We hadn’t been walking in the forest for long when we came across it. In a small clearing, jutting out of the ground was a metal framed window.
‘You go look,’ my girlfriend whispered.
She had hooked her fingers in the straps of her hiking rucksack and was looking so cute in blue shorts and a cream vest top.
‘I don’t know…’ I trailed, casting my eyes over the strange structure.
‘It could be a secret hatch to an old war bunker or a nuclear shelter. There might be something interesting down there,’ she spoke.
‘Then you go look,’ I suggested.
She shook her head and turned away, looking at the trees that surrounded us. The forest was just awakening after being a sleep all winter. Leaves were budding on branches and flower shoots were coming up. Birds were singing and calling to each other in the distance.
Sighing, I walked forward to the edge of the metal frame and looked though the window. Straight down into a walled hole I stared. Then slowly, I saw that the walls were made of books! Books and books stacked in a spiral going down into the darkness.
‘What is it?’ my girlfriend called.
‘Come see,’ I answered, ‘it’s strange. Nothing scary.’
‘I’m not scared,’ she snapped back then came over.
She came to my side and looked through the window.
‘Oh! It’s books!’ she cried.
‘Yep. Must be some art project or something,’ I added.
‘Wondered where they go. Does this open?’ my girlfriend asked.
We both looked around the edge of the metal frame but found no way to open it.
‘Guess not,’ I said.
My girlfriend pouted, ‘but I want to see the books.’
I rolled my eyes hearing the childish tone of her words.
‘You can see them,’ I pointed out, ‘here I’ll take a few photos.’
I dug out my camera and began taking photos from different angles. Some images included my girlfriend and two of the photos I took with me next to her looking down the window hatch. Most though showed the books spiralling into the darkness.
‘It looks like the hole to Wonderland,’ my girlfriend announced afterwards.
‘Huh?’
‘You know, the book; Alice In Wonderland. Alice fell down a hole lined with all kinds of things. This reminds me of that story,’ she explained.
‘Oh. I guess so,’ I replied.
We give the book tunnel one last look then left to carry on our hike, both of us wondering about the window.
The Story Files 