In

a

forgotten

p

l

a

y

g

r

o

u

n

d

,

a

boy

f  o  u  n  d

r

e

f

u

g

e

in a

w o r n

book.

T h e

s

t

a

r

s

and

p

l

a

n

e

t

s

w i t h i n  its

p

a

g

e

s

were his

f

r

i

e

n

d

s

and

c

o

m

p

a

n

i

o

n

s

in the

adventures

that

         

filled

his

m

i

n

d

.

The

q

u

i

e

t

was a

c

 

o

 

m

 

f

 

o

 

r

 

t

 

i

 

n

 

g

b

 

l

 

a

 

n

 

k

 

e

 

t

,

w

r

a

p

p

e

d

a

r

o

u

n

d

him

by the

s

o

f

t

h

u

m

o

f

the

w

i

n

d

and the

g

e

n

t

l

e

s

w

a

y

o

f

t

r

e

e

s

 

.

As he

l

 

o

 

s

 

t

h

 

i

 

m

 

s

 

e

 

l

 

f

inside the

p

 

a

 

g

 

e

 

s

o

f

the book,

the

p

 

l

 

a

 

y

 

g

 

r

 

o

 

u

 

n

 

d

a

 

r

 

o

 

u

 

n

 

d

him

seemed to

g

r

o

w

m o r e

s

i

g

n

i

f

i

c

a

n

t

.

It

was

almost

as

though

the

crumbling

s

t

r

u

c

t

u

r

e

s

,

with their

faded

c

o

l

o

r

s

a n d

rusty

c

h

a

i

n

s

,

held a

s

e

c

r

e

t

waiting

to be

u

n

c

o

v

e

r

e

d

.

T h e   a i r

w a s   t h i c k

w i t h  t h e

s c e n t

o

f

d e c a y

and

f

o

r

g

o

t

t

e

n

m

e

m

o

r

i

e

s

,

and the boy's

h

e

a

r

t

a

c

h

e

d

w i t h  a

l

o

n

g

i

n

g

t o

k

n

o

w

m

o

r

e

.