The Book That Appeared in the Dark
It was 3:30 a.m.
And for a night she could no longer count,
Hana was awake.
She stared at the ceiling with tired eyes,
then turned onto her side in frustration.
The pillow was no longer comfortable.
The blanket felt suffocating.
Three months…
Three months since her father died,
and she hadn't had a single peaceful night of sleep.
She let out a slow breath and sat up.
There was no point in trying anymore.
She got out of bed and walked toward the balcony.
The moment she opened the glass door, the cold night air hit her skin.
She looked up at the sky.
The stars were quiet… distant…
as if they belonged to another world—one untouched by insomnia.
She whispered softly,
"Why can't I sleep…?"
And then
She saw it.
A faint flicker of light…
right outside her house.
She narrowed her eyes.
"What is that?"
She hesitated.
Then… she moved.
Step by step, she made her way downstairs, her heartbeat quickening with each step.
Since her father's death,
the house had become unbearably silent.
But her curiosity… was stronger.
She opened the door.
The street was completely empty.
Cold air brushed against her skin,
and the trees rustled in an unsettling whisper.
She approached the source of the light…
then bent down.
A book.
Old… dark…
as if it wasn't meant to be held.
She picked it up carefully.
It was warm.
She glanced around
No one.
"Did someone drop this…?"
No answer.
She swallowed hard… and went back inside.
She sat on her bed,
the book resting in her hands.
She hesitated.
Then… she opened it.
One page.
One sentence.
"You must bear the consequences of reading this."
She frowned.
"What…?"
She turned the page.
"Make a wish… and it will be granted."
She froze.
Then another line appeared
"But what follows… will no longer be in your control."
She snapped the book shut.
"Ridiculous…"
But then
Before she could move
The windows shook violently.
A sudden gust of wind burst into the room,
and thunder tore across the sky.
She stepped back in fear.
"What is happening?!"
Just moments ago…
everything had been calm.
She quickly shut the windows,
then rushed back to bed, pulling the blanket tightly around herself.
She whispered, exhausted,
"I just want… to sleep."
She closed her eyes.
…
Moments later
The wind stopped.
The thunder faded.
Silence returned.
But
On the table beside her
The book opened on its own.
Slowly.
Its pages flipped by themselves…
until they stopped.
Words began to form
as if something unseen was writing them.
"Sleep deeply… little one."
"Your first dream has begun."
And in that moment…
something else awakened with her.
…
But what if… there was no waking up after all?