Warning: Book Is Angry

The overpass kept him out of the blaring afternoon sun, which wasn’t good for the book. It wasn’t good for him. He felt like he dried out twice before reaching the shade of the overpass. The warm fizz drink fizzed no more, but it kept him hydrated. At least he still drank water, more of it than ever despite his smaller size.

Lilly kept quiet during the entire walk. A hot breeze blew under the overpass. It didn’t do much to relieve Jorseph’s overheating. He took off the sweat-soaked hoodie and tossed it in the sun to dry.

The shade relieved his aching, reddening, tightening skin. Muscles strained. His calves cramped, so he sat on the concrete ramp of an abandoned skate park. Forget skating. This body wilted under the heat and gravity of his own world.

Lower legs looked thicker than he was used to. He rubbed his calves. They were soft, but he could tense the muscle underneath to make them less soft. His wiry dragon muscles were better. They didn’t get tired after a simple walk. They were like armor.

The satchel plopped down in front of him. The book rested on top of it. A final long sip of the warm sugary drink emptied the tall paper cup. He folded the paper and put it in the MukDrogan’s bag with his leftovers.

Cicadas chirped from a bamboo thicket. They drowned out the sounds of traffic but when the train roared overhead, they silenced themselves. As the train moved away, one tentatively chirped. The others soon joined in chorus with renewed frenzy.

The sweaty tank top clung to his chest. It pulled away from his new skin with some resistance. He sat hunched to keep it from attaching again. Wet fabric hung from his shoulders to air dry. Dragons didn’t ooze water from their bodies like this. This form felt awful. His fingers sensed everything. The scratchy concrete bothered him. Sharp stones hurt. Leaves itched. This curse wasn’t only ugly, it absolutely sucked.

Bushes of knotweed at the sides of the crumbling ramp and tall stalks from the cracks concealed the boy and his spellbook. A broken skateboard rotted against the overpass pillar. Jorseph used to skate here with his friends a few years back. How fast the park degraded bothered him. They still used it from time to time, but an indoor skate park had opened that was more popular.

He poked the spellbook. It wasn’t like he’d be skating again ever if he didn’t get Lilly to help him. The cover refused to open. He tried to pry it open. The book clamped shut. It groaned angrily so he quit trying.

“Well, you stopped crying at least. Are you feeling better?”

“A little bit. I kind of needed that?”

“I never had a book that didn’t want to be read before.”

“Well, I’ve never had someone split me open and look at my guts before.”

“Is that what it feels like, being opened, like you’re being injured?”

“Yes and no. It doesn’t hurt. But it does feel vulnerable. I don’t really feel pain anymore. But I can feel pressure. I can still tell when I’m being hurt, or well, damaged. I can tell that my pages are fragile and your clumsy hands will rip them. I bet your textbooks are in deplorable condition!”

Jorseph looked away as a blush rose up his neck. She’d called it exactly as it was. Even Mr. Grabberson yelled at him for leaving claw marks in the store books. His mom had to pay several fines for damaging library property. Though Jorseph suspected he made a big deal about it to get more money.

“I promise to take good care of you. Even if I get my claws back, I’ll keep them retracted when I read you.”

“You think I’ll let you read me?”

“Well, eventually, if you ever trust me.”

“You’ll at least clean the grease and salt off your hands?”

Jorseph wiped his hands over his pants, “And I’ll make sure my hands are clean and dry. Would you like to come out again? I’m sure it must be lonely being stuck inside that book with nobody to talk to.”

The crescent moon glowed. A shade of symbols grew like a clump a water. It slowly took the shape of silhouetted figurine, “It is. It’s quite lonely. Thank you for saving me. I’m sorry for lashing out at you. I missed having someone to talk to. I missed hearing someone’s voice.”

“Cool, can you turn me back now?”

The figurine glitched. Static haze erupted from the moon about her legs as they separated and then distinguished themselves. She remained quiet and appeared to be looking down, “I don’t even remember what you looked like to start with. Besides, you look perfectly normal to me except for a few things.”

The form reminded him of the tales his mother used to tell him about genies, “So no wishes?”

“No. I don’t grant wishes. I’m just a human. I’m only seventeen. At least I was. I don’t even know how long I’ve been sealed up.”

Jorseph pounded the pavement, “You made some weird barrier appear so I couldn’t use the toilet. You turned me into something completely different. I saw you float. I saw you heat a toilet until it glowed. Don’t tell me you can’t grant wishes!”

The silhouette waved its hands as it became a little bigger, “That’s entirely different than wishes. I can’t even read myself! The things I’m able to do just sort of happen depending on how I’m feeling. I’m sorry. I wish I could change you back. If I could fix you, I’d do it. I swear I’m not holding back just to be mean or keep you with me.”

A golden dragonfly buzzed past Jorseph’s nose toward the bamboo thicket, “You said you’d been stuck in there for ages. Haven’t you learned to do anything in all that time?”

The book shuddered, “I couldn’t see anything. I only heard muffled noises and static. I couldn’t feel anything beyond that leather pressing against me. What do you want from me? I’ve only been able to look at my spells since you removed me from that case. And none of them are written in a language I can understand. Stuff just happens when I feel a certain way. That’s all there is too it. I can barely control his stupid body.”

“You and me both. Let’s start from the beginning. Do you have any idea who or what cursed you?”

“I know exactly who cursed me,” the cover glowed red. The golden moon became molten, “That little demon with the eyeball for a head pulled us here. He changed me into a book. What he did to my best friend. Unspeakable. The things I’m going to do to him once I get the chance.”

Jorseph got on his hands and knees and looked over the spell book as his damp shirt hung down in the hot breeze. His brow furrowed, “You mean Mr. Grabberson? No way! He’s always been kind to me. He’s been watching me for mom since forever. I’m sure this is all a big misunderstanding. He can probably help you get back to normal.”

The book floated. Unhappy laughter escaped from inside, “A misunderstanding!? Is that what all of that was?! That’s funny coming from you. Maybe I did curse you. But you’re still a being. I’m an object! I’ll show him a misunderstanding. He took- Everything- from us.”

A burst of power moved like a tidal wave in every direction. The foundations of the train overpass shuddered. Knotweed stalks snapped backward. The bamboo thicket waved. A cloud of cicada fled noisily in the opposite direction.

Jorseph felt his back crash against the skating ramp, “Lilly! That hurts.”

Wisps of symbols withdrew back into the book. It fell into Jorseph’s lap. He put his hands over it. Heat still pulsated from the cover, “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll confront him. I’ll get the truth out of him. I’ll find out why he did this to you and make him fix it.”

“You promise?”

“I swear on it.”

A scraping of claws caught Jorseph’s ear. Normally he’d have heard it from much further away. All his senses were like an ancient. This species he’d become was entirely defective.

Grabby clawed his way through the knotweed with one arm devoted entirely to protecting his eye. Leaves and dry brush clung to his shirt, “Jorseph! I know this is your favorite hiding spot! There you are! Wait?!” he screeched, “Who are you? Are you a human!?”

“You!” Lilly hissed.

“Fidglesticks!”

The book vibrated. A burning heat sizzled upon the cover. It shot meters upward and floated in place. Arms of symbols spread from the pages. A swarm of letters waved in strands like flowing hair. One wrapped around Grabby’s leg. It hung him upside down by the ankle.

Jorseph kicked as he hung from the book. He refused to let go even if the vibrations seared his palms. “Lilly, stop it! Stop! Please! I said I’d take care of it! Let’s talk about it!”

A burst of angry energy shot in his face, “Talking doesn’t do much good when your lips get slapped off!”

“Lilly no!”

The strand of syllables flung Grabby at the overpass. The airborne imp screeched at the top of his lungs.