Tilly and the Lost Fairy Tales
‘This way,’ Clara said, heading to an unremarkable door. On the stone wall there was a bell, and a discreet plaque with a gold circle round an intricate drawing of a feather. Above the illustration was written ‘The Faery Cabinet’. Clara pushed the door open and Tilly and Oskar followed, half expecting to be transported into a magical world. The room was small, with a desk stacked high with books and a till wedged in among them. Corridors and nooks and steps led off in several directions. As well as many, many bookshelves, the walls were covered with photos of smiling people, postcards and notes. A ladder that had seen better days was leaning against one wall, and Tilly could see a much larger room through an archway straight ahead of them. Handwritten signs were pinned to several of the shelves to mark different genres, and jazz music played quietly. Behind the desk was a threadbare armchair, and in it was a woman with short grey hair and large tortoiseshell glasses, absorbed in a book. Clara gave a polite cough and the woman looked up. - 126 -
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