They were magic books, and they drew Princess Nell into them so deeply 
that, for many hours, perhaps even days, she was not aware of her surroundings; 
which scarcely mattered as nothing remained of the Land Beyond. But at some 
length, she realized that something was tickling her foot. She reached down 
absently and scratched it. Moments later the tickling sensation returned. This 
time she looked down and was astonished to see that the floor of the library 
was covered with a thick gray-brown carpet, flecked here and there with 
splotches of white and black.