From the Shelves to the World
Lyra’s adventure
Meet Lyra, a young woman who had a comfortable life as a librarian, but always felt something was missing. Lyra had a passion for adventure and exploration, but her timid nature had always held her back. “I wish I could run away to far-off places and go on daring expeditions”, she daydreamed, but she never thought she would have the courage to actually go on one.
One day, as Lyra was shelving books, a mysterious stranger walked into the library. The stranger handed her a folded piece of parchment and disappeared as quickly as he had come. Lyra opened the parchment and read the message:
You have been chosen for a great quest. Your courage and determination will be put to the test, but the rewards will be great. You have one week to prepare, and then we will come for you. Your destiny awaits.
“Wow, that sounds like the opportunity I have always been waiting for!”, Lyra exclaimed almost aloud.
But immediately went back to her safe place fearful about having to let go of her stable job and comfortable life. On her way back home that evening, she called her mom for advice.
“As much as I’d hate to see you go far away, I can sense the surge of excitement in your voice as you describe this expedition. I think you already know what you need to do!” were the words Lyra couldn’t believe her mom uttered.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that this was her chance to live the life she had always dreamed of as she walked to her apartment. The stakes were high.
“If I don’t accept this call, I would continue living a safe and uneventful life. But if I accept, I would be embarking on a journey filled with uncertainty and danger, but also the potential for great reward and fulfillment”, Lyra continued debating the offer in her mind that night, laying in bed wide awake.
Next morning, the moment Lyra unlocked the gates to her library, she knew this was the last time she was entering that library! “I quit”, she told her boss, and left to prepare for the journey ahead. She was scared and knew that it would not be easy, but the adrenaline rush from making the decision to pursue this call was enough to get her over that hump.
“Well, how do I even begin, what supplies do I need, how do I gain survival skills, where do I go to learn self-defense”, were just some of the thoughts that started racing through her mind as Lyra marked the day on her calendar for the impending contact from her supposed mentor.
Inspired by Microcosm’s prompt:
Anand Taralika is a Software Engineer who writes about use of tech, data, machine learning for finance, healthcare, sustainable energy and also dabbles into fiction. Get these stories directly in your inbox, so you never miss a story!
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