“Ms. Expo-” You begin saying to her.

She stops you before you can finish her name.

“There is no ‘Miss’ needed, dear, just call me Exposé.” Her voice is kind and gentle.

Although you have the faintest clue of what is happening, her presence soothes you somehow. You are following her to what seems to be nowhere. Everything is white. It feels and looks as if you exist within a state of nothingness. You then remember that you had something to say.

“Exposé, where are we?”

She smiles warmly and says. “I already told you, love, this is the beginning.”

A million questions run through your mind; you struggle to pinpoint one.

“The beginning of what?” You asked.

She does not answer this time; she keeps walking as if she knows that you will follow regardless of her nonresponse. She is correct, and you continue to follow her. You would love to stop and take in your surroundings, but there is nothing to take in. Every so often, a sharp blue light will whizz by. When this happens, it opens up for a moment, and you can see a figure there. It almost feels familiar, but you don’t know where it is from. You are concerned about it for minutes, maybe hours. It is hard to tell time here; there is no sun, no moon. As soon as you recognize your thoughts about the light, you forget until it happens again. You continue this cycle until Exposé speaks again.

“We are almost there, darling.”

You almost forgot that she was here. Something about this white landscape is hypnotic.

You didn’t bother asking her where you were going because you doubted that she would answer. You aren’t sure why she is being a bit mysterious about the situation. But you are not afraid of her. It is clear to you that there is absolutely no malicious motive for her. You don’t know how you know this, but you know. Perhaps that is why you are following her with no hesitation; she feels safe. You mentally struggle with reasoning in your mind until you walk into Exposé. She does have a physical existence, it seems. This is made clear by the guilt you feel when your clumsiness knocks her over. You begin apologizing profusely.

“Don’t apologize. I would have kept us walking forever if you had not bumped into me. I have become physical again, which means that we are here.”

Because you were lost in your thoughts for so long, you failed to realize until now that there is finally another landscape in front of you. Luscious greenery now surrounds you. Exposé says something, but you don’t hear her. You are too caught up in the scenery to notice that she is talking. There are waterfalls leaping from grass-covered mountains. You can hear the rushing water, and you feel a breeze. Coming from a polluted landscape of car emissions and smog, this is all entirely new. This place feels comfortably lonely. It looks to you that it is only you, nature, and Exposé. As you are thinking about this, you realize that you have, once again, forgotten about Exposé. Feeling rude and incredibly guilty, you turn around to address her.

“Exposé, I am terribly sorry. I did not mean to ignore you. It’s just that-” You stumble over your words for what feels like hours.

Eventually, she stops you from embarrassing yourself further. “Stop apologizing to me, love. There is nothing to be sorry for here, not yet.”

That sentence presents as ominous. But you were rude plenty; you were not going to question her and disrespect her further.

“Where are we?” Is all you say.

She smirks and says. “Whatever you want it to be. Explore.”

So, you did just that. You ran towards a particularly large tree next to the grandest of the waterfalls. Staring up at the top of the waterfall, the sunlight is blinding, and you are in awe. You continue walking around, gawking at every part of this unknown landscape. There are trees as large as this one scattered around this place, looking as if they were placed by a meticulous gardener, all in perfect position. You notice a wonderfully colorful scene in the distance, and you are drawn to it. As you get closer and closer, you begin running out of excitement. Finally, it comes into view. The most beautiful field of flowers. Every flower that you could imagine, tulips, roses, sunflowers, daisies, and many flowers that you have never seen. In the middle of this field, there is a small dwelling. A round, brick house with a homey appearance. It almost looks as if it is brimming with warmth, and although the weather outside is perfect, you are fighting a strong desire to go inside. Feeling as if you are completely safe from any harm here, you go inside.

The inside was just as small as the outside led you to believe it would be. But it was incredibly charming. A little fireplace was roaring against the far side, with a perfectly decorated mantle. A less-than-regal couch sat in front of it with quilted blankets and fluffed pillows. Bookshelves lined the rest of the room, bursting with well-read books and trinkets. You find yourself picking up one of these books, and you read the cover. “Starting an Adventure: For those who wish to Begin Anew.” Looking down towards the bottom right corner, you notice a familiar name: the author, Sebastian Grog. Shocked to see that he wrote this book, you are intrigued and have a desire to read it. You sit down to read the foreword aloud to yourself.

“Starting an adventure is not something that everyone necessarily chooses to do. Sometimes, the responsibility of beginning your story is something that is thrust upon you. This could be done by the universe or by someone you hardly know, perhaps the writer of this book.”

This situation is obviously quite familiar to you. You almost laugh to yourself because of the irony.

“Of course, not many people know Sebastian Grog. His whereabouts are unknown to most of the world. This is disappointing to the universe, as he is said to be a powerful man with the wisdom of the universe. I am Exposé, one of the last beings to know Sebastian, and this book will assist in starting a new life. One that will be filled with adventure and whimsy. And one day, this book may lead to the master of the universe himself. For now, read these pages and absorb every word. This is unlike any other self-help book. Explore.”

It seems that Exposé wrote the foreword, and once you finish reading, you decide to go ask her about it. Of course, you have met Sebastian Grog; he sent you on this journey, but you only knew him as a quiet bookstore owner before then. You know his whereabouts, and he never seemed to be as wise as she has written him to be here. You have countless questions, so you leave the house to ask her about them. You run back towards where you came from, refusing to get distracted by the scenery that you have already spent hours admiring. You pass through the flowers and past the trees and crashing waterfalls.

Finally, you return to where you left Exposé. To your distress, Exposé is nowhere to be found. You expected her to be standing there, which you now realize was foolish. You were gone for hours. But it doesn’t just feel like she has moved, you feel as if she is gone, out of this world. You have only known her since you entered that book, but you do not want to be without her. So, you begin searching.