My special place

The wind whistles and blows my hair onto my face. Girls scream and run for cover from the freezing cold. I slowly drag my legs toward the Learning Centre, the frost making my teeth chatter. As the doors slide open, my heart smiles at the comfort and warmth the building provides. I glance at students whispering to each other on the first floor. I shuffle up the stairs, my heeled shoes make a ‘clack' on the wooden stairs. The number of girls becomes fewer and fewer until there are only about a dozen girls at the top of the staircase. At the sight of the bookshelves, my heart skips a beat.

I rub my hands together to remove the chill and enthusiastically scuttle to the abundance of books. My fingers dance gently over the unique covers. Delicate, worn, new, colourful, it has it all. I look up at the different categories and am elated to see that this enchanting place has my favourite genre: fantasy. Books that I have previously read catch my eye. Memories of reading in my room, the car, the emotion that they had brought, bubble to the surface. One book, in particular, diverts my attention. ‘Whisper’.

The plain cover contrasts with the rest of the colourful books. I start to read the blurb and by the end, my curiosity has reached its maximum. I flip the first page open and, even whilst I’m finding a seat, start reading. I feel the pain in my chest grow when the main character’s sad and the joy in my heart increases when she’s content. After the first few delightful chapters, the bell rings and I immediately ask the librarian if I can borrow the book. “Of course!” she says. Finally, I go to class - ecstatic.

Books make me feel like I can be wherever I want, whenever I want. I can be in the world of fantasy and my real world at the same time. Reading has a special place in my heart. It has helped my learning and speech immensely. It has even inspired me to write stories of my own! If that’s how I feel about just a couple of books, imagine being surrounded by thousands of them. That is why the Learning Centre is definitely my ‘Special Place.