Adam seemed somewhat impatient as he kept looking at the blinking red stone. Finally, the boy got tired of waiting; it had been 5 minutes, and the people ascending the stairs still hadn't finished climbing.

Deciding to kill time doing something else, Adam looked around, and there seemed to be no one in the aisle formed by the bookshelves.

With some hesitation, Adam approached one of the shelves and tried to pick up one of the books, but someone's voice interrupted him:

—Aren't you too young to be browsing through things you can't read, boy?

Adam looked in the direction of the sound, and it was the bookshelf itself; the face of what seemed to be an old woman was carved into one of the wooden frames. The face was also made of wood and seemed to be part of the shelf's decoration.

—Looks like someone got stuck on the stairs...— Adam replied, glancing at the sides of the aisle to make sure no one saw him —So I have some free time.

—Cheerful and innocent...— began the bookshelf, reciting with a happy smile and a grandmotherly voice —Oh, youth, when we didn't know the secrets of this world, when everything seemed like a joyful stroll through the aisles.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

But the smile on the wooden face suddenly stopped, as if a bitter thought had crossed the old woman's mind. Then, she looked at Adam with seriousness, saying with concern:

—But you must be careful, young man! Not all bookshelves are as good as I am. Some old bookshelves hold secrets that should be forgotten, and there are wicked bookshelves that will tell you lies to deceive you: Never trust unfamiliar bookshelves!

Adam nodded and then, somewhat fearful, turned his head to look around, but luckily, no one had heard the shelf's voice.

—I know you can't read any language...— the grandmotherly voice continued, looking at the boy's white robe —But there's a book of mine that contains a secret. It's on the third shelf. It's the one with a yellow spine, inscribed with the phrase 'Papel y Topos.' You can take the book, but promise me: you'll never seek to read another book from this hexagon until you get your black robe!

—I promise!— Adam said with a happy smile as he searched for the book.

Finally, Adam found the book and opened it. The boy didn't understand anything written in the book, but that didn't stop him from searching through its pages. After flipping through a few pages, Adam came across one that caught his attention.

The page was completely golden, and the words written on it appeared to be different characters from the rest of the book.

—So you can buy yourself some new shoes and a few candies— the grandmotherly voice said kindly —But remember, just as there are hidden treasures in books, there are also terrible secrets!

Adam nodded several times, happy to have found a treasure. Then, he carefully tore out the golden page and returned the book to the shelf where he had taken it from.

It seemed that the red stone on the stairwell door was blinking less and less. Realizing this, Adam hurried towards the door.