The Emptiness You Feel When Saying Goodbye to A Great Story

     

     I conquered the longest book I have ever read in the winter of 8th grade. I can't explain to you the specific place I was when I read the last word, but I can remember clearly the state of mind I was in. It was one of confusion, frustration, but also pure bliss.
     In order to understand my reaction on a deeper level, you must first understand both my attachment and obligation to said book. The book was Inheritance, book 4 of a 4 book cycle known as the Inheritance Cycle, written by Christopher Paolini. I had started reading this book series around the end of 7th grade, making it almost half a year where my life revolved around these books. And when I say revolved, I mean that I would stay up until 2:00 AM on a school night just so I could finish just one more juicy chapter. After twists and turns, victories and defeats, and tears and smiles, I journeyed with Eragon and his dragon Saphira (again, this is fantasy and pretty nerdy, what else did you expect?) to the final book that gave the entire series its name. It was not a short read by any stretch of the imagination. It is still to this date the longest book I have ever read. And I am sure that I will not read another book, that is not a mandatory school assignment (COUGH COUGH APUSH) that is longer than, or comes near, 757 pages chock full of wonder, imagination, and ingenuity.
     Again, I do not know where I was when I read the last of 280,000 words, but I know what I thought and what I felt. I first felt accomplished. It is the sense of accomplishment you get after completing a task that is not completed often, like scoring three goals or getting a 100% on an APUSH multiple choice test (let me reiterate: COUGH COUGH). I felt accomplished in the fact that I finished no light feat of reading a book that is so much longer than so many others. It kept me engaged the entire way. Then I was confused. I had no idea what to do next. This had been what dominated my free time for so long now. Not only that, I could always depend on something to do. No homework? (when that still happened) Read some of Big Chris's spicy book! Want to enjoy yourself? Sit on down and devour some good ol' Paolini. Now, I was left with an emptiness almost akin to loneliness. There is only a select few other times I felt this way with anything. I felt this way when I finished The Office, my favorite TV show of all time, and when I finished my favorite anime, Gurren Lagaan. I sat there, looking back on the amazing things I read; the drama, the action, the romance, the beautiful nuances a great writer uses to make amazing stories.
     And then I was frustrated. I sat there asking myself, "Why must all good things come to an end?". And almost immediately I found an answer; "All good things must end for them to be good." If I was stuck reading the same series forever, I would move on. Because the Inheritance Cycle was able to end in an amazing and satisfying way, I was able to move on pleased. I still felt like I was missing something, but I moved forward. Now, I guess I would link this to Frederick Douglass by saying how I adopted a love of learning new things on my own. No one said I had to read this book. In fact, no one said Frederick Douglass had to learn; they said the complete opposite. Because it was such a daunting task, it pushed me even more. Frederick Douglass told the reader that he was compelled to learn on his own when his master said he shouldn't. It made him want to attain that status even more. Once I had attained the status of reading that long book, I didn't know my next goal. But much like Frederick Douglass did, I moved onto the next thing. The feeling Emptiness after an amazing story won't go away. It's almost like losing a friend. For all of the best TV shows, movies, and books, there will be an end, just as there is an end to life. It is natural. If it is a truly good story, the author will take you on a ride of your life, all on a flat page of paper. That is the beauty of a truly great story, and a truly great story always ends in a good, resolved way. Like how I am going to end-