But her focus was soon drawn to the center of the room. A huge golden mirror stood as
the centerpiece of the room. Upon second glance, it was less of a mirror than a frame.
Where the reflective glass would be, was a pure white light, so empty that it seemed out
of place in this library of trinkets.
In front of the frame was a wooden lectern, a single book lay open on its display. Text
and illustrations appeared rapidly on the blank pages, as if playing a movie. Amanda
took a closer look and found names of her neighbors, as well as pictures of the very
street she lived on. The previous pages described the event in town square earlier that
day. It was as if the book was a diary, recording every aspect of life in this small town.
Amanda briskly flipped to the beginning pages, eager to discover more. Among these
pages, the book described a fictional land with fictional characters, identical to this town
of North Bulburn. Perhaps this book holds the history of our town, Amanda thought. But
as she flipped to the last pages, something surprised her. She knew there was a secret
the townspeople had not known, and now she was ready to share it.
While the mesmerizing sights took Amanda’s attention, the townspeople, awoken by the
sudden brightness, gathered in the center square. There was a chorus of whispers,
confirmations of the events of the day. The people also realized that something had
been returned in their slumber, but they were unsure exactly what. Everyone wondered
what was behind the door, but no one dared to enter like Amanda had.
Soon, the mayor arrived at the center square with his loudspeaker, shouting, “Whomever
dared to trespass the great capitol will be punished. Friends, we shall bring this criminal
to the ground!”, attempting to antagonize Amanda.
But the mayor did not receive the expected support from the citizens. Everyone was
cautious in believing the words of the mayor. Since the morning, rumors had spread
around town, telling of the potential lies he has told. Everything was further confirmed
when the light brought back their missing memories. After all, is one mysterious leader
more trustworthy than several of your fellow citizens?
Amidst the hushed conversations, a loud cheer erupted from the front of the crowd. A
figure was visible, standing in the doors of the capitol. It was a young girl, a fierce look
on her face as she held a book in her hand and raised it like a trophy.
“Citizens, I have uncovered the secrets our mayor has been hiding from us since the
birth of our town and it is all proven in this book.” She threw the book that previously
sat on the lectern into the crowd.
The text read, “They mayor cackled once he returned to his abode, satisfied that he has
again fooled over these two-dimensional people. The secret, that only he and the book
shared, was buried in his lies. He drifted off to sleep peacefully, knowing that the town
will forever be under his control.” People gasped and They did not know how to feel
about this fabrication of their entire lives.
“Don’t you know? Our mayor is the evil force he’s been “protecting” us from. But there is
a solution,” Amanda stated confidently, “Flip to the last pages and you will discover how
to find the truth.” Indeed, after many blank pages, there was a page of text. It simply
read “And the people banished their mayor into the woods. Now free from the secrets and
control, they lived in their hometown peacefully. It was as if life was truly perfect.”