CHAPTER THREE

“THE MOON is round and unusually bright tonight. What do you think?” Jo said as they cross the street.

Tsa looked up and realized Jo was right.

The moon looked bigger in the night sky. Its glow was impossible to miss. It looked... magical.

“You’re right. Isn’t it strange, though?” Tsa commented.

“Hmm? You’re right. But I never saw the moon as beautiful as this.”

“It looks like it was taken out of a fantasy book.”

They both giggled.

“I agree.” Jo nodded.

“Good evening!” Tsa greeted as she pushed the bookshop’s glass door.

“Woah.” Jo looked amazed at the windchimes dancing.

“You’re fifteen minutes early,” Av said,

“We want to get our hands on these books first before anyone else does.”

Ava nodded, smiling. “Of course.” Then she fixed her gaze at Jo.

“I haven’t seen her face before. Is she new here?”

“Me?” Jo pointed at herself. “Yeah, I’m new in this town. I got a job here.”

“We haven’t introduced ourselves formally,” Tsa said. “I’m Tsa, and this is Jo. She works in Coffee Leaf, too.”

“I’m Av. `Nice to meet you. All of our old titles are at fifty percent off. I hope you take as much as you want.”

“That’s for sure,” Tsa agreed. “Let’s go, Jo.”

“GOSH, THEY got lots of medical-thriller books here!” Jo began pulling whatever her hand touched from the shelves.

“You read those stuff?”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“I read cheesy romances. And fantasy, too.”

“I used to be a Biology student. We were struggling financially, so I didn’t get to finish it and had to shift my course.”

“Do you plan to write medical thrillers, too?”

“That takes a lot of research. I guess it’s one of the reasons why I chose to write romance instead. What about you? Do you have any dream writing project?”

“Hmm...” Tsa pursed her lips and stared at the books in front of her. “I’ve always wanted to write fantasy novels with dragons and monsters in it. I want to be the next JK Rowling or Cassandra Clare. I want to write a children’s book.”

“That’s cool.” Jo was already holding three books in her hands. “I’ll be the first one to ask for a sign once your book comes out.”

Tsa laughed. “I’m not even sure when I could write it. Hey, that’s the fantasy section. I’ll go check it out.” She pointed across the room.

“Yeah, sure.”

Tsa remembered she had read a book about a reimagined Beauty and the Beast. It was even adapted into a movie. The book had spin-offs. If she’s lucky, she might find those books here.

“BOOKS are wicked. They can get you broke and not regret it,” Tsa muttered as she put two more novels in her almost full cart. She never heard from Jo again. She disappeared from her sight as she moved to the other side of the shelf.

Tsa glanced at the wall clock. It’s almost midnight.

“I think I got all I need,” she said as her basket already felt heavy.

When she was about to go to the counter, she heard the sound of the clock as it struck twelve and a thud from behind, as something had fallen to the floor.

Tsa turned around and saw a book in hardbound. She went to pick it up and wiped specks of dust from it. It was weird. How could a book fall when there was not enough force to move it?

‘Never Ending Story,’ the title said. On the cover, there were illustrations of three boys, each riding a horse and were off to somewhere. She could only see their backs. In the sky was the moon and it looked like...

Tsa felt something strange about the moon. She rushed to the glass wall and looked at the moon outside. Then she turned her eyes on the cover. The moon on the cover and the moon above her looked precisely the same!

But... that’s because the moon’s supposed to look like ‘that,’ right? How else?

Coincidence, she thought.

She flipped the book and read the description at the back.

The whole kingdom is in chaos. A powerful, evil wizard kidnapped Princess Amethyst. Raiden, Aidan, and Zaiden—three knights with magical powers must come together to defeat him and bring the princess back to the palace. And only one of them can win her heart.

“It’s a children’s book,” Tsa whispered.

Tsa wondered whether she should take it or put it back. There was no author’s name on the book cover. She opened the book, and the first page had only the title in it. She turned another page, and there was a dedication in it.

'If you believe in your heart that the characters you love are real, they will become real.'

Tsa could not help smiling. It’s something a child would really believe in.

She put the book in her basket. She might get inspiration. And who knows, she could write her own children’s book sooner than she thought.

“YOU GOT good taste,” Av said as Tsa put the basket on the counter.

Tsa wondered if Av only said that as a PR strategy.

“I worry about my budget,” she joked.

Av laughed as she began to scan the barcode of each book.

“Aren’t you interested with our new titles, especially the local ones?” she asked.

Tsa turned to the direction of the shelf behind her. New books were displayed in front. She saw a book that ended with ‘academy’ on the cover.

“I had a list of local books which I haven’t read yet. Next time maybe,” she said. “Is that book great?” She pointed at the book she spotted.

“Oh, that? I heard it was written by a young writer and it was really popular online.

“I hope it’s not overrated.”

“Sorry to disappoint you but it is.”

“Again?” Tsa sighed.

“That’s how publishing works now. If you’re popular, publishers will come for you and offer you a contract. I gave that book a chance. Unfortunately, the publisher really did take advantage of the hype to profit from it. It wasn’t edited and proofread well. The story wasn’t ready at all. To say that it’s mediocre is an understatement. I feel sorry that the writer was bashed. But the readers are blinded by their admiration for the writer, too. They overlooked the quality of the book because they were totally smitten by the author. They deserved more than that.”

“But they don’t mind getting involved in cheap internet fights, though,” Tsa added. “It must be a good thing that we're too old for that.”

Av chuckled.

“You’re right.”