Scarlet was on her way to the library to pick up a few books to read over the summer. She was walking, though the day was so hot she swore she could feel her rubber flipflops melting into the pavement. Only a few more steps to go until she was in the sweet coolness of the library, smelling all the books. Scarlet had decided to walk today because the library wasn't very far from her house - only a mile - and she loved the fresh air and the sharp feel of the sun, but she had misjudged just how high the temperature outside was. The library's door appeared in front of her and she opened it, feeling the blast of air-conditioning that she knew would feel good for five seconds until she started shivering. Likewise, the heat outside when she finally left would feel good until she was only two feet from the library on her way back home. It was that kind of day.
Scarlet took the stairs to the second floor where the fiction books were. There were quite a few people using the library to escape the heat of their own houses, but as Scarlet disappeared into the stacks, the noise seemed to disappear as well. She browsed through all her favorites and glanced at the new releases to see if any of her most-read authors had put out anything new. They hadn't. She shifted the five hardcovers in her arms and moved to nonfiction. Her routine during the summer was to get one book that involved snow of some sort in real life. A Mount Everest climb, a book on a snowboarder, an Olympic ice-skater's biography. When Scarlet imagined being there with them, she could actually feel the cool, crisp air of winter and stay cool while she baked in real life.
As she pulled a book on Mammals of the Tundra, a book that had been behind it fell on the floor with a muffled thump. Scarlet picked it up, about to put it back without looking at it, and then realized what it was: "Scary Stories". "Hey!" she said aloud. "I haven't read this in ages!" She used to love the thrill of reading the short, scary stories at night under her covers with a flashlight as a kid, even though it was technically a book for adults. She was in her late teens now and knew this book wouldn't even scare her, but her imagination might. She liked to wonder what she would do if it happened to her, and sometimes THAT was what scared her.
With the "Scary Stories" book on top of her summer reading pile, Scarlet checked out of the library and made her way back to the house. As anticipated, the hot air outside felt good after all the air-conditioning in the library, but she was only halfway back when she began to sweat. The books in her arms grew heavier and heavier until at last, she made it home. After Scarlet unlocked the door, she nudged it open with her foot. "Hello?" she called out.
No response.
"Mom? Dad?" she yelled again. She noticed a piece of paper on the table.
"Hi Scarlet. We're off to visit your Aunt Lisa for a bit. We may stay until dinner. Love you, Mom."
"All right!" Scarlet said to herself. She didn't like Aunt Lisa and any visit she missed automatically made the day a good one. Now she could get some reading done in peace. Scarlet went into her room and dropped all the library books on the floor. She picked one without looking; it was "Scary Stories". With the sun blazing through her windows, she began to read.... How it changed my life:to be continued You can join Unsolved Mysteries and post your own mysteries or
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