The next day, Simina skipped happily through the village, heading toward the village library, wearing a warm dress, a shawl draped around her shoulders, a scarf, and a pair of warm woolen mittens. In her hand, she carried a book with her to return to the librarian. She just finished reading a book about vampires. She wanted to read something new and knew the library wouldn't disappoint.
The small village of Lazera bustled with the noise of crowds during the busy afternoon hours. The clomping of hooves across the cobblestone streets rang in her ears as villagers traveled on horseback. The vendors lined on the streets caught the attention of passersby, belting out sales and discounted prices on their items, and other reasons why their items should be purchased over others. Some sold petty jewels, others fruits. The sound of cracking, splitting wood permeated the air as the lumberjack chopped firewood in preparation for the cold, long winter months.
When Simina arrived at the library, she pushed the little door open. A bell jingled above her head, sounding her arrival as she walked in. Warmth flooded through her as she stepped inside. Before the door fully closed, the cool autumn breeze blew in with bone-chilling numbness. Heat flushed her face. Simina's nose and cheeks turned pink from the autumn chill.
The librarian looked up from where he sat at his desk, just right of the door. The old man smiled cheerily at her, his plump cheeks growing all rosy. A wild tuft of white hair protruded from his head.
"Simina, my dear, how are you? What can I do for you today?" Mr. Blikman asked her with a fond greeting. Simina smiled and waved at him.
"Hello, Mr. Blikman. I'm looking for something new today," she told him, standing at the desk and handing him the finished book. Blikman flipped out a pair of spectacles and put them on, the nosepiece barely resting on his nose's edge.
"Finished already, eh?" He picked the book up with two shaky, wrinkled hands. Simina nodded proudly. She breezed through books like a champ. Well, ones she really liked.
"It was good!" Simina exclaimed, "I just couldn't put it down!" Blikman smiled. He admired Simina's joy in reading. He thought perhaps when she got a bit older, she'd become a schoolteacher. Real bright girl, he thought, real bright. Possesses a very broad mind, too. He adjusted his glasses.
"Anything in particular you were looking for today?" he asked. Simina wandered to the mythical legends and folklore section. She craned her neck to look up at the highest shelf. She adored the high bookcases that towered to the ceiling, crammed with books and more books as far as the eye could see. Every nook, corner, and cranny housed a book, a sight Simina never tired of.
"No, not really. But I'll snag the first book I see that piques my interest," Simina told Mr. Blikman. She scanned the many rows and shelves of books with very catchy titles, but Simina had already probably read half of them.
Simina stroked her fingers along the spine of each book as her eyes scanned each row. The Big Bad Wolf, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Brothers' Grimm, Vampires: The Monsters of The Night, Werewolves: Slaves of the Full Moon, and many more fascinating stories of the supernatural. She'd read all of those, of course. Sometimes, if she really liked a specific book, she'd check it out multiple times and read it many times over.
Most of these stories, however, had been derived from the planet Earth.
She didn't mind; Simina enjoyed Earthen tales and Zormonian tales. She'd read an equal amount of both.
Simina had heard of the planet Earth but had never been. She knew that Earth was much, much different than Zormonia and they weren't a magical species. However, Zormonia and Earth frequently traded goods. Most of the goods Zormonia offered to Earth came from the wealthier sectors, like Summerville. She'd read about Summerville in a book. It was very, very far from her small, quaint village of Lazera.
Most Zormonians possessed some sort of magical talent. Despite being born on the planet Zormonia, Simina had yet to show magical affinity. She was unsure if she didn't have any powers, or if they were hidden. The Zormonian species varies from place to place. Some look stranger than others, while some look more like humans, and some can even do strange things with their bodies. They also differ from humans in how they tend to live longer lives. The average Zormonian usually lives about five thousand years. In very rare cases, a Zormonian can live up to fifteen thousand years. Simina read a book once about the oldest Zormonian, who was supposedly over fifteen thousand years old.
Zormonians get their magic from the planet itself. Zormonia's core is a crystal containing pure, unfiltered magical energy. Most Zormonians are able to channel this magic, and most Zormonians gain a distinct magic power during puberty. For a select few, however, this power may develop later or not at all. It's a rare occurrence for a Zormonian to not possess any magic at all. This may be due to genetics; perhaps they are not completely Zormonian. Or, some have theorized that the magic core inside the planet deems some Zormonians "unworthy" of magic, suggesting that the planet has a mind of its own.
Otherwise, the reason why some do not possess any magical ability is unknown.
A deity created Zormonia, by the name of Zormon. The Zormonian Religious Texts states that he created the magical core and bestowed magical properties upon the land and its people. Others suggest the moon has something to do with the existence of magic. Strange crystals grow on the surface, and occasionally break off and fall to the planet. They come in four colors: red, pink, blue, and purple. Red has the least power while purple has the highest. When held or used in potions or enchantments, the crystals enhance the effect of the potion and/or the power of the spell or enchantment. These crystals can also be found on Zormonia's surface, in places such as caves, and certain bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, and ponds.
Once a child begins to show signs of possessing a magical ability, the parents train and coach them, or they are sent to a school that specializes in magic training. Not only are they taught how to use and control their powers, they learn about how their society functions, their government, and the history of their planet.
After letting her thoughts wander for a moment, Simina's eyes caught on the spine of a book as she read the title. Her fingers stopped on it. The Dark Prince, the spine read, each letter emblazoned in bright, striking gold. Simina carefully stroked her fingers along each word and easily slipped the book from its resting place.
She looked at the cover, which repeated the title. Under the title, it read Lazerian Folklore. She opened the book and read the first page. Before she could even read past the second sentence, Mr. Blikman interrupted her.
"Find anything that interests you yet?" His voice floated across the large room, through the large shelves of books, and into her ears. She looked up and closed the book.
"Hm? Oh yes, I think I have," Simina said and wandered back over to Mr. Blikman's desk, still gazing down at the book. Her fingers itched to turn the pages, eyes yearning to feast upon the words encased within.
Simina looked up, smiled, and handed the book to Mr. Blikman. Applying his spectacles once again, he took it from her and read the title. A very mysterious smile stretched his lips, making Simina's skin crawl. She shivered, brushing her arms as if they were covered in bugs.
"Ah. This is a good one," Mr. Blikman said and opened the book. Simina put her hands behind her back, clasping them. Mr. Blikman had said that about every book she'd ever checked out, but the way he said it this time sounded different. Simina picked up something in his voice that she couldn't quite grasp.
As he closed the book and handed it back to her, he said, "You know, some people say that this story is actually true."
Simina took the book eagerly from his hands.
"But that's just silly. Everyone knows that these stories aren't real," Simina said. Mr. Blikman held up one finger.
"Ah, but how do they know? Just because you've never seen any of these things you read about in stories doesn't mean they don't exist," Mr. Blikman told her. Simina said nothing. He smiled at her.
"You enjoy that book, now," he said with a strange grin and mysterious gleam in his eyes. Simina nodded and walked out. Cool air greeted her once more, tickling her cheeks and sprouting goosebumps all across her flesh.
Curious about what Mr. Blikman said, she wondered if it could be true.