Imagine — Anne M. Angell; Pamela Alexander

Tina leaned in close and studied all the fine details, with her nose almost buried in the book. She moved her finger across the page and toward a picture of a giant wave rolling onto the shore. The wave looked as real as any she had ever seen, if she were standing on a beach by the sea. Most unusual. She paralleled her face with the book and drew in even closer. “Ah!” she gasped as water splashed onto her face. “Blah.” She stuck out her tongue and flew backward onto the chair, causing the chair to teeter on the back two legs. She threw her weight forward to catch her balance. As the chair slammed back onto the floor, Tina's head went forward and into the book. “Ah!” she gurgled after swallowing a mouthful of salt water. “Blah! Blah!” she spit, quickly rubbing her tongue with the back of her hand. “Yuk!” Leaning further back from the table, Tina gazed down at the book wide eyed. The picture on the page came alive as water splashed out onto the table after an ocean wave crashed against a line of jagged boulders. “No way,” she said as she quickly reached for the front cover and slammed the book shut. Pushing the book back away from her, she dabbed the tip of her finger in a small puddle on the table and tasted it. She was surprised to learn that it tasted just like salt water. “What are you doing?” Kyle asked. “Huh?” Tina jumped with her index finger still stuck in her mouth. “What's wrong with you?” Kyle asked as he scrunched his nose. “You look like you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar or something.” Tina starred down at the book, unable to speak and pointed toward it, shaking her finger as if to say, Open it, if you dare. Sometimes, one's imagination has to be opened to all forms of possibilities, to new adventures and discoveries, and realms outside of our own world. The unique library Devon and his friends stumbled into offered such a once-in-a-lifetime experience.