text: Felicia was walking to meet friends when she noticed an old bookstore out of the corner of her eye. It was at the end of an alley. She'd never seen this bookstore before, but she had a thing for vintage, especially books; she visited the bookstore in her hometown so much that she was actually there more than the person who ran it. So, even though she would be late, she made her way down the alley and entered the bookstore. The inside was a musky, dusty, cluttered mess. She noticed an old man seated at the front desk but had to clamber over stacks of books to reach him. "I apologize for the mess; inventory day." "Oh, no worries... just..." Felicia said as she collapsed beneath a stack of old books. She reappeared in front of the old man at the counter. "Oh, you made it." "How come I've never heard of this store?" "Um, I'm not very good at advertising." "No, I've been down this road hundreds of times; how come I've never noticed this bookstore? But the place looks like it's been here for decades?" "It's sort of a pop-up." "Well, that makes sense. What do you recommend?" "We have plenty of tales to share, but before I show you where they are, I just want to warn you that this place may get a little strange." "Strange?" "Have you ever heard the expression "lost in a book?" "Yeah." "You can literally get lost in a book here. I mean, any of these books will take you into the plot and allow you to interact with the characters, but there are some ground rules to follow." Felicia scoffs, she doesn't believe in magic and certainly doesn't believe she can walk among her favorite characters, but she opts to play along. "Oh yeah, what are the rules?" "You shall only play the role of the voyeur; do not interact with the characters, do not change the plot, and by no means do not make the main characters fall in love with you." Felicia laughs. "You may laugh, but a woman who visited Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park" unwittingly had Edmund fall in love with her, destroying the book's ending. Instead, Fanny married the dubious and untrustworthy Henry, and, happily ever after, became trapped in a loveless marriage. It took 7 months of entering the book to get the plot to resemble what it used to be." "Well, I don't think that'll be an issue." "Rule number two is to adhere to the genre and time period rules. Don't start talking about aliens and other science fiction rubbish if you're in a fantasy book; don't start talking about automobiles and floppy disks if you're living in medieval times." "Floppy disks?" Felicia rolled her eyes, "are there any other rules?" "Finally, protect your own safety. Some of these books exist in dangerous times, be mindful, don't get yourself sent to the guillotine; if you die in the book, you die for real." "Can I try one? Don't go crazy; anything you have on top of one of these stacks will do." The old man looked about. "What about this?" He took out an old, leather-bound edition of "The Great Gatsby." "If you want to come back, simply perform jazz hands with your hands in the sky," the old man added as Felicia agreed. Felicia opened the book, experiencing a rush of excitement as she did so. She had no idea what to expect, but before she knew it, she was in the heart of a roaring 20s party. She encountered characters she was familiar with, such as Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, as well as those she was unfamiliar with, such as Jordan Baker. She couldn't believe what she was seeing; it was like being in a movie, only she was there, right in the middle of it. She played by the rules, remaining in the background and observing, but she was captivated by the world she found herself in. She was living the glitz and luxury of the roaring twenties, and it was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. She heard a ruckus and noticed Gatsby arguing with a man in the shadows. Was that Meyer Wolfsheim, a guy only mentioned in passing in the story? Was she able to pinpoint the part organized crime played in Gatsby's life once and for all? She couldn't help herself and moved closer to see what was going on. She accidentally bumped into Jordan Baker, who glared at her. "Who are you?" Jordan asked. Felicia was terrified when she realized she had broken the first rule. She lurched backward, looking for an exit. Felicia wiggled her fingers, but they were spirit fingers rather than jazz hands, and no portal appeared. "Um, please take me out, please take me out!" Felicia yelled to the sky, but there was no response. "Are you insane? Come with me; I need your help." Felicia stared up at the sky as Jordan dragged her away. They enter a room where Daisy has been crying about her husband's infidelity. She looked up at Felicia right away. "Who are you?" Daisy asked. Daisy was much more stunning than she appeared in the book. Felicia just needed one look to see why Tom and Gatsby fell in love with her; she was charming, clever, and captivating. "I'm no one; I'm sorry I shouldn't be here," Felicia exclaimed as she left the room. Daisy, on the other hand, was intrigued by one look. She followed Felicia and eventually cornered her by the pool. "You have a lovely face; who are you? I need to know." Daisy asked. Felicia couldn't stop herself since Daisy was so alluring. "My name is Felicia, and I really shouldn't be talking to you. You're also beautiful." "Thank you so much, Felicia. I like you a lot." Daisy grows frustrated and scared as she hears a noise coming from the home. "I'm done with this party; my husband and his friends will be there to take me back. Let's leave together, leave all this behind for one night." "Oh, I don't think that's such a good idea." The commotion is getting closer. "Come on, Felicia; I need to get away for the night. Let's go to the city." Felicia smiles and makes jazz hands. A portal appears in the pool unexpectedly. In the background, Tom can be heard shouting for Daisy. "Come with me," Felicia says as Daisy enters the portal and returns to the bookstore. Daisy looks around, confused. "Where are we?" "You're a character in a book; I was just visiting from this magic book store," Felicia said as she looked around for the old band, who was nowhere to be found. "A character?" "Yes, and when that old man returns, he'll be furious because I broke two rules: I interacted with the characters, and then I fell in love with one of the characters." "You fell in love with one of the characters? Who?" "It was love at first sight with you, Daisy." "Well, then, we should get away together; what other books does he have here?" Felicia glanced down and noticed "The Catcher in the Rye." "Didn't you say you wanted to travel to the city?" Felicia asked, opening the book. They met Holden Caulfield, the character who is searching for meaning and purpose in his life. However, with just one look at Daisy, he also falls in love. They go to museums, bars, and nightclubs together. Daisy is tired of the city and wants to see another book, so Felicia does jazz hands once more. Daisy, Felicia, and Holden all return to the bookstore to get their hands on another book. Throughout the night, they visit "Wuthering Heights," where they rescue Catherine Earnshaw from the Yorkshire Moors; "Great Expectations," where Pip follows them out of the Havisham mansion; and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," where Harry rides around in a flying car with Felicia, Daisy, Holden, Catherine, Pip, and himself. They all end up back in the bookstore. "Where should we go next?" Daisy asked as she picked up the book, "Dr. Ruth's Guide to Good Sex." "Perhaps we should just leave that one alone; we have the pre-teen version of Harry Potter," Felica suggested. The old man abruptly returned to the store and gazed around at all the characters standing outside their books. Felicia sighs. "All these characters must return to their books right now!" exclaimed the old man fiercely. Daisy panics and grabs the first book she sees, "The Diary of Anne Frank," dragging Felicia along with her. They are taken to Anne Frank's attic just before the Nazis are going to find them. They can be heard climbing the stairwell. Felicia swiftly does jazz hands, and a portal appears. Daisy invites Anne Frank to join her. "We can't bring her with us. She is not the real Anne Frank; she is just the character telling the story of a real person. Millions of people would miss out on this story about the Nazis' atrocities if this character did not exist; she must stay. You should go to your story as well." Felicia said. "I don't want to go back; I wasn't happy there. I'd rather stay here and seal my fate with this girl." "It was selfish of me to take you all from your books. You all have a purpose; you inspire, teach, and are an example of a human spirit that will live on in readers' hearts forever." "I'm not leaving." The Nazi soldiers are ready to enter the attic when the attic floor begins to move. Felicia started to cry. "We can't stay here, Daisy; if we die here, we're gone forever!" "It's okay, we all have destinies, and this is mine," Anne said, hugging Daisy. Daisy was persuaded to return by the sacrifice of the Anne Frank character. Felicia and Daisy then exited the portal and returned to the bookstore. The old man had been busy putting characters back into their books, and Daisy was no exception. Daisy and Felicia exchanged an embrace before Daisy returned. "You've always been one of my favorite characters, and you'll always have a special place in my heart." Felicia said as Daisy opened "The Great Gatsby" and disappeared into the pages.