Within and Without

I hear the wind howling and the gentle patter of rain.  The trees outside seem to be dancing with the storm.   I take a deep breath.  My hands tenderly cradle the book in my lap as I crack open the front cover.  The book feels so right in my hands - as if it was specially crafted just for me.  My eyes begin to move across the page, and I am immersed within the text.  I can feel all my worries and cares melt away.  The stress fades... leaving only me, the storm, and my book.  As I slip deeper into the pages a smile spreads across my face.  The characters begin to come alive.  I watch as they face many trials; I see them rise to the occasion and I see them fall.  I find myself angerd and exaspeated by these people who are no more than words on a page... but wat marvelous words they are.  I fall in love with these words, forming a deep connection with them as I journey deeper into the pages.  I am in two places at once: sitting on my couch listening to the rain, but also in the story submersed in its text.  I am both within and without.  Fiction and reality blur until they become one, two disparate worlds in perfect harmony.  I lose all sense of time.  As I read into the night I am vaguely aware of the old grandfather clock chiming down the hall.  I know the book is nearing its end so I make the most of the few words that are left.  The last page stares me in the face.  This is it... The End.  There are no words left for me to devour.  I long for more, yet I am satisfied.  I softly close the book, and turn out my light.  As the words linger in my mind, I drift away into a peaceful sleep.