Characters Always Leave a Mark

There is something to be said about shedding tears for a fictional character, especially one you met on a journey between the covers of a book. This relationship is unique, something you intend to hold close as you read, staining the pages with teardrops and chocolate-mucus fingerprints. You'd dye the pages with your own blood if you had to; if only your feelings could transcend a hopeful message to your dearest beloved who is lost among the paragraphs of a dismal world. But that is not how books work. You see, these characters must believe they are alone or hated; they may even be sentenced to death for a good story. And that is why you will never know who is reading yours now, secretly weeping and wholly in love.