UNBIRTHDAY (continued).

Elementary school, must have been around six. The first leaves began to fall.I carried a red hardback book that I brought from home. I was desperate and lonely that I needed a place to read quietly.

I went into the library and it looked incredibly pleasant, fancy and spacious, not quite a place for children my age. The few people I saw sat in round tables covered with exquisite cloths and drank tea.

As I approached them I could notice that they were incredibly busy and focused. I asked politely,  "Can I sit here?"

"I´m sorry, but we´re studying for a test."

I found a corner to sit it, not the most comfortable of all. I opened up the book and marked it on the page with the John Tenniel illustration where the White Rabbit is seen from the back running away from an enlarged Alice...

The text below said,

"I´ve changed in the night? Let me think, was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I´m not the same, the next question is, who in the world am I? Ah, that´s the great puzzle!"

The illustration of The White Rabbit came to life and literally leaped out of the pages!

I decided to follow him, but, but...not again...

The party had just begun...

"Ah, there you are! You´re so late, Adrian, " said a pretty girl who went by the name Edith. I turned around and said, "I´m awfully sorry, what did you say?"

"I said you´re late!"

"No, the other thing, you called me Adrian."

The girl laughed looking a bit concerned, "well, that´s your name, isn´t it? "

"Right..." I gave a long pause and smiled excited. "I see. Well, I better not keep my public waiting..."

BOOK 2

CHAPTER 1: UNBIRTHDAY

Suddenly I felt like everything else around me withered and died for some reason, but at the same time something was growing inside me, same that filled me with serious doubts. I was sure of many things at this point in my life; there are no such things as ghosts but only the shadows of those who were, but then what about the ones who are?

I spent part of my day finding Caroline online even though she said that I couldn´t but then I remembered how I met her in the first place, by her initials. So I searched under C.K. and there it was. So I sent her a friend request trying to be as explicit as ever. But it didn´t happen right away, so I kept waiting and waiting and waiting...standing patiently by my laptop and the same time the world revolved around me keeping in my mind that it was my birthday; the dreaded 1/29.

It wasn´t so bad being 30 but at the same time I wasn´t getting any younger. My closest artists friends would be here, Mark, James, Mikester, even Janie Wu came back to town despite the terrible weather. This was to be the longest night of my life, oh yes, the party that never ended.

"What are you doing, sweetie, you´ve been staring at the same screen for about an hour," said Edith.

"Didn´t I tell you about Caroline? She´s real, she´s not a ghost. She was one of the very first people to notice that supernatural power behind my paintings?"

"Fine, I understand that. Forget about her, alright? She´s not there anymore or she´s practically there back in SoHo. I really wish you wouldn´t bring that up tonight." She took a deep sip of tea and then she proceeded to give me a pat on the shoulder. "Think of this as an opportunity to reborn, that´s what birthdays are supposed to be about in a way. I have to go, have a wonderful day."

"Why wouldn´t it be?" I said.

(continued)...