Sophia Grey sat behind the counter, in her father's bookstore, she rested her chin on her hands. Her father's bookstore wasn't that big nor was it fancy. The afternoon sunlight came in through the large glass window. She wasn't paying attention to the world outside or the book lying open in front of her.
She was in her imagination world, imagining stories where she wasn't just Sophia Grey, an ordinary woman in her late 20s, assisting her father to run his small bookstore. In her imagination, she was someone important. A princess. Someone who was important in a world full of adventures.
In her mind, Sophia stood in a royal ballroom. A sparkling light was hanging above her. She wore a very beautiful blue dress with silver designs that was shining. Around her, people were dancing to a cool music, and they laughed happily.
Just then, her prince appeared.
He was tall and handsome, with a friendly smile that made her heart to skip a beat. He ignored everyone else and walked straight to her.
"May I have this dance?" he asked her, his voice was deep.
Sophia smiled, as she imagined herself nodding, she gave him her hands. They spun round across the dancefloor.
The sound of the bell above the door brought her back from her world of imagination. Sophia stood up, she blinked as reality dawned on her.
A young girl stepped inside. She looked about twenty. The girl had a black hair that was tied together as a ponytail.
"Hi," the girl greeted Sophia.
"Hello," Sophia replied, her voice calm and welcoming.
The girl looked around, her eyes brightening up as she looked around the shelves packed with books. "This place is so cute," she said.
Sophia nodded. People always said that about the store, but she wasn't sure if "cute" was a good thing or if they were trying to say "small."
The girl moved closer to the counter, "I need to purchase a book, I don't know if you might have it, It's for my class. Do you have Modern Art History?"
Sophia's forehead wrinkled for a moment as she thought. "I think we do. Let me check."
Sophia came out from behind the counter and started walking towards the shelves, while the young girl followed behind her, Sophia finally stopped close to a shelf near the middle of the store.
She moved her fingers over the back of the books while slowly trying to search for the particular one the girl is in need of. Finally she saw the book and handed it over to the girl.
"Here you go," she said.
"Thank you" The girl smiled joyfully as she took the book, holding it to her chest.
Sophia gave a small nod and walked back towards the counter. As the girl walked behind her, Sophia drifted off back to her world of imagination again.
She wondered what it would be like to be like the girls in her favorite stories. They always have very beautiful and perfect lives. They went on adventures, they found treasures, and they met their princes who changed their lives. Meanwhile, her life was just ordinary. Lonely days in the bookstore, very quiet and no adventure.
When they got to the counter, the girl brought out some cash from her bag. Sophia checked the price of the book on the computer and recorded it, she then told the girl the price of the book.
"This place is amazing," the girl said as she handed her the money.
"Thank you" Sophia replied, with a little smile on her lips.
"You're lucky that you are surrounded by books all the time," the girl added, looking around. "It must really feel like you are living in a story."
Sophia stopped smiling and then she thought to herself. Living in a story? She has always imagined and wished she was living in a story but her reality isn't the kind of story she always dreamed of.
"It's nice," Sophia replied, giving the girl her change.
The girl put the book inside her bag and gave Sophia one last smile. "Have a good day!"
"You too," Sophia said.
Sophia could hear the sound of the door as the girl left.
For a moment, Sophia just stood staring at the door. Then, with a small sigh, she sat down on her chair.
Her eyes moved to the window again. Outside, people just walked by, their lives full of purpose. Sophia felt like she was just there, standing still while the world moved very fast.
She picked up the book on the counter, the one she had been pretending to read earlier. It was a fairytale, the kind of book she loved most. Stories about brave knights, prince charming, and beautiful princesses.
Sophia turned over to the middle of the book, where the princess was about to meet her prince. Her eyes stared at the words as she read, her heart wishing for a story like that. She imagined and wished for a story where she is not just Sophia Grey a woman in her late 20s that works in her father's bookstore but a princess.
Sophia closed the book she was reading and rested her back on her chair, she closed her eyes and went back to her world of imagination, and the ballroom returned. The prince was holding her close to him, his hand was warm, she could feel it even as he held her hands. They danced, and for a little while, everything felt perfect.
But when she opened her eyes, the shop was still there. The shelves, the counter.
If only life could be like that. She thought to herself.
The clock in the corner clicked quietly, but Sophia didn't even notice it. Her eyes looked out the window, where the sunlight was almost completely gone.
A sound came from the back door, interrupting the quietness. Sophia turned to see her father coming out of the storeroom. He held a cardboard box in his arms, the box looked old. Even though the box he was carrying was light, he still walked slowly.
Her father is a tall man but age has made his shoulders not be so straight like when he was younger. His hair was almost gray. He set the box down on the counter, then stood up straight.
"Quiet day?" he asked, his voice calm but a little tired.
Sophia nodded, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Just one customer. A student, I believe. She bought a book for school."
He looked around his bookstore, he looked at the empty shelves , he got lost in his thoughts. " Business has become very slow this days, my once busy bookstore is no longer what it used to be, people don't come like they did before." He said with a low voice.
Sophia did not say anything initially, she just looked at him. He then brought out an old rag from his pocket and slowly wiped the counter and placed the box he came out with on top of the counter.
He then turned around and kept on looking around his shop and was saddened because he remembered the old days, when his bookstore always filled to the brim with different kind of customers both parents and their kids and couples who came to buy books as gifts to their partner.
She had grown up in this bookstore. She could still remember running between the shelves as a child, hearing her father tell stories about important books and the customers who loved them. Back then, the shop was alive with so much energy. Now, it just felt as though everyone had moved on without them.
"We would surely find a way out" she finally said, even though she doesn't even know how they would find a way out. "Things will get better."
Her father gave her a small smile.
"Maybe" he said with a weak voice. He opened the box he placed on the counter and started bringing out the books in them and placing them on the counter one after another.
Sophia just stood, watching him. She knew how much this bookstore meant to him. It wasn't just a shop, it was his dream, his life.
"Want me to help?" she asked, moving closer.
He shook his head, smiling gently. "I've got it. Go ahead and close up."
Sophia paused but nodded. She walked to the front door and changed the open sign to close. She locked the door and rested against it for a moment, looking outside at the quiet street.
She turned and walked back toward the store. Her father was still at the counter, carefully placing books onto a shelf behind him. The sight made her chest ache, not with sadness, but with a love she didn't know how to put into words.
"Dad," she said quietly.
He looked up, his tired eyes still friendly. "Yes, Sophia?"
She opened her mouth, wanted to tell him everything she thought, how she dreamed of a more beautiful and perfect life. But instead, she smiled and said, "Don't stay up too late."
He smiled, and said "You sound like your mother."
Sophia smiled and she replied. "Since mom travelled, someone has to take care of you, at least till she comes back by tomorrow."
He smiled and nodded, and went back to his books. She then stopped and watched her father for a few minutes before finally climbing upstairs to their small apartment that is above the bookstore.
She thought to herself that one day she would definitely have the kind of life she has always wished and hoped for. A life filled with adventure, and love. Until then, she had her books to inspire her dreams.