A Note to the Reader

I feel your presence invade our story, your roundish face hovering in the air like a reflection on a rippling lake. I can feel the slight guilt that hangs about you as you begin to read; you're procrastinating, trying to ignore whatever chores and duties call to you in your real world. You cannot know what I am feeling as your eyes and mind eagerly devour my life, the adventures I go through to claim the lovely Emmeline. From the moment I was written it was my duty to provide entertainment for anyone in your world who desired it, and I am glad you do not feel the resentment that emanates from me as you read.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I tried to be angry with you, but halfway through my story, I feel I am beginning to read yours. I watch your eyes light up over a well-written passage, feel the wistful envy that courses through you and the restless desire to create something beautiful of your own. Do you know you mime our actions sometimes? You twist your mouth, arch your eyebrow according to the book's description to see if the way it was written makes sense. It makes me smile, inside, where I am&nbsp;not caught up in the actions&nbsp;my story&nbsp;dictates. You are a little annoyed with Emmeline, I can tell. You stare off into space halfway down a page with her on it, and I know you are rewriting her in your mind. I wonder what she'd look like if you had written her, how she would have talked and thought. I hope you'd make her like you.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is the final chapter, and I can tell you are dissatisfied. I'm sorry, so sorry. The one thing I will ever be able to give you is this story, and I cannot give it the happy ending you were seeking. The words are there, I kiss and embrace Emmeline, but you doubt my sincerity, and you are right. You stare absently at the last page of the book, a little frustrated with the ending but mostly pleased by the story. Your hand&nbsp;grasps the back leaf of the cover and I feel a twinge of panic as you begin to close the book. "I love you," I whisper, and I mean it. You pause for a moment, eyes wide, then shrug as the book closes and shuts me into darkness.