The Circus That Waited

Dear Friend,

I have noticed something curious.

Sometimes a book doesn't feel like something we have read.

It feels like somewhere we have been.

I recently finished a book called The Night Circus.

When I turned the last page, I closed the book and sat quietly for a moment.

I wasn't quite ready to leave.

There was something curious about that.

The story had taken me somewhere I had never been, yet somehow it felt familiar.

There were tents appearing beneath the night sky.

Black and white stripes.

Lights glowing in the darkness.

Things to discover around every corner.

And I found myself wanting to wander rather than hurry.

I think that is one of the lovely things about certain books.

They don't simply tell us what happens.

They give us a place to visit.

We walk through their pages.

We notice things.

We stop.

We wonder what might be around the next corner.

And sometimes, when we finally reach the last page, a little part of us wishes we could stay just a few minutes longer.

I rather like that.

Perhaps books are a little bit like doors.

We open them expecting a story.

And sometimes we discover a whole world waiting on the other side.

I suppose that means finishing a book isn't always quite the end.

A little bit of the story follows us home.

Perhaps it appears when we are making tea.

Perhaps when we notice the moon through the window.

Perhaps when we pick up another book and wonder where it might take us next.

So tonight, I think I will leave one little door open.

Just in case I feel like wandering back to the circus for a while.

Until we meet again...

May your tea be warm,

May your books be well loved,

May your mailbox hold unexpected kindness,

and may you always have a story waiting somewhere nearby when you need a little place to wander.

With warm wishes,

Paisley Dragon