You saw the rain pour down as if it were in spite. You looked at the umbrella in the corner.

Should I use my last of my money on a broken umbrella or just wait a bit until the rain lightens up?

"I guess I'll wait a bit," you mumbled, finally deciding on the latter choice.

You sat on the dusty couch nearby. At the corner of your eye, you noticed the shelf full of books.

99 cent paperbacks, 1.99 for hardcover

Hmm... it's been a while since you've last read a book to its entirety.

You walk over and slide your hand against the spine of books that interest you.

How To Take Care Of Your Pet Gerbil? You chuckle.

A murder mystery gives you a chill. You never liked the thought of murder, or death in general.

You sneeze as the dust gets to your nose. The cashier giggles.

Your finger brushes against a spine that doesn't even have a title.

You pull it out. No cover either?

It was just... a blank white cover?

You put it back, but hesitate before pulling it out again.

Maybe just a peek.

You flip through the book. Seemed like some kind of handwritten journal someone kept. Who wrote this?

You flip to the beginning and see two names that were familiar to you.

"What...? What a coincidence..."

Your parents' names happened to be written on the first page. You flip to the next page, and in surprise, your eyes widened. Your name was written in the center of the page. You look around. Was this a prank? You slowly look back at the page and blink. It was still there. You slowly turn to the next page and see your birthdate. A chill went down your spine. Suddenly, you felt a tap on your shoulder.

You scream loudly, causing the cashier to blink in shock.

"Um, I just wanted to tell you that the thrift store is about to close. If you have anything you'd like to purchase, you ought to do it soon."

"O-Oh..." You sigh in relief.

She scurries back to the cashier front and begins to put on her coat.

You look back at the book in your hand and then back at the girl.

There was no way you were going to leave this place without knowing more about this book.

You quickly run to the cashier and shuffle through the last few coins in your pocket and muster up 4 quarters.

"What book is this?" She laughs.

She flips through the book in interest.

"Did you just need an empty journal to start writing?" She smiles.

You blink, "What do you mean? It's a novel, isn't it?"

She opens the book and shows it to you. You see words written but she slides her hand across the supposedly "empty" page in her eyes."

"See, it's empty. Definitely not a novel, sir."

"O-Oh, you're right," you lie.

You were just excited to read this book. You hand her the coins and then take the book.

"Have a nice day, sir."

"You, too."

You quickly run to your car.