My favorite book of all time

I can remember just waiting for my teacher to excuse the class for recess. Foot tapping, fingers fidgeting, and overall squirming. I was like 7 years old, what do you expect?

In my mind I was pleading, "hurry teacher, or someone else will get it first!"

When the word was given and I was set free, I rushed to the library to check out the book. Like THE book. The Sleeping Beauty choose-your-own-adventure book.

It was the most amazing thing I'd ever experienced. A chance to choose how the characters in the book responded to certain challenges they faced and seeing the result of that choice. There was nothing like it at the time.

Nestled in a corner of the playground, other kids played on the monkey bars while I was caught up in a world of fire breathing dragons and handsome princes who always came to save the day. The best part of it all was helping Prince Phillip reach Princess Aurora. I'd frantically turn the pages as I made choices, smile ecstatically when I made the right choice and groan in frustration when I didn't. I'll always remember the cave. I can't remember the exact phrasing, but it was along the lines of:

"On your way to help Prince Phillip, you see a giant, dark cave. To go into the cave turn to page 13, to keep walking on the path turn to page 9."

DON'T EVER GO INTO THAT CAVE. IT'S A TRAP! I made that mistake my first couple of times, but eventually I learned to just keep walking.

Now we're living in a world dominated by screens. I'm not condemning anything because I actually love watching tv shows and movies. I just really hope somewhere and somehow books like this still exist. It really is, to this day, my favorite book of all time.