Flat 103

   An abandoned skyscraper that is surrounded by a modernistic city. Mysterious stories and rumors are carried in every single mouth of a library inside that building. There comes a wrinkled sad face entering the library. She’s Sara, A seventy-two years old warm lady with light grey colored hair which she always wore in a bun, big glasses, thick lenses and a jasmine soap scent clung to her skin. Sara has recently lost her soul mate that had been sharing happiness and wealth with her. A secret that has been berried with her husband troubled her and did not allow her any sleep.

    So she set off to the infamous library to seek an answer. There she stood face to face with a humongous door that proved to be heavy against her weak hands. Interrupted by a wail of a running miserable guy who, just like her, is looking for hope. The man shoved her aside and forced the door wide open. She collected her self and took a timid step inside. She was faced a spectacular chandelier, an expansive space with candle covered tables, owls in each cornerand hushed whispers filled the air even though the room was empty. Her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit interior, little to no light came through the rusted metal bars covering the doors and windows. Walking with heavy steps and deep breaths she made her way to the librarian’s desk. The heat emitted from the candles proved ubearable, she took of her jacket and placed it along with her rosary on top of the librarian’s desk. 

“Hello darling, can you lead me to my husband Adam’s book please?“ Sara asked.

“Section A”  the librarian rudely answered, her eyes fixated on her hand as she scribbled something on a paper. The Librarian only broke her attention to throw a piece paper on top of Sara’s jacket. Sara skimmed through the paper that read:

Library Policies

- Books are written by dead people’s souls. 

- Visitors are not allowed to take books out of the library, otherwise the library is not responsible for what will happen.

- Keep quite. 

- Don’t communicate with the souls (don’t listen or respond). 

- Don’t ever think of taking the staircase.

    Sara hurried up to the section with big passion to find her husband’s book. She kept looking for what seemed like an eternity and ended up with nothing. Defeated she started crying, that moment of defeat is when her mind stopped working and her heart started guiding her to her husband’s book. 

    A dusty book between her soft hands, labeled “ FLAT 103”. She was unaware of what she was supposed to do, to the extent that her loud fast heartbeats were audible and everything around her went freezing!

    After a moment of thinking, she opened the book excepting a message or a passage but she was surprised by the smell of her husband’s perfume. She hugged the book wishing it was Adam. She headed running toward the stairs and started climbing the long and winding stairs without thinking or stopping even though she was too old for it. Her Tiny weak body felt even smaller and weaker against the huge stairs. She climbed and climbed, only stopping when she heard the sound of the small beads of her rosary scattering across the stairs. But that didn’t stop her, and she continued climbing the steps. Her hair ruined, rapid breathing and swelling feet, the stairs finally claimed her. Sara came to consciousness, she was surrounded by open doors, white dusty curtains, ripped furniture and spider webs inside the flats on both sides. In place of the rosary she found a mirror in her hand, wondering what is the reason behind it she stood up and started to drag her feet step by step. The more steps she took, the lighter she felt, each grey hair turned back to black, the swelling faded and each wrinkle disappeared. Whenever She got closer to her destination she felt younger, Sara observed all these changes through the mirror in her hand.

    Till that last step opposite a door the read, FLAT 103.