Setting (story)

Have you ever been reading a book and suddenly felt a shiver, even though you were warm in your bed? Or maybe you felt the hot sun on your skin while sitting on the couch on a rainy day. That’s my magic at work. I am the secret ingredient that pulls you into an adventure, painting pictures with words that you can see right inside your mind. I can build a towering castle with shiny flags or a tiny mouse house hidden under the floorboards. I can make you feel the bumpy cobblestone streets of an old city or the soft, squishy mud of a deep jungle. I am the Where and the When of every story. My name is Setting.

Long, long ago, before books were even invented, storytellers discovered my power. When people gathered around a crackling campfire at night, the storytellers learned that their tales were much more exciting if they described the world around the hero. Instead of just saying a wolf appeared, they would say a big, gray wolf crept out from the deep, dark woods, where the moon barely peeked through the tall trees. See? That's me helping. I am the reason you know if a character is in a busy, bustling city full of honking cars or a quiet little village where chickens peck in the dirt. I’m not just a place, I’m also a time. I can whoosh you back to an age of grumbling dinosaurs or zoom you forward to a future with flying cars and friendly robots. Famous storytellers like the Brothers Grimm knew just how to use me. They used me to build Rapunzel’s lonely, tall tower and to cook up Hansel and Gretel’s delicious but dangerous candy house. I help you feel what the characters are feeling by changing the mood. A happy, sunny day makes you feel cheerful, but a dark and stormy night can make you feel a little scared and excited for what comes next.

My work is everywhere you look. When you watch a movie, you see me in the spooky haunted house or the beautiful, sparkling undersea kingdom. When you play a video game, you run through the worlds that I help create. I am the invisible stage where all the action happens, helping you feel like you are right there with your favorite characters, sharing their adventure. I am your partner in imagination. Every time you open a book or dream up a brand-new tale, I'm waiting for you. I give your ideas a home and your heroes a world to explore. So, where will we go on our next adventure together?