Zach was assisting Ms. Ruelah in the library at the City of West Science High School one calm afternoon. He had been asked to arrange the books by her. Although Zach didn't anticipate anything remarkable happening, he liked the library since it was peaceful.

He saw an old, dusty book in the corner as he piled books on the shelf. Zach had to wipe the cover in order to view the title because it was so dusty. The Portal Book it said. Zach wanted to know. "What is this?" He opened it after giving it some thought.

The book opened and the pages began to light. The room started to spin! "What's going on?" Zach yelled, but he left before he could shut the book. He was in a strange, colorful place. The trees looked like giant books, and their leaves flipped like pages. Rivers of glowing ink ran through the land, and the sky shimmered like a painting.

“Where am I?” Zach whispered.

“You’re in the Land of Stories,” said a tiny voice.

Zach turned and saw a small creature that looked like a living bookmark! Its body was thin and shiny, and it had paper wings. “I’m Savannah,” the creature said. “You opened the Portal Book, so now you’re here.”

“Can I go back home?” Zach asked, feeling nervous.

Savannah nodded. “Yes, but first, you have to complete the Reader’s Quest. You’ll face three challenges to prove you’re brave and clever.”

Zach wasn’t sure he could do it. But he thought about Ms. Ruelah and his friends, Gab, Gaeia, and Athena. He made the decision to try to get back to them.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The First Challenge: The Mixed Words

Zach followed Savannah to a field where enormous letters were floating in midair. They whirled around incoherently. Savannah remarked, "These letters are mixed up." "You must transform them into actual words."

Zach began to pick up letters. It was challenging at first, but he was able to recall words from storybooks. When he was done, the letters sparkled and vanished. He rearranged the letters until they formed the words "sun," "tree," and "book."

"You succeeded!" Savannah said with joy.

The Second Challenge: The Bridge of Riddles

They then reached a bridge that was broken and crossed an ink river. There was a large sign in front of the bridge. It said: Fix the bridge by solving the riddles.

The first riddle asked, “What has pages but cannot be read unless opened?”

“A book!” Zach said, and part of the bridge appeared.

The next riddle said, “What is full of words but never speaks?”

“A dictionary,” Zach guessed, and more of the bridge appeared.

He answered the last riddle and watched the bridge complete itself. “You’re good at this!” Savannah said as they crossed.

The Final Challenge: The Giant Storybook

Savannah brought Zach to a giant book standing on a hill. “This is the last test,” Savannah said. “You must read from the book to open the portal home.”

Zach froze. He remembered how hard it was to read out loud, and his hands felt sweaty. But then he thought about all the challenges he had already done. He took a deep breath and opened the book.

The words were big and clear. At first, Zach read slowly, pronouncing each word. His voice became louder as he continued. Before him, a portal opened as the book started to shine.

“You did it!” Savannah cheered.

Back to the Library

In a flash, Zach was back in the library. The old book was still in his hands. Ms. Ruelah came in and smiled at him. “You look like you’ve been on an adventure,” she said.

Zach laughed. “I think I have!”

Zach developed a passion for reading after that day. He came to see that books could inspire him to be brave and lead him to wonderful places. And he was always excited to see what tale might be contained in a dusty old book