Yay! I'm so glad to see this solo write return!! You have such an engaging and interesting writing style, Snazzycakes. I'm excited to see the story continue :))

    The bookstore’s door let out a muffled tink as Gabi pushed it open. The bookstore was softly lit, shelves teeming with colorful volumes and stretching to the very edge of the shop. The carpet was threadbare, the lights flickered occasionally, the wallpaper was flaky, and it smelled of dust and mildew. 

    It was Gabi’s favorite place in the entire world.

    Mr. Westcott, the proprietor, looked up from his desk and grinned. He jotted something on a scrap of paper and held it out. 

    Gabi crossed the small space to his desk and took it. In neat handwriting, it said, Welcome back, fellow bibliophile. How have you been?

    Gabi responded with one of the few words she knew in sign language: good.

    Mr. Westcott smiled widely and gestured to the books around them. Have at it.

    She thanked him with another hand gesture, then slipped into the shop proper. Gabi wove between the shelves, tracing the books’ spines with her fingertips, until she found what she was looking for.

    The tome made a muffled whoomph as it dropped into her hands. It was large and heavy, and she sank to the floor and propped it up against the shelf.

    Encyclopedia of the world and that which it contains, the glossy cover declared in hilariously old-fashioned font. It was inches thick, and teeming with facts, statistics, stories, experiments, explanations, biographies, and knowledge. Gabi had first encountered it three years ago, and while it had always been too expensive to buy, she visited it often. So often, in fact, that she had read the entire book in a little over a year, and was currently on her third reading.

    She flicked through the pages, trying to find where she left off, but stopped when something fell from between it’s pages. She frowned, picking it up from the floor.

    It was an envelope, creamy white. A large, black 5 was scrawled across the front in jagged black ink. A 5. As in, this was the fifth letter. As in, there were four more, somewhere, maybe even more.

    Immediately, Gabi’s “scientist curiosity”, as her mom had deigned it, clicked into gear. What was the envelope’s purpose? What was it tucked into some book? Who had put it there? Exactly how many others were there? 

    Heart thudding slightly, she unsealed the envelope and drew out the paper inside. And as she read, her face broke into a grin.

    When she emerged from the maze of shelves, Mr. Westcott smiled and handed her a note. Did you find what you came for?

    Yes, Gabi wrote back with a slight smile. And more.