I decide to leave the big book for what it is. I've seen the house, the room is the same, but different without Sorley. And another chance to fall of a horse, I gladly decline. Perhaps I should retrieve the book about the ranch from behind my wardrobe. Lynn could probably teach me.

I briefly consider calling Isla to ask if she already left for the beach. No, there are still a few things I want to try with the books I borrowed, so after lunch I lock myself in my room again.

I eenie meenie miney moe which book I take next and put my pillow up against the wall. It can't be good for my back to sit, who knows how long, on the edge of my bed each time. I write the name of the book on the back of my hand, in the correct language and flick it open.

My destination is the bridge of a spaceship. Oh yeah, this is awesome.

The next three hours I'm having a heck of a good time following the crew of the USS Victory around. A few times I find myself standing with some futuristic equipment in my hands, doubting whether I'll take it with me. I decide not to. I'd rather not think about the trouble I'd be in if I have a laser gun in my house.

The funny thing is, after I finish the story and get back in my room, that I'm not hungry or thirsty at all. You'd think I would at least have some sort of appetite after a few hours, but my stomach feels just as filled as it did right after lunch. Not much fuller either, although I did eat with the crew from their replicator rations. Apparently I can eat what I want inside a book, without gaining weight. Dreamily I gaze in the distance. Oh the pies and strawberries I can eat without getting bothered by pimples.

'Charlie and the chocolate factory'! I jump up and dance around the room. Doesn't my mother have a copy somewhere in the attic? From the time they desperately tried to get me to read and gave me a new book almost every week. I go find it at once.

Our attic doesn't have a fixed staircase and it costs me a nail and ten minutes before I get the loft ladder down. Shivering I climb up. I don't think anyone has been here for at least five years. The spiders must be huge. Where was the string of the lamp again?

There are no spiders running around that are eight inches long. Not even four and only after searching for a few minutes, I locate a tiny one in the back. There are a lot of cobwebs, though.

On my toes I walk through the dust to the pile of boxes that have my name on them. The layer is so thick I can write in it. Blegh.

All three boxes are filled with books and it takes me a while to find 'Charlie'. It's brand new. A dyslexia issue, because, who knew, perhaps that was the reason.

I dig a little more and grab a few more books from the box. 'Alice in Wonderland', 'The secret garden' en 'The Hobbit'. The rest stays, they're all picture books anyway.

Climbing down the loft ladder is even scarier and when I'm finally on solid ground again, I exhale the breath I held. At least folding the ladder up is easy.

I do drink a glass of water before diving back into my room. Because even if my body does seem to be paused when I'm in a book, I'd rather don't get dehydrated.

Should I lock the door? No, my mother probably won't come up before dinnertime should I not respond to her calling again. Maybe I could bring my phone and set my alarm. That's a good idea. I just have to make sure not to lose it. For that I put on a jacket with a zip pocket and tuck my phone in there. Two hours till five thirty, that should be enough to investigate the chocolate factory.

Charlie takes me to the small cottage where he lives with his parents, grandfathers and grandmothers. I follow him when he buys his candy bar and console him when the golden wrapper isn't in it. When he gets the bar from his grandpa, I bite my knuckles to keep from shouting to soon and then the moment finally arrives. There are only two people allowed in on one gold wrapper, but I don't count, so I walk along with Charlie and his grandpa, following Willy Wonka.

There are a number of things that have to happen before we enter the great hall. I know that, because I've seen the movie. Now I can choose to leave the group and search the factory myself, but then I'll probably get lost. So I impatiently keep up and when we finally, finally reach candy land, I ignore the Oompa-Loompas and bounce to a mushroom.

Getting a little sick, but oh so cheery, I skip the boat ride and roam around the Gummy-bears and lollipops until my alarm goes off.

At dinner I get a few raised eyebrows, because I can't stop grinning like a loon. I can't wait till it's eight o'clock and show Sorley what I brought for him.

---

Today I'm the first and that makes me terribly nervous. I put the big, green Gummy-bear on the desk and sit on the bed. Then I stand up again and walk to the window. Now that I know what the mansion looks like on the outside, I can orientate myself. From this angle I can't see the round arch above the entrance, but I can see the stables. Would the door still be locked? Before I can try it, Sorley appears on the chair next to the desk and I stumble with fright. He catches me and sets me straight, grinning. When he sees the Gummy-bear, he bursts out laughing even louder. I'm glad he is in a good mood and smile.

"'Charlie and the chocolate factory?'" he asks, smelling the oversized candy.

"Yeah, tomorrow I'm gonna try 'Alice in Wonderland'. Did you ever take something from a book?"

While I ask, a foolish idea pops up in my head and just in case I pinch my lips.

Sorley's ignorant of my inner battle and shakes his head. "I didn't know I could. Until I left this book I didn't even know you kept the clothes you wore. I lost one of my favourite T-shirts because of it."

"Where do you think those things go?" I ask uncertain, at the same time trying to decipher the line that is on his shirt today: 'All I got left is my bones'.

"I don't know, is this edible?"

Beaming, I nod. "I discovered you can eat all you want in a book without consequences. Did you know you don't even get hungry or thirsty, no matter how long you're inside."

With a little difficulty Sorley bites off a piece of green ear and answers as he chews: "I noticed, when I got out of 'Brotherhood'. I must have been in there for hours, but I ate something beforehand and was still full."

"Yes, indeed. Could it hurt, you think?"

"Dunno", he replies again. It seems he's a lot less concerned about it than I am.

"Oh, and your theory was right, about getting hurt. A least, I think so."

"Why? Did you try it out?" He takes an other bite and offers me the bear.

"No thanks, and not on purpose. I eh... I found 'Brotherhood' in Dutch, in our library and had to go horse riding with Michael." I see his face falling and hurry to the funny bit.

"I was wearing a skirt and had to ride sideways, you know, on a side saddle. With the getting on part we made a few estimation errors and I flew right over it."

It's working, his face brightens.

"It didn't hurt at all. Oh and when I got home, there wasn't any sand or dirt on my skirt or shoes. I was still wearing the skirt, you should have seen my mothers face. Oh, and I did the most incredibly stupid thing, I almost panicked. I wanted to leave the book as soon as I saw the house, because that's what I came for, but when I said the exit-words, nothing happened."

Sorley puts the bear back on the desk and squints his eyes.

"I got out when my mother came in the room, but then I saw. I had the Dutch version, so I had to say the Dutch title. isn't that stupid?"

My throat is all dry after talking so much, is there a water jug here? I thought I saw one, last time I was here. Yes, on the dresser. I hope the water is clean. I pour some in a glass that's next to it and drink it. Clean enough.

"You've been busy."

When I turn around, Sorley has his arms crossed and is watching me. My cheeks heat up.

"How many book have you walked in, now?"

"Ehm... not so many. Only two all the way through. The others only parts of them."

"Why?"

I bite my bottom lip. "What do you mean?"

"Well, why do you only read parts? Don't you find the stories interesting?"

"No, yes", I begin to answer, but then I tilt my head and think. "It's not as if I haven't read a lot. On my e-reader I do. But for this", my arms flail a little in the direction of the furniture in the room, "I don't just want to read a story. It's like with Sjakie, Charlie, I mean, I know the story, so why would I walk along all the way? I just want to see the factory. That big hall with all the candy." I point at the Gummy-bear that is now missing an ear. "Why do you do it?"

I find it difficult to keep looking at him, his gaze is so intense.

"The first time I stepped inside a book was when I was nine. That was 'Invention of Hugo Cabret'. It was way too complicated for me and I didn't get half of it, but it was so secretive and exciting that I hated getting out. I read at night, in bed, when my parents were still alive and after the accident, reading was all I did."

My eyes are wide open again, that's probably why he won't look at me directly.

"I devoured books. Never the same one twice. Different ones each time. Exiting ones, like Hugo's and later, when I got older, more complicated books. Literature, historic fiction, the thicker, the better."

Now I really feel like a dumb blonde. I might be blond, but I've never considered myself dumb before. Till now. Although, dumb isn't really the correct term. Shallow, that's the one. Sorley tells me about all the different histories he walked through. A few wars, revolutions. He was on a merchant ship and even walked among Neanderthals. And then there's me, with my horse book, chocolate factory and high school novel. Suddenly I'm ashamed for bringing the Gummy-bear. Although Sorley seems to appreciate the gift, since he's munching on the second ear.

"What ... I mean, are you still in school? University, probably? Let me guess, History?"

His jaws slow down and he shakes his head. "I quit after High School."

When he doesn't continue, I ask: "So, you're working now?"

In stead of answering, he picks at a piece of the Gummy-bear and points at me. "Enough about me, how does school work in The Netherlands? Do you have High Schools there?"

"Sort off, I suppose. We go to the basisschool ... Elementary School." I have to think a while to come up with the correct translation. "Until we're about twelve years old and then, depending on your level, you get four, five or six years of middle school. I guess that's Junior and Senior High combined. After that you can choose further education."

"And you are now at ...?"

"Fourth year, next year I get exams. I'm a late student. Probably because I didn't want to read."

He grins.

"Yeah, you laugh. I didn't find out I couldn't disappear in books in front of others until I found your book."

His face falls again when I mention the booklet.

"You do know it's impossible for me to have written that book, right?"

Surprised I look at him. "How come?"

"You've already discovered it, so it's already been written. How can I write it in the future and get it back to the past, to you?"

Yeah, I broke my head over that one a few times already. So I shrug and copy his previous reply: "Dunno."

Sorley shakes his head, but I continue. "There are more things that make no sense. This whole paper walking makes no sense. Did you know that there is nothing on the photos I made yesterday, except you. Everything else, the room, the furniture, the desk; on the photos and in the film all you see are white pages with letters. As if I filmed a book. How do you explain that?"

"Show me?"

He takes a few steps towards me and my heart leaps. For someone who supposedly reads books all day, he's looking way too buff.

The cellphone almost slips from my trembling fingers and I quickly locate the photos. To my astonishment – because this goes way over normal amazement – the attic room is plainly visible on the pictures. Behind Sorley and his crooked smile is the wall with the painting that is there now. The picture of the desk shows an identical copy to the one that now has a ear-less bear standing on top. And even the film shows a utterly normal circle around the room.

"This is crazy."

"Do you have bluetooth?"

"Can you do that here?"

He pulls out his own cellphone and holds it against mine. "They already discovered radio signals and bluetooth is on an open frequency, so on principle it should work."

My eyebrows shoot through the ceiling when we indeed make contact and at his request I send him the two pictures. I grimace when he points his camera at me and watch with him on his screen. All photos are totally normal. Background included.

He sits down on the chair and calls: "Wait, just wait here, alright?"

I nod dorky and look at dancing dust particles a few seconds later. It only takes about a minute, then he's back.

"Aye, at home I've also got only letters on pages behind us." He shows me a picture of a bookcase with a capital B.

"Do you live in a library?"

"I told you I read a lot."

"Wow." For a moment I scroll through my gallery, but there isn't actually a photo I can show him without shame. Most of them are selfies with Isla or pictures taken in the mirror to ask about an outfit. I should really toss those.

It remains quiet as we both mess around on our cellphones a bit. Sorley puts it away first. Do I dare to ask him for his number? I open my mouth, but close it again. There is a distant look in his eyes. The one that tells me his mind is somewhere else entirely. His fingers drum on his leg and I almost ask whether he's a drummer. Luckily I'm able to swallow that silly remark down.

While I look at him, the previous idiotic idea shoots through my brain again and because I'm an impulsive person I pop out: "Do you think you can take someone from the book? Or in it?"

As if he forgot I was in the room, he looks at me with surprise. After a few shy seconds of silence, he asks: "Who do you wanna take?"

You, I want to say, but I don't.

"Nobody particular, I was just wandering. If you can take anything your hands can hold, would you be able to take a person with you? If you're holding that person, with your hand, you catch my drift." My teeth pick on my bottom lip until I notice, then I press them tightly together.

His gaze shoots to the door, then his jaw tenses and he shakes, almost immeasurably his head. He looks at me again, reaches for me just a little and pulls his hand back almost instantly.

Disappointment courses through me. Unfortunately he won't be my test subject.

A whole series of expressions run across his face and I'm speechless, because it feels like he has to say something very important, but he can't. In the end, his face relaxes into some sort of smile and I feel my heart contract, because I already know what he is going to say.

"I have to go." He takes the Gummy-bear and sits down on the chair.

For the first time I'm afraid to ask if we'll see each other the next day. I'm afraid of the answer.

"Bye, Zara." His softly spoken farewell brings tears to the surface. I can't even reply. He takes a deep breath, smiles as if he knows exactly what I'm thinking and says his exit-words.