills.

"Put your umbrella on the rack over there," Mrs. Chandler said, pointing at the wooden umbrella rack just beside the door, although she had not removed her eyes from the girl.

"Y-yes, ma'am," Luna replied through the chattering of her teeth.

Luna walked over to the umbrella rack and folded her umbrella as carefully as she could. It, however, still looked messy. She stood there for a while seemingly waiting for the old woman to give further instructions. When Mrs. Chandler did not say anything else, Luna walked over to the shelf where her book was. Despite the protests of her shivering legs, Luna walked over to the tables and sat on the cold, hard wooden chair. Luna flipped over to the page where she stopped and just as she was about to continue reading, Mrs. Chandler's clacking strides stopped beside her.

"Here," offered the old woman as she placed a mug of steaming green liquid on the table in front of Luna.

Luna stared at Mrs. Chandler for a while, and then she thanked the old woman.

"There's a blanket just over that shelf, get one and dry your jacket over by my stove for a while so you won't catch colds," Mrs. Chandler said, and then Luna removed her jacket and handed it to the old woman.

Mrs. Chandler left Luna as the girl watched her clack away. Luna held the mug for a while as her numbing hands felt the the rush of warmth flowing to it. Luna sighed with relief, and she took a sip from the beverage. It was hot tea, a drink that she did not particularly like. She wrinkled her nose then placed down the mug with both her hands still holding it. As she gulped down the seemingly tasteless drink, her stomach felt a warm cozy feeling. The shivering of her body decreased. The hot tea calmed her. She then stood up and walked over to the shelf that the old woman referred to earlier. She saw a plastic box at the bottom of the shelf. She pulled it out then took off the lid. There were several old blankets in there. She pulled a brown wool blanket and wrapped herself with it. She felt better. Even though her legs were still cold and wet, her body felt warmer. Luna then walked back to her seat and began reading.

The soothing voice had drowned the noise of the chaos outside. Her mind had awoken the dust figures which were now moving in accord to the book. Luna's brown eyes only saw the words before her. As she continued to read and as water continued to spatter on the windows, the male radio-announcer voice that had been reading for her in her mind began to change to a familiar voice that Luna had not heard in a long time. Luna did not notice this happening until a thunder rolling in the sky woke her from her dust imaginations.

_Grandma Sandy_ , Luna thought, and then she felt tears swelling up in her eyes. Just as the first tear was about to roll down, Mrs. Chandler came over to Luna with a warm teapot.

"Do you want another?" the old woman asked as she placed a hand over Luna's back.

"Uhmm..." Luna began, clearing her throat and sniffing her tears back in, "I'm fine, ma'am. I think I have to go home, it's getting late."

Mrs. Chandler simply nodded, and then she left Luna. The girl wiped her wet eyes with the blanket. It took her a few more minutes to compose herself, and then she grabbed the book and the mug from the table. She placed the book back then went over to Mrs. Chandler to return the mug and blanket and to get her slightly dried jacket.

"Thank you, ma'am," Luna said, and then she was back on the wet street, crossing from here to there, skipping in their front lawn, careful to not step on the wet and muddy grass.

# Chapter Six

Luna went up to her room and tried to avoid her mother who was busy in the kitchen. She immediately removed her jacket then threw herself on her bed. She pulled a pillow towards her and began to cry. She was able to remember the warm calming voice of Grandma Sandy. She was able to hear in her mind the way the old lady used to read to her. It should have been a happy moment for Luna, but she felt empty and cold inside. The intensity of her missing her grandmother had increased. She felt like drowning herself in tears. _No wonder my brain blocked her memory_ , she sobbed as she tried to dry her eyes with her pillowcase.

Before Luna could cry any further, her cold wet feet felt numb over her sheets and she started to sneeze. It was a long summer and she did not want to spend it at home, answering one module after the other as she stayed in her room nursing a fever. So, even if she just wanted to hug herself and cry until she fell asleep, Luna got out of bed and went in her bathroom to run a warm bath.

Luna carefully removed her jeans that stuck to her like glue, and then she rubbed her matted hair to check if there were bits of dirt on it. She removed her clothing and went in the tub of lukewarm water. The heat made her feel indifferent for a few minutes, and then she felt the warmth blanketing her.

_Grandma Sandy_ , Luna thought as she closed her eyes, thinking that the voice might come back in her mind and possibly talk to her. However, there was nothing but the scent of the bath, the faint sound of water on the roof and her slow breathing in the darkness of her closed eyes. Luna bit her lower lip then opened her eyes. _Was that even how she talked?_ she thought as she licked her lips and lifted a hand to allow the warm water trickle down her arm.

Luna stayed in the tub for a few more minutes before she got up and changed. She placed her wet shoes inside the bathroom, sat on her wheeled-chair and switched on her computer. She wanted to share what was happening to her, but she seemed to fear how none of her friends, not even 18phoeb2014, could seem to understand her. She opened an empty MS Word window and started to type.

There are a lot of things I probably love, but it was several years ago that I found true love. Her voice had always been my refuge whenever thunder scared me. She would read to me, drowning the loud thunder passing by. She was my Grandma Sandy.

Luna stopped, and then she reread her paragraph. Her shoulders shuddered as a lump grew in her throat. She was already feeling the truth behind the words. She gritted her teeth to control herself from crying, and then she smiled. She was about to continue but words seemed to have left her. She had nothing more to say about her grandmother. She needed at least three pages and yet she only had one paragraph.

Luna lifted an eyebrow and carefully licked her lower lip. She closed her eyes then held her breath. _I can describe what she looked like_ , she thought, and then she started to type down adjectives about her grandmother. However, Luna deleted them. The words appeared generic and unreal. She felt like she was not giving justice to her first paragraph or even to the memory, if ever she remembered any, of her late grandmother. Of course Luna knew that the words she used were true. Her grandmother did have graying hair, quite a wide smile and a few wrinkles, but that was how she was in pictures. Luna wanted to show how she was in her eyes. _If only I could have those eyes back_.

Luna clicked CTRL and then S to save her file. She named it module 3_english and then closed the window. She looked at her empty wallpaper then switched off her computer. She pushed herself from her computer desk and then her wheeled-chair rolled across her room to her bed. She sat on the bed, and as she intended to take a nap, there was a knock on the door.

"Luna, dinner," boomed a low male voice from behind the door.

It was Mr. Robbins. He rushed down the stairs as Luna got out of bed. Mr. Robbins sounded a little annoyed. _Maybe he got fired_ , Luna thought excitedly as she opened her door and went down to their long round dining table. The table was already set and they were having burgers and fries tonight. Luna's eyes widened and her mouth watered. They have been having too healthful food for a long time that her mother banned burgers and fries at their home even though they were her husband's and daughter's favorites. Mrs. Robbins insisted on a proper, balanced and healthy diet so for a long time since Luna was ten, they only had fish and greens with occasional chicken and mashed potato.

Luna immediately sat on her chair and smiled at the meal before her. Mr. Robbins sat after her as Mrs. Robbins walked behind him, carrying a bowl of green salad. Luna looked away from the bowl of green salad, silently hoping that her mother would not force her to eat them. Apparently she did not hope enough. Mrs. Robbins placed two spoons of green salad on Luna's plate. Luna tried to protest but her mother was too insistent.

"Just eat them. They're good for you," Mrs. Robbins said as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

Luna sighed then started to chew on the green salad. She ate them as fast as she could with the help of the orange juice for every swallow. After finishing the green salad, Luna placed a few salt on her fries and started to stuff her mouth with them.

The table was silent as usual except for the occasional clicking on the keyboard, chewing of meat, the gulping of juice, and the clinking of utensils on plate. Luna picked up the burger from her plate with both hands and took a bite. Her mother had not cooked meat in a while but, as usual, it was juicy. The ketchup dripped on one side of Luna's burger to the plate as she took another big bite. Her face almost ballooned from biting too big. Luna really loved her mother's burgers. Just as Luna was about to take another bite, her father cleared his throat.

"So how's your English going, honey?" Mr. Robbins asked, taking a bite from his own meal.

"Hm?" Luna responded, chewing as fast as she could and then swallowing it. "It's okay, dad. I already started this week's task and I think I might be able to finish it as long as I could go—" Luna stopped herself.

Her parents were still not aware that she was going to the library and they have specified that she should not be going there the last time that she mentioned about it. Her father nodded at her response, not noticing that she left him hanging.

"That's good then."

After dinner, Luna went to her room and laid on her bed, with one hand rubbing her stomach as it was full while the other was stretched widely on her side. She stared at the ceiling blankly then got up and pulled her chair towards her computer. She switched it on and opened her blog window. She thought of her day and began to describe it.

I just ate dinner and we had burgers! Anyway, I wanted to tell Mr. and Mrs. Robbins, aka mom and dad, about the library but I think they won't understand me. I know they won't. I went there to read again today and it rained; there was even thunder and lightning and I was so scared! I was so wet when I went back there this afternoon. But the thing was, Mrs. Chandler, the really scary librarian from next door, gave me a hot tea and lent me a blanket. She even offered to dry my jacket. I never thought of her as a caring person like that. She always had this creepy atmosphere that at any moment she might bite. It's really surprising. But then she still scares me. All the same, she was nice today. There was also something weird today. I mean, there's always something weird, but then today was definitely weird but I think I liked it.

#weirdyetcool Little Luna

# Chapter Seven

Luna woke up early the next day. She sat by their front porch steps as music boomed in her ears. She had been sitting there for almost half an hour, chewing on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich she had made earlier. The day was still quite gloomy but Luna did not allow it to dampen her mood.

Luna brought out her mobile phone and swiped the screen. The light illuminated and then she checked the time. It was nine twenty-five and Mrs. Chandler had not gone out yet. Luna looked left and right to see if the old woman had gone out and walked over to a different direction. However, Luna only saw the usual thread of joggers, cars and dogs passing by.

A few more minutes and Luna saw the old woman wearing another set of her tight, knee-high skirt and buttoned-down shirt. Mrs. Chandler was carrying a long purple umbrella on one hand and a brown shoulder bag on the other as she walked past Luna. The girl immediately gobbled the remainder of her sandwich then followed the old woman cross the street, stop for her morning tea and then head on to the library.

Luna waited for Mrs. Chandler to settle down and browse over some papers before she went in. Mrs. Chandler looked at the girl then gave her a smile. Luna, however, only saw the wrinkling of Mrs. Chandler's face. Luna responded with a shy smile then went over to the shelf to get her book. She was only a few chapters away from the end of the story. She was not wishing for the same thing to happen, for her to hear the voice of her grandmother reading to her in her mind. But _I hope that happens again_ , she said to herself as she flipped one page after the other, searching for the page that she had stopped on.

Before Luna could reach the page, rain had started falling from the sky. It replenished the plants outside and slightly drowned the silence inside the eerie library. Luna stopped flipping for a while, and then she closed her eyes. Rain is one of her least favorite weather, but this morning, with some unexplainable reason, she was finding comfort in it. She sighed, and then she continued to flip. She finally reached her page and started reading. Usually, when she starts reading, the droning voice of an old man would be the one reading to her and it would take her a few sentences before the exciting radio-announcer voice starts speaking out the words in her mind. Today, it was different. The voice in her mind was that of an old woman, an unfamiliar old woman. It was not her grandmother and it was not the voice of anyone she had heard before, but she was sure it was that of an old woman.

Luna, however, did not take too much notice in the change, after all, it was her who was reading and it was just her mind imagining things. She just read on. After a few more words, Luna's mind started to visualize the events in the story. In her mind she saw two fluffy white clouds, with a man on the left cloud and a woman on the right. The usual dust forming visions had stopped and she did not notice it. Her mind's eye had started to visualize things as if they were real. There was the cloud on the left. A large fluffy cloud with a man wearing a black cloak sporting a wand on his waist. He had a slightly pointy nose and a long beard that reached his clavicle. The man was on his stomach watching and looking over his shoulder towards Luna. On the right cloud was a woman, slightly shorter than the man. She was wearing a majestic emerald green robe. Her wand was in her hand and she was laughing hysterically. She had messy curls that dropped over her shoulders and she was wearing a pointy dirty black hat.

Luna saw all of those in her mind and she was only able to notice them when she heard thunder roll by. Instinctively, Luna clutched on to the book then bit her lower lip to stop it from trembling. She slowly looked over to the dusty high window closest to her, and then from a distance, she saw two clouds, same as those she had envisioned. She drew her eyebrows together then stared at the clouds longer. She knew there were no people there but in her mind she was seeing Wizard Howl and the Witch on each cloud, doing exactly what she imagined them to be doing. Luna breathed slowly, and then she went back to reading.

_"Keep your mind on the Witch!"_ Luna read and out of the corner of her ear, she heard it. She heard a deep, determined voice of a man shouting the words at her. Luna looked around her and then she went back to the book, _what is happening to me?_ She felt a tinge of fear. Her heart pounded against her ribs and she was surprised it was not echoing inside the library. Her hammering heart, however, did not beat for her fear. It was knocking as loud as it could because she was feeling excited. To her, the tinge of fear was part of her excitement. She did not want that feeling to stop and so she dropped her gaze back at the words and she continued.

The rain outside poured on along with snaps of lightning and batters of thunder, but inside Luna's mind, she was in a castle with large cold stone walls covered in chalk figures. She bit her lip for every unexpected turn of events and she raised an eyebrow for every unpleasant situation. Luna was envisioning herself as the heroine of the book and she was surrounded by talking animals inside the chalk-filled castle. She turned one page to another, holding her breath and waiting for the next event.

She licked her upper lip then flipped the page, she was on the last chapter. She smiled at this and then she took a deep breath. _Who would have thought that breathing while reading was harder than when you're swimming?_ Luna thought as she gleefully started to read. She was focused on reading the first paragraph that she did not notice Mrs. Chandler standing behind her.

"It seems like you're having fun there," the old woman said, placing a hand over Luna's shoulder.

It was not the sudden presence of the old woman behind her that startled Luna nor the synchronization of the lightning outside as the old woman spoke. No. It was the voice of the old woman that made Luna look up at her, not with fear or surprise but with confusion and joy. Mrs. Chandler's voice was hoarse and loud which was why it was particularly scary but for a moment, in Luna's ears, she heard her grandmother speak to her.

Luna stared at Mrs. Chandler quite too long that the old woman removed her hand from Luna's shoulder and cleared her throat. The old woman's features brightened and then she looked at the girl.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Mrs. Chandler said as the sides of her lips wrinkled. She was smiling. "I just went over to check and tell you that it's already lunch time."

"Oh! Thank you, ma'am," Luna replied, still staring at the old woman.

Mrs. Chandler nodded and then went back to her desk. Luna squinted her eyes as she recalled Mrs. Chandler's voice earlier, _I might just be imagining too much_. Luna brought the book back to the shelf and then started to walk out of the library. Mrs. Chandler was not on her usual desk. Luna stood by the walkway for a few more minutes, waiting for the old woman but Mrs. Chandler seemed to have gone elsewhere, and so Luna exited the building doors.

Strong winds and rain welcomed Luna as she stepped out. She stood at the steps of the building where there was still roof over her head. She had forgotten to bring an umbrella and jacket was not enough to fight off the cold. Drops of rain sprayed over her face as the direction of the wind changed. She placed both of her freezing hands in her jacket pocket and motioned to step into the rain when she heard Mrs. Chandler's clacking shoes behind her.

"The rain's too strong, my dear, stay for a while and wait for the sky to calm down," the old woman said as one of her hand reached out for Luna.

The girl thought for a second, and then she went back in the building with the old woman. Inside, Mrs. Chandler had brought out a white, porcelain tea set and placed it on top of the table closest to her desk. The old woman saw Luna watching her as she set tea on two cups. Mrs. Chandler stopped for a second then motioned for the girl to take a seat.

"Don't worry, I won't eat you dear," Mrs. Chandler joked, and then she disappeared from a door behind her desk.

Luna sat there waiting. The rain outside wailed harder as Luna's stomach started to lurch into hunger. The girl bit the inside of her lower lip as her mind floated into the infinite cloud of her new-found imagination. She stared at the teacup in front of her and noticed the steam coming out from its mouth. In Luna's mind, the steam had already formed into a bearded face with a pointy nose and a smug smile. Luna looked closer at the steam then blew over it. The smug expression of the face changed and its wide mouth opened into an o shape. The beady eyes of the man widened and in Luna's mind, she was hearing the distant voice of a screaming man. Luna blew harder and eventually the face was blown away. The man's voice became fainter and fainter until only silence was left.

Luna brought her hand to the steam and she felt the warmth of the formless white air fog on her palm. She smiled as she felt her palm becoming sweaty due to the condensation of steam on it. Luna drew her hand back and looked at her palm. There were beads of warm water on it. In her mind, the drops of water had formed into the man's face once again. His beard had been cut off due to the lack of water droplets. His beady eyes were lopsided as the water droplets slowly slid down to Luna's arm. His thick eyebrows went high on his forehead as he laughed at Luna. Luna drew her eyebrows together then slightly stuck her tongue out at the man. The man laughed harder. Luna could hear his faint laughter resounding in her mind's ears. Luna squinted her eyes and as she was about to pout at the fogged water droplets on her palm, Mrs. Chandler came back with a small pot, two bowls and spoons.

"Having fun waiting dear?" the old woman said, setting the pot and the bowls on the table.

Luna looked up as she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. _Did she see me like that?_ The girl quietly laughed at herself as the old woman sat across her. Mrs. Chandler opened the pot and steams of a creamy chicken soup filled Luna's nostrils. The girl's mouth watered as she watched the old woman serve her a bowl.

"Dig in while it's warm," Mrs. Chandler said, passing Luna a spoon.

# Chapter Eight

Luna's numbing fingertips and frozen stomach had been warmed by the soup. She was helping herself to another bowl when Mrs. Chandler offered her bread. The girl delightfully accepted and carefully dipped one side of the bread to the warm soup. Luna felt a sudden warmth on her tongue when she bit on the bread. She squinted as the bread burnt the tip of her tongue.

"Careful dear," Mrs. Chandler said as her magnifying spectacles fogged with the steam.

Mrs. Chandler removed her glasses to wipe out the fog as Luna blew steam from her spoonful of soup. Luna paused from blowing away the steam when she saw Mrs. Chandler's unmagnified eyes. The girl was shocked by what she saw. Mrs. Chandler looked ordinary and she was not scary at all. There were wrinkles around her gray eyes and her usual stern expression turned soft. Luna stared at Mrs. Chandler as the old woman placed her glasses back on. The old woman noticed the girl staring but she ignored it.

The longer Luna stared at Mrs. Chandler, the more she noticed the features of the old woman. Her hair was tied in a bun and it appeared to be tight but Luna noticed that there were a few rebel hairs which untangled from the bun. Mrs. Chandler's tight bun was actually quite loose. Her face was not stern at all and there was nothing scary about her, _except for her voice_.

"Are you finding something wonderful on my face dear?" Mrs. Chandler finally said as she looked at the girl.

"Oh. I'm sorry, ma'am," Luna replied, looking back at her bowl of soup.

"Do I scare you?" the old woman asked, taking a sip from her tea.

Luna thought about her answer for a while. She did not want to offend the old woman, just in case she was the scary woman she thought Mrs. Chandler had always been. Luna bit her lower lip as she contemplated on her answer. When she finally made up her mind, she was surprised to realize that she was already nodding.

"Quite a bit, ma'am. I don't know why though, but I sometimes feel like you might get mad at me or something," Luna said, as if it was not her who spoke.

Luna covered her mouth in panic, and then she slowly looked up at the old woman. Mrs. Chandler's eyes had been magnified by her glasses as she stared at Luna. At first, the old woman seemed to be angry, but the longer Luna stared at her the more she realized that the old woman was not angry at all but was smiling.

"I think I always look angry because of these." Mrs. Chandler smiled, pointing at her glasses. "Don't you worry about it dear," Mrs. Chandler added, and then she started laughing.

Mrs. Chandler's laughter was that of a little girl's laugh. Her laughter was quite contagious and so the girl started giggling as well, although she did not know what they were laughing at exactly. For a whole five minutes, the two of them just sat there, laughing at the unknown. When their laughter finally settled, Mrs. Chandler gulped down her tea. Luna followed her as she ignored her unacquired taste for the so-called soothing beverage.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Luna said, placing down her teacup.

"No worries dear. I quite think that if I was in your position, I'd be scared of me too."

Luna smiled at this and then they continued to eat. They were able to finish their pot of hot soup with a little bit of push from their will. Mrs. Chandler seemed to have cooked too much for two people. The girl helped the old woman clean the table. She carried the bowls and the pot as the old woman brought the tea set in a small room just behind her desk. Luna followed her.

The room was a small cozy office. The floor was covered with a fading emerald green carpet and its small window was draped with lacy curtains the same shade as that of the carpet. There was a table at the center of the rug and a couple of peach bean bags around it. On one corner, there was a stove and some pots, utensils, cups, a loaf of bread and spices. Luna felt warmer inside the room.

"Welcome to my lair." Mrs. Chandler giggled.

Luna found the room interesting. It was the tiger's private office. This was where the old woman was eating her lunch and spending most of her time. It truly surprised Luna on how warm the place was. She originally thought that it would somewhat look like a dungeon but instead it appeared like a small cottage on top of a mountain. At some point, Luna had a feeling that she would hear the ocean. Apparently, she heard rain splashing on the roof. _That's close enough_.

"Take a seat there dear. I'll just boil us another teapot," Mrs. Chandler said while she set a small kettle on the stove. "It's quite relaxing to read on this cold rainy day with a warm tea... or would you prefer a coco?" she added as she picked up a set of small glass jars from a cabinet on top of the stove.

"Coco would be nice, ma'am," Luna replied, remembering her distaste of tea.

Mrs. Chandler waited for the water to boil and then poured on two teacups. On one teacup she placed three teaspoons of chocolate powder and on the other she placed a teabag. She went over to the table with the two cups, spilling a few drops on the table.

"Those cups are too hot," she said, blowing her hands. "Drink up, dear."

Luna blew over the steam of her cup. She smelled the sweetness of the chocolate then took one sip. She took her sip quite fast for her tongue felt like it was burnt. She stuck out her tongue to cool it down as Mrs. Chandler took a slow sip on her tea. The old woman smiled at the girl as Luna tried to control her reaction.

"Careful there," Mrs. Chandler said, smiling at Luna.

Luna smiled back and slowly took a sip on her cup. There was silence between them but, unlike before, Luna did not feel awkward. She, surprisingly, felt comfortable with Mrs. Chandler and for some unexplainable reason, Luna felt safe around the tiger.

"You seem to be enjoying your book, dear," Mrs. Chandler spoke, placing a couple of white sugar cubes on her tea.

"I like it, I think," Luna replied.

"Haven't you read it before? I mean, I do understand that children your age would have gotten that in the internet."

"I did download it. But, I don't know, I just like reading it, as it is, here."

"That's nice then," Mrs. Chandler ended and then looked at her brown wristwatch. "Oh, I think I need to go out now. If you want to stay here longer it's okay."

"Mrs. Chandler, why do you keep on coming back here when no one comes here?" Luna said before the old woman could even stand.

"You're here dear," the old woman replied, smiling at the girl.

"No, I mean, you know, not including me," Luna heard herself say before she could stop herself.

"Oh. Let me see." The old woman squinted her eyes, although they were still magnified. "I'm just preserving what has been so that no one will forget, even though I think they're quite forgotten already." Mrs. Chandler thoughtfully answered, smiling once again.

Luna's eyebrows went closer to each other. She did not understand the point of the old woman. The old woman noticed the confusion on the child's face. She took a sip of her tea then opened her mouth but she closed them again, thinking that she might be getting ahead of herself.

"What exactly are you preserving? The books? But people are still reading them," Luna asked, biting her inner lip.

"Yes, dear. I am preserving the books. How the books feel on your hands, how they smell and how each page makes my fingertips alive. I think I'm preserving that."

Luna looked at the old woman. In one part of her, she understood what Mrs. Chandler was pointing out. She understood that feeling when she first picked out a book from the rows of books in the library. She felt her fingertips pulsate when she first touched that book. The girl looked at her small hands and noticed the lines on them as she felt a sudden brush of a page over it. Luna smiled. The old woman was preserving this and she felt like she wanted to preserve it as well. She wanted to continue feeling the warmth of each page on her numb hands and how her mind becomes more alive with every page she flipped. She understood now why she liked going back to the library.

_"Would you like to continue reading for grandma, my little one?"_ Luna heard, and then she looked at the direction of the voice. Luna saw Mrs. Chandler looking at her with kind magnified eyes. The girl did not speak and she felt a lump forming on her throat. She bit her lip as her eyes became blurry with tears swelling on them.

"Is there a problem, dear?" Mrs. Chandler asked, drawing her graying eyebrows together.

"Wha—what did you s—s—say? I mean be—before that last one?" Luna stuttered as she tried to stop her tears from tracing down her face.

"Oh. I said, would you like to continue reading now?" Mrs. Chandler replied as she placed one warm wrinkly hand over Luna's hand.

"Oh. I thought..." Luna trailed off as her tears finally fell from her eyes. "I'm sorry, ma'am. It's just that I though I heard my grandmother," she explained amidst her tears.

"Don't worry about it dear. I understand how you feel."

Mrs. Chandler watched as Luna cried. The old woman held the girl's hand and did not let go until the girl had stopped crying. Mrs. Chandler brought out her flowery handkerchief and held it out for the girl. Luna took it and for a few minutes the two of them just sat there in silence except for the rain spattering on the windows and the roof of the building. The old woman held the girl's hand as the girl sobbed.

# Chapter Nine

Luna went home that afternoon with a light feeling. Her eyes had become small from crying for almost fifteen minutes but she could see things clearer than before. It had stopped raining and the streets smelled wet and cold, but to Luna, it smelled fresh. The sun had finally shown itself, lighting the ground below. The sky started to clear out as patches of blue scattered over it.

When Luna reached their house, her mother was on the couch, watching a health channel while her father was in the kitchen counter with his mobile phone and laptop. Luna thought of greeting them, but since her eyes appeared swollen, she decided to head on to her room and lock herself in there until dinner time.

Luna threw her shoes on the floor as she locked the door behind her, and then she jumped on her bed. She was lying on her stomach, examining her thick cotton royal blue sheets. In her line of sight, she had counted five sheep printed on her sheets, and then she rolled over. She folded her legs and placed her arms behind her head. She pulled out her earphones then plugged them in her ears as she turned her iPod in full volume. She examined her white ceiling and eventually she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

_Luna was in a shop where there were hats all around. She was by the counter, seemingly waiting for someone to come in. She looked down at her palm, and then there was the sound of the bell. Someone had entered the shop. There were two people, a man and a woman. The man appeared unhappy while the woman looked quite controlling. Luna approached the two and before she could say anything, the woman waved her hand with a few strokes and Luna felt tired. The woman left with the man. Luna felt like her skin was leather and then she touched it. She felt like she was covered in wrinkles. She saw a mirror on one corner of the shop and went over. When she saw her reflection, she was not seeing herself but she was seeing a blurry image of Grandma Sandy looking back at her with a smile._

Luna opened her eyes and saw her ceiling. It was with a brilliant streak of red and orange. The sun was setting while Luna laid on her back admiring the sunset through her ceiling. She stretched her arms then removed her earphones. She could hear the sizzling noises from the kitchen. Mrs. Robbins may have learned a new dish to share that evening, _but I wish she'd cook more pizza, burger and fries._

Luna slowly got up and went over to her computer. Her dream reminded her of what she needed to finish. She only had a few days before the submission of her paper for the week. She was able to finish a paragraph and she felt positive that she would be able to finish her paper sooner than she expected. The moment Luna's computer finished loading, her chatbox opened to reveal 18phoeb2014's offline messages.

**18phoeb2014:** hey!

haven't heard from you in a while

PM me when you're online

**looneyluna12:** hi

sorry, i was busy

what's up?

After Luna sent her response, she closed her chatbox. She was not expecting a quick response from her friend considering the time difference. She then opened her saved Word file about her week's paper and read the paragraph that she was able to type down. She thought for a while then continued typing. She deleted a few words, added a sentence here and there to make sure her sentence construction was proper and then stopped typing to read what she had written. _It's still not complete_ , she thought as she closed the window and allowed her computer to Sleep. Luna sat on her wheeled-chair for a few more minutes, and then she went down to the kitchen to see what her mother was cooking.

"You didn't come home for lunch, honey," Mrs. Robbins said as her daughter sat on one of the chairs, "where did you go to?"

"I was just—uhm—" Luna stuttered as she was shocked her mother noticed her absence, "I was in the playground, watching some kids play with their PSP and I didn't notice the time," she lied as she went over to the refrigerator to get a glass of cold water.

Luna always felt hot and sweaty whenever she tried lying, especially to her mother. Mrs. Robbins was not exactly keen on Luna's habits. So, basically, she did not know when Luna was lying and when she was telling the truth. However, like most mothers, she can become very scary when she noticed that she was lied to.

"Oh Luna," Mrs. Robbins began, as she pulled out a tray of freshly baked lasagna from their oven, as Luna's face became hotter, "you're no longer a child to be watching games like those."

"Sorry, mom," Luna sighed, as she continued drinking from her glass.

"Just next time, okay?" Mrs. Robbins warned while she allowed the tray to cool on top of the kitchen counter. "Go call your dad, this lasagna's ready, and prepare the table."

"Okay, mom," Luna gladly replied then set off to take utensils, plates, glasses and placemats from the kitchen cabinets to set the table.

After calling her father, Luna sat on her usual chair and was happy to take one part of the lasagna her mother experimented on. Mrs. Robbin was not exactly a chef but she made a decent cook, as long as she had something to follow.

Mr. Robbins came over to the dining table a few minutes after his husband and daughter started eating. Oddly enough, he did not bring his laptop with him. However, he brought his mobile phone to the table. He set it on his right then reached for a slice of the lasagna. As he ate, he glanced on his mobile phone once every minute.

"What are you waiting for, dad?" Luna asked when she noticed her father's odd behavior.

"A phone call from the office, honey," Mr. Robbins replied, taking a bite from his plate of lasagna.

"Why?" the girl continued to ask, as she chugged her iced tea down.

"Well, I was told that I might be given a promotion and I'm just waiting for their call."

Luna almost choked when she heard her father's news. She always knew her father was a workaholic so a promotion was not exactly surprising, even to Mr. Robbins himself. It just surprised her that her father was not promoted immediately. Mr. Robbins looked at her daughter as Luna tried to hide her embarrassment by pretending that she was just coughing.

As dinner went by, Mr. Robbins' mobile phone did not ring and the tension over the table was increasing. Mr. Robbins tried to cool it down by providing reasons as to why they have not called yet. Luna, on the other hand, thought that it was probably the first time that her father will not get that promotion he was expecting. She felt that her parents were thinking the same thing and so she tried thinking of a way to relieve the tension.

"Have you met Mrs. Chandler from across the street?" she asked to no one in particular, so her parents just remained quiet. "I mean, I know you have, but you know, like have you talked to her?" Still, no one replied. "Do you know that she's actually nice?" She tried again, but it seemed like her parents were too busy waiting for the call that they were only able to give her a nod.

Luna finished her dinner then she went up to her room. She turned on the lights then sat in front of her computer and woke it up. She opened her chatbox but there was no message. She opened a solitaire window and played for a few times as she waited for a message, but there was none. She then opened her blog window and started typing.

It rained again today. There were even lightning and thunder but it was weird, I didn't feel that scared.

Anyway, I went to the library again and since I was so smart that I didn't bring any umbrella, I was stuck there. I thought I'd be going home wet today but the librarian, Mrs. Chandler, invited me to go back inside, she even made soup for the two of us. That was quite creepy, but I was shocked that she did not eat me. She was even so nice. There were some moments when I would hear you from her. I guess it's because you're both old. No offense though. Haha.

But, today, I cried... in front of her, because I heard you from her. Isn't that embarrassing or what?!? She was really nice though. She even said she missed you too. I guess you're really that nice to everyone.

I'm making progress, by the way, I just need a little more touch.

#summerrainexperience

Little Luna

Luna stared at what she had typed. She reread it a couple of times before she was convinced that she should post what she had written. It was quite absurd for her to say anything nice about Mrs. Chandler. Usually, she would either post something she feared about the old woman or nothing at all. _I guess I misjudged her_ , she shrugged as she turned off her computer. She went over to her closet to change into a pair of knee-high shorts and a cotton white t-shirt, and then she climbed her bed. She, once again, stared at the shadowy ceiling as it filled with images of familiar characters that she had concocted from her imagination. The ceiling had become alive with vivid shadowy images of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie and Wizard Howl. After some time, Luna closed her eyes and then the images became more colorful and more vivid as dreamland welcomed her.

# Chapter Ten

Luna sat at their drying front lawn the next morning. The sky was clear and the sun was shining quite brightly that morning. She had a bowl of cereals for breakfast since her parents decided to leave early to enjoy a morning trip to the beach, which meant that Mr. Robbins received his promotion. They asked Luna to come with them, but the girl declined, reasoning that she still had a paper to finish, although she just wanted to return to the library. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins will not be home until that afternoon and so Luna decided to bring a few sandwiches with her so that she could stay in the library until the afternoon.

The girl planned to wait for Mrs. Chandler and walk to the library with the old woman. It was half past the hour that the old woman usually came out but there was no sign of her. Luna quietly sat by the front lawn, observing joggers as she looked left and right for any hint that the old woman was coming, but still, there was none. An hour later, Mrs. Chandler came out of her house. Luna was surprised to see that Mrs. Chandler was wearing a pair of black slacks and a peach cotton blouse, although her hair was still in a tight bun. _She has other clothes?_ Luna asked herself as she stood up and walked fast, towards the odd old woman.

"Good morning, ma'am," Luna excitedly greeted, waving a hand at the old woman as the other clutched on a tattered brown bagpack.

"Good morning to you too, dear," Mrs. Chandler replied, her voice was a notch higher than the usual. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Not that long, ma'am," Luna lied, smiling as the old woman fixed her shoulder bag.

"I see. Are you that excited to finish your book?" The old woman laughed and Luna laughed with her.

On their way to the library, Mrs. Chandler asked Luna about the story that the girl was reading. Luna explained the story up until where she stopped. As they were crossing the street, Luna stopped talking, and then she laughed when she saw a man with quite a long beard and a pointy nose walking down the street to the other direction.

"That man looks like Wizard Howl, from the book!" Luna laughed as the old woman looked at the man and smiled as well.

When they arrived at the library, there were two men wearing black suits by the doors. The taller of the two was holding up a piece of paper on one of the doors. The shorter one had his mobile phone out and was swiping rapidly as he texted. Luna looked at the two suspicious men while Mrs. Chandler pursed her lips and drew her eyebrows close to one another. The old woman was not angry or happy to see the men standing by the building, instead, she was worried. Out of an old habit, Luna held on to Mrs. Chandler's hand. The old woman gave the girl a quick smile.

"It's okay, dear," the old woman assured as she gave Luna's hand a squeeze.

In the back of Luna's mind, she saw her grandmother smile at her and felt her grandmother squeeze her hand. She bit her lower lip as she tried to control herself from crying. The longer she got to know Mrs. Chandler, the more she remembered Grandma Sandy. _Old people are probably the same_ , she told herself as they approached the building.

The closer they were to the door, the clearer the poster on the door became to Luna. Her eyes widened when she saw what was written on it.

> **Notice**
> 
> Please be informed that by the end of the month this building, the Library, will be shut down. It will be further developed into an interactive library.
> 
> The City Government Office

Luna looked from the sign to the two men, then to Mrs. Chandler and then back again. She was waiting for any reaction from the old woman, but the old woman's magnifying glasses were masking her expressions. The two men smiled and waved at Mrs. Chandler as they greeted her.

"We're sorry, ma'am, but it's the city's order," the shorter man said, patting Mrs. Chandler's back as though they had been friends before.

"I know, Bob," Mrs. Chandler replied, smiling at the man.

The two men then left while Mrs Chandler went to open the doors. Luna helped the old woman but she was too preoccupied to do more. Mrs. Chandler quietly went to her desk and brought out a pile of paper from under her desk. Luna wanted to talk to the old woman but it was as though Mrs Chandler did not want to say anything, _she's probably devastated._ Luna went to get her book and finish reading. However, as she read, her mind kept focusing on the notice pinned on the door of the building. It was the last chapter and the words on the book seemed to be floating in her head. The usual soothing voice that read to her in her mind was as uneasy as she was. _They could not close down the library, it has way too many books to be transferred._ Luna's mind started to race. She started to think of various ways to save the library from the devastating eviction that it is now facing. For the rest of the morning, Luna did not make any progress. She was stuck on her chair against the table, holding a book that she was no longer reading. When lunch came, Luna went over to Mrs. Chandler with half-thought solutions. _After all, I'm still a child, maybe she could polish my plans_.

"I brought sandwiches, Mrs. Chandler," Luna said, carrying her bag with sandwiches. "There's tuna and chicken," she added, trying to sound as casual as she could.

"Oh, that's nice of you, dear," Mrs. Chandler replied. "Sit on our table from yesterday and I'll make you a salad to add to your sandwiches," the old woman said, and then she disappeared in her homey office.

For the first few minutes of lunch, the two of them ate in silence until eventually, the girl could no longer hold her peace. She chewed on her sandwich then opened her mouth to speak but she closed it again as she tried to arrange her thoughts.

"Oh, this old building had been quite my home for the past few years," Mrs. Chandler said as she tried to keep her voice from shaking. "I guess I always knew this day would come, with all those new technologies we keep on having, I just never thought it would be today."

"Then, why don't we try and save it?" Luna asked as she stared at the old woman, "I mean, it's still two weeks until the month ends, I think that's plenty of time to stop them from closing it down."

"Oh dear, you do not quite understand." Mrs. Chandler smiled at the innocence of the girl.

"What do you mean? We can. We can still save it. I have a plan," Luna said, drawing her eyebrows together.

The girl seemed to be determined that Mrs. Chandler allowed Luna to explain what her plan was. The old woman humored Luna and so they spent the afternoon making posters and flyers out of markers and recycled sheets of bond papers.

> Help us save the library!
> 
> Sign the petition now!

Mrs. Chandler was amazed with the enthusiasm of the girl that she helped in stapling papers together for the petition and then, as they walked home, they gave out the flyers and pasted posters they have made on walls and electric posts. When Luna came home, she immediately thought of inviting her friends to join her cause; apparently, she remembered that they were against it and they might make fun of her, so, she laid on her bed and allowed her mind to drift for a few minutes.

When her mind cleared for a little bit, she jumped out of bed and started thinking. She thought of telling her parents about it but the words of her father telling her not to go to the library flashed in her mind. She went over to her computer to tell her best friend across the world about it, but she had a feeling that 18phoeb2014 will not understand her as well. She felt lost. Her mind was still racing with other things to do. Her heart was beating uneasily in its chambers and her hands started to clench. She had to do more.

She opened her computer then her blog window. She clicked on a new post and started typing. It was her best idea and, in her mind, it was going to work.

I have been struggling to remember the past. I guess I blocked too many memories, including the good ones, that's why I had a hard time remembering, until recently.

I walked in the doors of that library not knowing what was in store for me. I never had the slightest idea that I would be able to see, hear and feel what I had lost, in the four corners of that incredibly scary building.

Now, the place where I found my peace and my memory is about to be changed and crumbled. I do not want that to happen and I think there are those who would not want that too. Why don't we come together and preserve it? Protect it, like it protected years of history and knowledge drafted in millions and millions of pages. Pages that revived every sense in my fingers and every strand of creativity in my mind. And like it had protected the memories that I had lost.

#letssavethelibrary

#feelingabook

Little Luna

After publishing her post in her blog page, Luna stretched her hands then turned off her computer. She was not very hungry that night and so she forced sleep to come as she waited for the next day.

# Chapter Eleven

The next day, Luna woke up early to give out flyers to the joggers passing by their street as she waited for Mrs. Chandler. She printed out copies of her blog post and then posted some on the walls. She was very determined to save the library, after all, it became her home and Mrs. Chandler's. She had found refuge in stacks of books lined in tall shelves, and she did not want to see that newfound home destroyed. Luna was too focused on giving out her flyers that she did not notice Mrs. Chandler walking towards her.

"You woke up quite too early, dear," Mrs. Chandler greeted, smiling at Luna.

"Oh, hi! Good morning, ma'am," Luna replied, feeling surprised with the old woman's sudden appearance.

Mrs. Chandler was, again, wearing a pair of black slacks and a cotton blouse. She smiled at the girl and then they started walking to the library. Luna was able to give out a few flyers as they walked and then, when they reached the building, Luna was disappointed with what she saw. She was very positive that their efforts would bring out good results; apparently, as usual, the building stood eerie and quiee in the middle of a grass-filled lot. Luna looked around, hoping that the people might just be sitting somewhere, waiting for the doors to be opened, but there were none. She sighed out of despair then pushed open the doors along with the old woman.

"What's wrong, dear?" Mrs. Chandler asked, as she placed her bag on top of her desk.

"Nothing. I just thought they'd be lining up here already," Luna replied, looking down at her shoes.

"It's way too early to give up, child. Rome wasn't built in a day, you know." Mrs. Chandler smiled, rubbing Luna's back.

For a few seconds, Luna saw Grandma Sandy in Mrs. Chandler. With the words that the old woman said, it was as though Grandma Sandy was there, listening to Luna. The girl smiled back at Mrs. Chandler then walked over to get her usual book. She sat on the wooden chair facing the door and laid the book on the table. Luna watched the door as she waited for people to enter. For most of the morning, Luna stayed there, breathing unevenly as signs of people coming to sign was nonexistent. The book laid motionless on the table. Luna placed a hand over it and felt the smooth grooving texture of the book. She did not open the book as she waited in silence.

Lunch came and there was still no one. She walked over to Mrs. Chandler with a brown bag of her usual sandwiches. Mrs. Chandler smiled at Luna then they ate lunch. They were not speaking. The old woman opened and closed her mouth more than once but she could not think of anything else to say to the girl.

That afternoon, Luna went home without reading a single word from her book. No image of Wizard Howl, the Witch of the Waste and Sophie visited her mind. The usual soothing voice had become dumb in her mind's ears. She had shut down all other thoughts in her mind except for the notice pasted on the door of the library. She went straight to bed and did not even bother to open her computer. She simply laid on her bed in silence and waited for sleep to get her as she closed her eyes.

On the remaining days of the week, Luna and Mrs. Chandler walked to the library together. As usual, Mrs. Chandler sat on her desk and started to read pages and pages of papers. Luna pretended to read her book, although she had not moved from the first paragraph of the final chapter of the book. She continued to wait for any sign of people who might come to the library and sign the petition, but she saw no one. In the afternoons, she would check the signature papers even though she knew that it would just contain two signatures—hers and Mrs. Chandler's.

During the final day of that week, Luna's confidence had wavered. She knew no one would come but she hoped for something to happen. At lunch that day, Mrs. Chandler went over to Luna's table. Luna was holding the book up to her face but she was obviously not reading it. The old woman sat on the chair across Luna and cleared her throat.

"It seems like you haven't moved from there, dear," Mrs. Chandler said, placing both of her wrinkly hands on top of the table.

"I'm sorry," Luna replied, putting the book down. "I just don't understand why no one came yet."

"Oh dear, sometimes we need to give way for other things to grow," Mrs. Chandler explained, smiling calmly at the girl.

"But this became your home," Luna reasoned, gesturing around her.

"That only means I need to look for a new home, dear. Besides, these books need to find a new place to stay already."

As Mrs. Chandler spoke, Luna remembered her grandmother whenever Grandma Sandy tried to temper down one of Luna's tantrums. Luna saw her grandmother in the back of her mind and then her quickly beating heart slowed down to a relaxed one. She wanted to shout but, after seeing the calm expressions of Mrs. Chandler in front of her and Grandma Sandy in her mind, Luna was able to sigh out the uneasiness of the situation. She did not want to let it go, but she was ready to accept the situation.

"Well then, I guess we need to start cleaning up," Luna finally said, as she clutched the book in front of her.

"I suppose so, dear, but for now, why don't you finish reading your book first," Mrs. Chandler said, smiling at the girl then left a bowl of potato salad on top of the table.

Luna looked around her as tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped her eyes with her sleeves and took a deep breath. There was still a lump on her throat and as she focused on the book in front of her, she remembered herself seven years ago. How she refused to leave Grandma Sandy's closet and how she stayed in her grandmother's room for hours as she held on the book she first (and last) read to the old lady. That same feeling engulfed her as she turned to focus on the words on the book. She did not quite understand why she felt that way though. These were just books and Grandma Sandy was a human, _how could I be feeling the same way towards them both?_ Regardless of the reason, Luna cleared her mind and as she was about to continue reading, there were a couple of people who went in the building.

"Excuse me," said the petite blond girl to Mrs. Chandler, "is this library really going to close down?"

"I suppose so, dear," Mrs. Chandler replied, looking at the girl and pointing at the door where the notice was posted.

"Well, you don't suppose we could get a feel of it one last time then?" Asked the gangly dark-haired girl who was already scanning the shelves.

"Go on right ahead, dear," Mrs. Chandler answered, smiling at the two girls.

Luna watched the girls browse over the shelves and pull out books that they wanted to read. Luna gave them a curtly smile and turned to her book. She started to read. The words began to engulf her as the world around her started to turn into a castle filled with chalk drawings. The voices of the characters started to resound in Luna's mind and as she continued to read, the familiar soothing voice of an old lady that read to her changed into a more familiar voice. The voice she had been craving for for a long time. Luna bit her lower lip and swallowed down her tears as she allowed the voice of Grandma Sandy to continue reading to her.

"I finished it gran'ma," Luna said under her breath as she closed the book and looked around her.

# Epilogue

Mrs. Alessandra Robbins was a pretty old lady with graying wavy hair that she tied in a high ponytail. She had a quirky smile that softened the wrinkles around her jolly brown eyes. She was a very common 64-year-old lady, but in my eyes, she was the most amazing grandmother anyone could ever have.

There are a lot of things I probably love, but it was with her that I found true love. Her voice had always been my refuge whenever thunder scared me. She would read to me, drowning the loud thunder passing by. I called her my Grandma Sandy.

It had been very painful for me when she passed away. I did not know what to do during her absence that it caused me to forget almost everything about her. Now, as I remembered her, I realize that I did not miss her that much, but instead, I missed her so much.

In the confines of my room, I found nothing but fragments of imaginations about who she was and what she was to me. But, in the confines of an eerie building governed by an old scary woman, I found all the bits and pieces of the memory I had blocked from my mind. I had forgotten how my grandmother was with me, but as I felt the books and read through the pages, I soon remembered her voice, how she spoke and how she laughed with me. I loved my grandmother so much that I forgot how she and I connected when she passed on.

Now I understand what I had been missing this entire time. I focused on her that I lost every connection I had. Finally, I found it. Now, I am sure that I am with Grandma Sandy at all times. She taught me many things and I think I will continue learning those things as I move on.

Luna was finally able to submit her paper. She, however, was a few days late so Ms. Walters deducted points from her. After sending her paper, she turned off her computer then went out of their house. Her parents were by the front lawn enjoying a cup of coffee as they browsed over their tablets for the latest fashion. Luna did not bother to disturb them. She crossed the lawn and enjoyed a lung-full of fresh air, and then she crossed the street to an open garage across.

In that open garage, there were a couple of people browsing over familiar covers of books lined in small shelves. Mrs. Chandler was by her coffee table, reading a nice pocket book as she enjoyed a cup of tea. The library had been closed down and was now being renovated. But many things had changed as well. Mrs. Chandler was now wearing a long flowy brown skirt, her graying hair was now cut short and she allowed it to hang loose from her head. She, however, did not change her glasses, but she had lost her scary appearance—at least a little bit.

Luna greeted the couple sharing a table then went over to Mrs. Chandler. The old woman smiled as the girl hugged her. Mrs. Chandler went back to her book as Luna allowed her fingertips to feel the array of books in front of the garage. The books had found a new home and Luna had found her connection. She never forgot Grandma Sandy again.
