Bedtime story

Thus far he had been able to visualize every incident of the Neverending Story. Some of them, it couldn't be denied, were very strange, but they could somehow be explained. He had formed a clear picture of Atreyu riding on the luckdragon, of the Labyrinth and the Ivory Tower.
These pictures, however, existed only in his imagination. But when he came to the Magnolia Pavilion, he saw the face of the Childlike Empress -- if only for a fraction of a second, for the space of a lightning flash. And not only in his thoughts, but with his eyes! It wasn't his imagination, of that Bastion was sure. He had even seen details that were not mentioned in the description.
It never occurred to him that he was getting into the most unusual and perhaps the most dangerous of adventures. But even if he had known this, he wouldn't have dreamed of shutting the book.
With a trembling forefinger he found his place and went on reading.
The clock in the belfry struck ten.