The Nowhere Emporium by Ross Mackenzie Read Free Book Online

visible; he could decipher the letters L, S, W, O and D. He leaned in. Was it his imagination, or could he feel the book pulling at him, drawing him closer?
    Silver continued. “For every room that will ever come to exist in the Emporium, there is a page in this book. When I have an idea for a new Wonder, and I’ve thought it through carefully and decided that it is suitable, I begin to write it down. The pages are enchanted and entwined with the shop. When I have finished writing, a Wonder will appear somewhere in the corridors.”
    “All the doors I saw on the way here?” said Daniel. “All the Wonders? They have a page in that book?”
    Silver thumbed through the pages, selecting one passage and placing the open book on the table. The writing within, in deep black ink, was small and neat, and decorated with many curls and flourishes. There was also a sketch, drawn in flowing black lines that seemed to come alive as Daniel gazed at it.
    “I recognise this,” he said, leaning ever closer to the book. “It’s my wagon!”
    Silver smiled for a fleeting moment, causing the lines around his eyes to deepen.
    “Correct,” he said. “I trust you find it comfortable enough? If you wish me to change anything…”
    “It’s perfect,” said Daniel. His fingers fluttered hungrily, and he felt a great rush of excitement as he asked, “Can I have a closer look?”
    A hesitation.
    Silver handed over the book.
    It was heavier than Daniel expected. But it also felt familiar somehow, as if he had held it before. He flicked through page after page, noting in his mind a list of rooms he longed to visit. There was an underground lake of gold, and a covefilled with sapphire water where a mermaid whispered the whereabouts of buried treasure. He saw a path through an enchanted forest, and the mountaintop den of an armour-clad dragon, and a grassland populated by lions. There were ancient pages where the ink was worn and could not be properly read. One such passage caught his attention, and as he stared at the words his stomach told him that they contained something vast and dark and ancient.
    “The Library of Souls,” said Mr Silver. “I am a fan of stories. A collector. And there is no greater story than that of life. The Library of Souls holds on its many shelves the life story of everyone who has ever lived, everyone who
will
ever live.”
    Wonderstruck, Daniel tried to imagine a room vast enough to hold such a great number of books, but he was distracted when Mr Silver gasped and breathed through his teeth. He sat forward in his chair and held his hand to his chest.
    “What’s wrong?”
    Silver closed his eyes tight and took a deep breath. He let the breath out slowly, opened his eyes, and blinked. “I’m fine,” he said.
    Daniel’s eyes lingered on Silver’s hand, which was still pressed to his chest.
    “Now that you’ve seen inside the
Book of Wonders
,” said Mr Silver, as if nothing had happened, “it is time for the first test.” He held out an open hand. In his palm sat a golden fountain pen. Daniel stared at it.
    “I don’t understand.”
    “I want you to attempt a Wonder of your own. Write in the book.”
    “Me? Make a room appear from nowhere? You’re having a laugh!”
    “I certainly am not. It’s the quickest way to judge whether youhave any talent.”
    Daniel fidgeted in his chair. He had not imagined his first test could be something so huge. He took the pen from Silver.
    “What if nothing happens?” he asked. “Will you sack me?” Now that he was holding the book, that he’d seen the Wonders within its pages, his old life seemed so very far away. It was like he’d been living in black and white, and suddenly the world was alive with colour and possibilities. He was not ready to return to the grey.
    Silver thought about the question. “We shall worry about that if it happens.” He mimed writing. “On you go.”
    Daniel found a blank page. His palms were wet.
    “What should I