The Bookkeeper's Tale

Short Story. Approx. 7600 words

Janine has followed her impulsive cousin to Istanbul, Turkey. Saphyre suddenly left her home in the United States to seek her father in the city of her unconventional birth. The only clue Janine has to her whereabouts is a cryptic note and a reference to a place called the "Grand Archives". Janine and her friend Aila hop the first plane they can in order to find Saphyre and bring her home, but by the time they arrive, Saphyre has vanished. Janine locates the archives, but finds it only holds some old leather-bound books containing hand-written autobiographies. To her disbelief, Janine finds an autobiography seemingly written by Saphyre.There is a dark mystery at work: an otherworldly keeper seemingly far too young for her post, a strange and grotesquely beautiful lamp, and a secret trunk. Much must be unraveled before this story comes to an end. Will Janine ever be reunited with her beloved cousin, or will Saphyre simply vanish like so many have before?