My Uncle’s Library

Many ages ago, in a village by the sea, a girl named “Amara” was born.

Our story is concerned with a specific series of moments in the life that Amara lived and continues to live.

A specific series of moments that led to the world we are living in today.

We are living in the rich, abundant world that Amara brought into being.

Or, at least, that is true, within the world of the story you are about to read!

A Library That Sits On A Cliff

Somewhere on the Sola-Luc-Aei sits an island.

A small island. Yet, not that small.

On this island, there lies an abundance of cliffs and hills and caves.

Right along one of these cliffs, close to the edge, overlooking a great drop and the unending riches of the Asima Samudra Kalpana, sits a library.

A great library that is great by virtue of what it contains, rather than the way it looks.

For, you see, this library, while vast in its own way — three stories tall, somewhat wide — is composed of old wood, various bits of metal, and chunks of stone.

Right within the library, though, are wooden floors, shelves upon shelves of books, numerous couches, a stairway that leads to the two other floors, a fireplace, a space for cooking, as well as a set of balconies.

A set of balconies that rest right above the couch and fireplace, surrounding the library’s center.

Many years ago, this library was constructed by a man named “Ulysses”.

“Ulysses Aldridge”, to be specific.

A kind, loving man who, many years prior to Amara’s birth, was an inventor and explorer.

Many of Ulysses’s inventions were lost to time, for they serve little purpose to others.

The fruits of Ulysses’s exploration, though, reside within this library.

Within Ulysses’s library, sits a vast assortment of books on shelves with elaborate patterns inspired by those seen all across the Asima Samudra Kalpana.

Many of these shelves contain boxes within boxes, each one containing a wide variety of photographs and sketches, taken all across the Asima Samudra Kalpana.

Right within yet another set of boxes, there lie piles upon piles of journal and diary entries, each one rich with musings, memories, moments, and ideas.

None of these gifts were off-limits to Amara.

You see, Ulysses was — and, though he has passed, still is — Amara’s uncle.

A kind, loving man who raised Amara when her parents could not.

For a great many years, Amara would go into this library on cold, windy days and wander around.

The library was big, yet small.

And, yet, the contents of this library, and that which they elucidated, was far from being small.

Rather, the abundance of books, photographs, and writings enabled Amara to step into the Infinite and, in doing so, to bring forth an abundance of treasures.

Right before we dive into what those treasures were, though, there is another story to share.

A Delightful Childhood

On the island that sits on the Sola-Luc-Aei, the weather is often warm and sunny.

And, yet, it is not always this way.

You see, within the span of certain years, the weather is cold and rainy.

No. That is not correct.

Rather, the weather is often rainy, with a slight chill, but nothing disruptive.

And, yet, the rain comes with wind.

For these reasons, Amara spent a great portion of her childhood within Ulysses’s library.

On a rainy, windy night — with the wind pushing against the great glass doors, rain splashing across the exterior walls, reinforcing the certainty that this library was truly safe and secure- Amara would step into the library and dive into the abundance of works within the library.

Sometimes, though, Amara wasn’t the only one within the library.

You see, Ulysses would even read to Amara, sharing all manner of stories with her.

Stories of great Gods and beings who created the world through a Divine act of play. Stories of lost lovers and reincarnated poets. Stories of unending worlds and great abilities.

And so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.

Sometimes, though, Ulysses would tell Amara stories from his own life.

Stories of visiting the island of “Ruh-Suh-Jin”, along the edges of the Sola-Luc-Aei, exploring the infinite libraries on the outskirts of Ruh-Suh-Jin, obtaining many of the books within the island.

Stories of meeting the Goddess of Play, for whom Amara was named after.

Stories of stepping into other worlds and becoming lost, yet always finding the way out.

Stories of growing to possess great abilities of dreaming and creation, growing old and losing those abilities, yet still possessing enough knowledge to perform curious parlor tricks.

And so on and so forth.

On the nights when Ulysses would share such stories with Amara, the two would go into the small kitchen within the library — a small, quiet space, within a concrete basement containing all manner of steel shelves and boxes — and make a cup of hot cocoa with some marshmallows, as well as something to eat.

Soon after bringing such a meal to fruition, Ulysses and Amara would go into the central space within the library, set up a fire, and sit on the couch.

Such memories go hand-in-hand with the decisions Amara made and the paths she followed.

For, you see, the stories Ulysses shared were, in and of themselves, inspired by books known to him as a child and stories that once enraptured his imagination.

Many of these were shared with Amara, as well. And, at the same time, the sheer abundance of Ulysses’s library ensured that a multitude of other such possibilities revealed themselves to her, as well.

Such paths and possibilities came together in novel ways, bringing forth an abundance of developments that, as one would expect, served to create the world we enjoy today.

The Game Of Games

On a night like any other, while Ulysses slept on a cot in the middle of the library, Amara pulled a book out from a mahogany shelf stained with dust.

To this day, Amara cannot recall the name of the book, or who wrote it.

Right within the book, though, was a collection.

A collection of 500 games, to be specific.

Storytelling games. Creativity games. Appreciation games. Divination games. Spiritual games. Art games. Performance games. Scientific games. Conversation games.

And so on and so forth.

None of these games were quite like the others that Amara was familiar with.

Rather, these were games that, assuming the author was correct, allowed the author to step into greater and greater realms of power and creativity and support and security and love.

And so on and so forth, infinitely and endlessly; ad infinitum.

The act of engaging with the riches of this book brought Amara’s imagination into new spaces.

Spaces of great mystery and wonder. Spaces of great awe and inspiration. Spaces of great power and possibility.

Soon after concluding the book, Amara began to sculpt her own games.

A vast assortment of games came from this.

Games that, when played, would allow for an infinite abundance of adventures, experiences, possibilities, paths, potentials — and so on and so forth, infinitely and endlessly; ad infinity — to arise.

And, in turn, Amara played the games she made.

The act of doing so allowed Amara to connect with a greater power.

To play a game that allowed Amara to appreciate, and experience, the qualities of this great power, so as to be assisted and supported by this power, in a tangible, direct manner.

A greater power known as “Source” — to Amara, that is — which came to Amara as a necessary part of fulfilling the great ambitions and desires within her mind.

Great ambitions and desires regarding the creation of great games and technologies.

And, through the act of creating, and playing, games, while continuing to learn and engage with her unending curiosity, Amara succeeded in fulfilling that ambition.

Even more than that, though, Amara continued to grow.

To grow and progress, further and further, until the one she once was seemed but a distant, rather quaint and silly, memory of a memory of a memory of having read a story.

And yet, those moments in the library, all of those stories; they are remembered.

Remembered and appreciated.

Conclusion

My hope is that you enjoyed this story.

If you wish to reach me, for any particular reason, please send an email to “maxwellcakin@gmail.com.”

Best wishes and have a fantastic day!