She was beautiful for her age. So young and full of spirit. It devastated her to hear the news of her parents death.

"It was an accident," the officer told her "They died at the scene.

Emily Didn’t know where she would go or what she would do. Her parents meant everything to her, and now they were gone. She starred out the window of the officers car as he drove her away from everything she knew and loved. In her fifteen years of life she had only been away from her birthplace once; on a family holiday to the sea. Now she was leaving for good, to live with a distant relative that she knew only as Mr. Linden.

The movement of the car and the sound of the wind lulled Emily into a soft slumber. She dreamt about creatures she had never encountered and people she had never met. When the car pulled to a stop, she couldn’t help but awake with a smile.

Mr. Linden’s house was large but ominous. It was similar only to houses she had seen in movies. The front doors were large and gothic; made of wood and metal, they looked like they not only would keep people out, but also keep people in. The windows contained glass that looked like it had been there from the buildings conception. There were cobwebs suspended in each visible corner, and gargoyles that had been worn down by years of weather.

"Mr. Linden said to drop you off here, you can go right in," the officer said as he removed Emily’s bags from the trunk. He opened one of the large doors and placed Emily’s bags on the inside step. "I’m sorry again about your loss" he commented before leaving.

Emily stood in the entry way and surveyed her new surroundings. The inside was dark and chill. The light from outside was diffused by the warped, old glass. The lamps and tables seemed to be blanketed in dust. She ran one of her delicate fingers along a table that stood next to her, slowly brushing off a line of dust from the aged wood surface.

"You must be Emily" A voice came from behind her. She turned, startled, and looked at the man who would be her new guardian.

Mr. Linden was younger than she expected. He appeared to be only in his late thirties. He had deep brown hair, that matched her own. Even in the dark, Emily could see the blue eyes that looked in her direction.

"I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to clean before your arrival." He said "The news of your parents came as a shock to me as well. Would you like me to show you to your room?"

Emily nodded, he picked up her bags and led her up a creaky wooden staircase. He guided her down a narrow old hallway to a room in the rear of the house. It had a large picture window and a large canopy bed with pastel pink linens. This room was much cleaner, and the light from outside was bright and warming. There were dolls sitting on the wooden dresser and an old teddy bear perched between pillows on the bed. He noticed her curiosity.

"My own daughter slept here at one time, but she passed away, " he sighed " cancer, and my wife left too, packed up and left with no explanation."

I’m so sorry" Emily said with a voice full of true sincerity.

"It’s all done now," he replied "I’ll be downstairs, dinner is at seven."

He turned and walked away leaving Emily in her new bedroom. She laid on the bed and drifted to sleep. When she awoke she looked at her watch it was almost seven. She wandered out of her room and down the musty hallway to the steps. She wandered around downstairs looking into the open doorways as she passed them. She looked into a room with large wooden bookshelves. She heard footsteps behind her, she turned to look at Mr. Linder standing behind her.

"I have only one request from you," he said "Whatever you do, don’t go in there. That’s the library, and I warn you now, it’s a dangerous place. You may go anywhere else in the house or on the grounds, but not in the library."

"-but…" Emily mumbled "I will respect your wishes even though I don’t understand them."

Several months passed, Emily spent her days wandering the grounds and talking on the phone. She had almost forgotten about Mr. Linder’s request for her to stay out of the library. She was adjusting to her new life as well as could be expected. Every day at seven she would wander down to the dinning room to eat with Mr. Linder. In the time Emily had spent there, he had never given her another name to call him by, they didn’t talk often. Emily was not aware of what occupied Mr. Linder’s days. She did not see him, nor hear him leave. She only assumed he had employment of some sort.

It was a rainy night in December, and Emily could not sleep. She took the flashlight she kept by her bed and tip-toed out of her room and down the steps. "I would really like to read" she thought to herself. Without a second thought she found herself standing in the library, looking over the names of the books before her. She grabbed a book of the top shelf and ran back to her room as quietly as she could.

She collapsed on the bed and turned on the lamp on her night stand. She read the title of the book over and over, Mysteries and Other True Tales. She slowly opened the worn leather cover and turned to the first page of text. She began to read when she noticed the text changing color, the words appeared to swirl together to form some sort of picture. Suddenly text appeared again, "You were warned… Now twenty years asleep you’ll stay." She didn’t understand what the words meant. Between the pages, a vine began to grow. It’s green tendrils touched Emily’s fingers, and twisted down her arm. She was alarmed, but felt her muscles tense up, she tried to move but to no avail. The vines grew till they reached the floor.

Attached to the vine, near Emily’s face was a blossom. The flower was the most beautiful Emily had ever seen, it was the most vibrant of blue with flecks of gold. She starred at it, mesmerized by it’s color. It sent a burst of a glittery dust into the air, before Emily’s eyes. She inhaled the dust, and felt her eyes begin to close, she fell into a deep slumber.

When Emily did not appear at dinner the next day, Mr. Linder walked upstairs to her room. He opened the door to find Emily asleep, covered in vines, with an open book in her hands. He knew instantly what had happened, and he knew there was nothing he could do but wait. Mr. Linder closed the door while whispering "sleep well, my dear."

Twenty years had passed slowly, and Mr. Linder had aged greatly. His hair was gray, and his face sullen. He sat next to Emily’s bed and waited. At the strike of midnight Emily awoke. She looked at the man before her.

"What… What happened?" She asked.

He simply replied, "I warned you about the library."