Marcel's Shop

Chapter VII. The book you don't need to read Yuri always believed that he was not one of those who believed in miracles. Thoughtful and a little tired, he preferred not to expect, but to analyze. Every thing, every person. Everything around him was like a riddle that he was going to solve without relying on chance. He was a writer. But not famous. Rather, almost no one. He had a couple of books, several articles and unsuccessful projects to his credit. His works did not become bestsellers. And he had no audience. He was an author for a few, and that suited him–to some extent. He wasn't overly ambitious, although sometimes he wanted to feel that his words could possibly affect someone's life. But it was too high for his usual stories. That evening, walking through the city center, he saw the "Mar-Sela Shop" again. I've already passed by it several times, but I've never entered it. Today, something made him stop. He went inside. Marcel, as always, was sitting behind the counter, looking at some old book with no author's name on the cover. The faint scent of wood, dust, and strange herbs hung in the air. –Hello,– Yuri said, feeling that this place was somehow affecting him. As if it didn't just exist, but distorted time and space. –Good evening," Marcel replied. –Were you looking for me, Yuri?" Or did you just decide that you had to enter? –I… don't know what I'm looking for." Yuri felt strangely uncomfortable. – And you probably don't know what this place is either. "You're right,– Marcel said. – I do not know what this place is. But I know that this place knows everyone who comes to it. It knows what you need, even if you don't know it yourself. Yuri didn't say anything, but he felt a certain relief. No routine questions, no strict rituals. He just happened to be here. Marcel handed him the book. It was exactly the same as the one he had just held in his hands. – This is for you. You will find it interesting. The old man's voice sounded calm, but with some secret depth. "Don't read it. Just take it and open it when you feel ready. Yuri took the book. She was light, despite her size. Nothing on the cover. Emptiness. He could put it on a shelf and forget about it. But there was something about her presence that was not the same as usual. – Why not read it? "What is it?" he asked, already preparing for another riddle. – Because the book will find you when you are ready to understand it. First you will open it, and then you will understand what you need to do with it. But don't read it first," Marcel said, and his look was such that Yuri didn't ask any more questions. He left with a book in his hands. The book was light, and the more Yuri held it, the more he felt that something was hiding inside. He was walking home, but it was a long way to get home. Various thoughts were spinning in his head, but none could overshadow the feeling he was experiencing while holding this book. It seemed like she was just waiting. When he came home, he immediately put the book on the table. He knew that he would open it when he was ready. But the fact that the book appeared in his life felt like a sign. Maybe he's been alone too long. Maybe it's just time for something new. A few days later, sitting at the table and looking out the window, Yuri suddenly felt ready. I didn't know how or why, but I intuitively knew that I needed to open the book. He unfolded it, and… there was nothing. The pages were white. But as soon as he touched the first page, the letters began to appear, one after the other, without any hint of printed text. They began to form into lines. "Everything you're going through right now is just the beginning. But don't think you're trapped. Your life is not a prison, but a freedom that will be opened when you realize that everything you have been looking for is already inside you." Yuri read it several times. He stood up because he couldn't believe it. He thought it was some kind of trick. But the book was real. Every time he tried to make sense of what was written, the text became clearer. He continued reading. Each page became more and more real, almost vital. Every word seemed to awaken a part of his soul. All those moments that he had avoided, all the pain and all the regrets, he could now see for real. And finally, he realized: the book is not about how to succeed or become great. It was about how to stop hiding. Yuri read all night. The pages filled with text, and he became increasingly aware that the book did not provide answers, it showed the way. She doesn't tell you what to do, she just tells you what to do with yourself. The next morning, when he finished reading, the book was empty. He tried to open it again, but there was nothing on the pages. She disappeared. One inscription remained in place of its pages: "Now you know what to do. But it's up to you to decide." Yuri put the book on the table and realized that his life had changed. Not because of any external influence. Not because he found the answers. But because he realized that he was a part of what he was looking for. Yuri returned to his work, but now his letters sounded different. He didn't write for recognition, he didn't write for success. He wrote in order to be honest with himself. He no longer expected life to change on its own. He knew that now he wouldn't just wait. He will act. One day, a couple of months later, he returned to the "Mar-sel's Shop" again. Marcel wasn't there, just a shelf of books. But on one of the books he noticed the same empty cover. Yuri picked it up and left without hesitation.