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Daria Maria Tangerică is participating in the 5th International Literary Creation Competition from Ploiești, Romania and is 17 years old. She is guided by Mrs. Professor Andreea Dorobanțu at the „Mihai Viteazul” National College, Ploiești. We thank for the participation and wish her success.

WHISPERS OF DESTINY: HOW BOOKS SHAPE LIVES

Once upon a time, there was a girl whose soul belonged to words and books. Since she was little, she has discovered that books are like a portal, allowing her to travel without moving her feet. She has always been fascinated by fiction and, as Neil Gaiman once said, how it puts us inside the minds of other people and gives us the gift of seeing the world through their eyes. But how did her passion for reading actually start?

As a child, Olivia was always curious about the world around her, constantly asking her mother questions that were almost impossible to answer. Observing her excitement for understanding human feelings and emotions, her mother decided to introduce her to the universe of reading, which was so much easier than she had thought. Her little girl could not go to sleep anymore without going through the pages of a book.

Once upon a time, there was a girl whose soul belonged to words and books. Since she was little, she has discovered that books are like a portal, allowing her to travel without moving her feet. She has always been fascinated by fiction and how it puts us inside the minds of other people and gives us the gift of seeing the world through their eyes. But how did her passion for reading actually start? 

It is often said that a child who reads will be an adult who thinks, and it eventually turned out to be true. As Olivia was a teenager, she used to love reading on a nearby hill, from where she could see the entire city. One day, as she was flipping through the pages of a book, she felt as if the main character was talking to her: “Come with me. I have something important to show you.” Olivia was so convinced by his breathy voice that she could not help but catch him by the hand that had come out of the book. After less than one minute, she was completely somewhere else, in a completely different universe. Atlas was still holding her hand, leading the way towards the huge castle in front of them.

Olivia was speechless. She could not believe what had just happened to her, but she was so enthusiastic about her new adventure. Atlas told her to trust him, as something wonderful was about to change her life forever. And as they reached the grandiose castle, Olivia started to admire every detail of her surroundings. It looked exactly as she had imagined it to be when she was reading the book.

“You are now going to live one of the most extraordinary experiences of your entire life. All you need to do is enter this magical room and choose one object that you feel emotionally attracted to. Or maybe the object will actually choose you,” said Atlas.

“But why is choosing an object so important?” Olivia asked.

“Don’t overthink it. Just choose one, and you’ll see what happens next.”

Olivia was feeling a bit apprehensive, but she made the first step in spite of her fear. Deep inside, she knew that becoming fearless was not the point. It is learning how to control her fear and how to transform it into motivation to keep going.

The room was filled with so many objects that she did not even know where to look first. There were paper planes, ballet shoes, a magnifying glass, a microscope, a camera, and many more. But as she was walking through the room, she suddenly felt her heart pounding faster at the sight of the typewriter. No other object in that room could awaken such a feeling inside her.

“I made my choice. It’s the typewriter,” said Olivia.

“I might have guessed it right! You have your own story to tell, young girl. Maya Angelou once said that there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. So start writing it,” said Atlas.

After his powerful words, Olivia was holding back tears, but she did not have enough time to tell him anything. She was now back on the hill, in the exact place that she had come from. She said to herself, “A book is a dream that you hold in your hand.” Neil Gaiman was right once again.

And from that day on, the girl with the books became the woman writing them.