The library of lost things

No one ever found the library on purpose.

It wasn't marked on any map, and very few—if any—knew about its existence. But one rainy afternoon, as Camilla followed a trail of pebbles along the gutters of her quiet street, she found herself in front of a metal door in an alley, between two large buildings. It had the

It was covered in weird designs spiraling upwards from its base, all rusted over. But as Camilla reached for the handle, the door swung open with a soft sigh, as if it had been waiting just for her. The door was significantly small, as if it was meant to allow only children to enter through it. But somehow, Camilla, though 15, managed to pass through the opening.

Inside, it smelled like dust and lilac, forgotten dreams and broken promises. The walls were all lined with shelves. And stacked on those shelves were items once owned by someone, lost, never to be found again.

And somehow, Camilla knew...

She had to return them, but there were just too many.

She began looking around, trying to find items that gave off the feeling that they were missed by their owners. She stumbled upon a golden locket. It was heart-shaped and had the words "to my beloved Elara" etched inside it, along with a picture of a beautiful woman.

As she continued, she came across a music box. It had a ballerina wearing pink shoes on its top and was decorated in various colours; almost as if a child joyfully painted it. She noticed a key on its side and turned it. The music box began playing a soft lullaby. It reminded her of... no. She wasn't going to think about that today.

"Okay, I'd better return these two. Their owners must miss them," she muttered, wiping a tear. And then it dawned on her. She had no idea who the owners were or where they were. How did she not think about that before?

Just then, she noticed something at the center of the room. It was a peculiar-looking book. It was decorated to look as though it was covered in vines, tugging at each corner.

The book of the lost.

Written inside were the names and addresses of the owners of each item as well as how they lost it, and what each item meant to them. "How... convenient," she said with a light smile.

Camilla, with the aid of the book, went on to return the two missing items she'd chosen.

The locket belonged to a lady named Elara. It was the last gift from her husband before he passed away in a fire. Elara had lost the locket in the fire, leaving her devastated.

Camilla placed the locket in a box on her front porch, rang the doorbell, and hid. She'd never seen someone so happy to find something in her entire life.

The music box, however, belonged to a 17-year-old girl, Aria. It was given to her by her mother—now in a coma—when she was only five. Just as she'd done with the locket, Camilla placed the music box on Aria's doorstep and rang the doorbell. However, this time, she didn't stay to see the girl's reaction.

"I wonder how she felt..." said Camilla on her way back to the library.

When she got there, she decided to take one last look around. While walking around the library, she came across a shelf filled with letters, stacked one on top of the other. The letters were written to various people, but never reached their recipients. She picked a few and started to glance through the names written on the letters one by one.

"To Jeremy, to my beloved Carla, to Cole, to-" she froze as she read the name on the fourth letter.

To my beloved daughter, Millybean.

That name...

It was the name her mother used to call her before she...

Camilla immediately opened the letter.

Dear Millybean,

If you're reading this, then it means I've gone somewhere far, far away. Somewhere I can't talk to you from. I'm sorry, Milly.

By now, you should have found out about my illness...

I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. Believe me, there were occasions when I wanted to tell you, but you always looked so happy, and I just couldn't. I didn't want your happiness to end.

I know you're probably still mad at me, and I deserve it. I just hope you won't stay mad at me for too long.

I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you longer. I wanted to see you grow up, be there on your 15th, 16th, even 50th birthday. I wanted to cheer for you on your graduation, dance at your wedding, take care of your children...

But I guess life doesn't always go as planned.

My dear Millybean, you were the best thing that ever happened to me. The day you were born, it felt like the world tilted in the most perfect way—softer... and brighter. You were like the miracle I never knew I was waiting for. Know that I'll always love you. I have since I felt your little kicks in my belly. Keep being a ray of sunshine wherever you go. Save me a seat at your wedding!

Always with love,

Mom.

Tears started streaming down her cheeks. She wished she could hug her mom just one more time.

"I will, Mom. I promise." Her voice started to crack. She felt like there was a lump in her throat. "I love you."