Welcome to the World

“Hello, welcome to our world,” the man behind the front desk greets you. He reminds you strangely of Sherlock from the BBC series. “I’m Benedict. Are you here to see Bri?”

You gape at him. “No way! You’re not… Benedict Cumberbatch, are you?”

He gives you a strange look. “No, just Benedict. Please, step this way.” He leads you out of the small, white waiting area and through a door. The office you enter doesn’t look like a normal office. Sticky notes and index cards cover the walls. A luciously soft-looking chair sits on your side of the huge oak desk, and in an equally comfy-looking chair on the other side of the desk sits a teenage girl. She shoves her blond hair behind her ear as she scribbles violently on a piece of paper. She looks up and spots you, looking startled.

“Oh, hi, take a seat,” she says, quickly turning her attention back to her writing.

You gaze around the office. A laptop is set up on the table, but the girl isn’t really using it. A song’s playing on it, and you move the mouse to discover that it’s the Avengers theme song. You smile and lean back in the chair. The only wall that doesn’t have sticky notes and index cards on it is the one behind the desk. A floor-to-ceiling bookshelf takes up that entire wall, and, although not all of the shelves are filled with books, there are plenty of books stacked on the floor, too.

The girl finally sets down her pencil and smiles at you. “Sorry about that,” she says. “I’m Bri.” She shakes your hand. “I take it you’re here to explore. There’s a whole other room filled with stories over there.” She motions to a spot where you can see a doorknob peeking out through the sticky notes. “Try not to knock off too many notes if you go in there. I interview people, too, so there’s some of those interviews in there, too. I hope you enjoy checking everything out. Let me know if you need help, and I’d love your feedback on all of the things you read. Enjoy!”

You thank her and head over to the door. Taking a deep breath, you gently swing it open and step into the World.