The corridor is dim as I timidly walk through the shadows. The whole place resembles a dimly lit maze, with each turn looking the same as the last. Doors upon doors line the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor. My eyes dart back and forth as I side-step a large oak brown door abstracting my path. My heart pounding as my imagination tells that that a monster is hiding within the dark edges of the corridors.
‘Find the secret.’
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as a wispy voice fills the air. I spin around only to find myself alone in the hallway.
“H-H-Hello?” I call out, not sure if I want someone to respond back or not.
I bite my lip when the silence stretches on before cautiously turning and heading back down the corridor, shooting occasional glances over my shoulder.
I make it down another door-filled corridor when the stiff air comes alive around me, shifting and moving and full of energy.
‘The door. The door holds the secret.’
My heart jumps into my throat as the same voice speaks softly around me. I pause in hopes of hearing another pair of footsteps or maybe even the rustle of clothes outside of mine own.
Silence.
I wait a moment longer and manage a single step forward when the voice speaks again.
‘You must find the secret.’
“Why?” I ask into the empty corridor, slightly terrified that I am slowly losing my mind to the deafening isolation I am trapped in.
‘The secret holds the key,’ voice answers.
I frown.
My fear and uncertainty are slowly being overridden by curiosity and confusion. I glance up at the ceiling.
“A ‘key’ to what?” I question to the empty corridor. “That door that you mentioned? Or not a door at all?” Or maybe they don’t mean an actual ‘key’ but more like a metaphorical ‘key’?
But even then… Is this ‘key’ my ticket out of here? My way of escaping this endless maze of doors and hallways?
‘Find the door. Find the secret,’ the voice whispers before the air shifts and returns to its lifeless state.
“But how do I know if I choose the right door?” I call out before sighing as I am once again alone. No use. Whoever is speaking to me is gone and who knows when they’ll be back.
I gaze around the hallway, eyeing each door that I can see.
The doors vary in almost every way, whether it is in size, material, or age. And I never see the same door twice. There are some that are similar, mainly in artful design, having golden or silver swirls marking their surfaces.
Slowly, I work my way down the hallway, stepping closer to some doors, squatting near others, just to examine them, see if anything about these doors stand out to me.
But nothing does. None of them grab my attention as being ‘special’ or possibly holding this ‘secret’ that the voice is talking about.
What if I never find the door? I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. What if I already PAST the door that they were talking about? I turn down another corridor, dread filling me as I take in the numerous doors. The strong urge to curl up on the floor shoots through me and I scrub my face in frustration as I take a moment to breathe.
My shoulders tense as I catch some movement out of the corner of my eye. My head snaps up in time to watch as a dark figure darts around the corner at the end of the hallway.
“No! Please, wait!” I call out, sprinting after them.
My footsteps thunder in the empty corridor and I nearly wipe out as I take the corner. I stop dead in my tracks.
Unlike the other hallways that at least have a dim, golden light illuminating the way, this corridor is nearly pitch black.
Unease swirls in my gut as I scan for any sign of the figure. Are they the one who has been talking to me? If so, why not just come out and speak with me if they were so close to me. My eyes widen. Maybe they’re leading me to the door I need?
“Hello?” I say aloud. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” I pause, eyes flickering from left to right. “Are you the one who was talking to me? Or maybe your lost? Like me?” I know they’re here. The air doesn’t feel as dead as it did a few paces back. “If you are here, could you come out? Maybe if we work together, we can leave this place.”
My breath catches in my throat as the sound of clothes rustling and small timid movements fills the air.
“Are you looking for the ‘key’?” A small, fragile voice questions from the darkness. I turn toward the voice, allowing a smile to grace my lips as a small bout of relief courses through me. I’m not alone here.
“Yes,” I answer. “Do you know where the ‘key’ is?”
My heart thunders in my chest as a pause follows my question.
“Yes,” the voice says softly.
My eyebrows furrow at the almost sad tone but I keep my smile on my face as I edge my way closer to where I believe the voice to be.
“Can you lead me to it?” I ask, my toes just barely edging into the darkness. “I’m not even sure where to start looking. So, your help would be much appreciated.”
A squeak escapes me when a hand shoots out from the darkness and grabs my wrist.
“This way.”
The hand tugs on me, leading me further into the dark corridor. My steps are stiff as I try to remain calm as we move deeper and deeper into the unknown darkness. Part of me is waiting for me to trip over a door that is built into the floor or for another hand to come out and grab me. And this darkness is one that I’m not accustom to. I can’t even see who my guide is. I know that they are directly in front of me and yet, nothing. I can sense that they are pretty close to me, however, and their fingers flex and squeeze around my wrist every few seconds, almost as if they are also checking and making sure that I’m still here.
Maybe they are just as lonely as I was feeling while moving through this maze.
I feel the figure lead me around a corner when they suddenly start falling back into step with me. My mouth opens to ask them what’s wrong when a small pin-prick of light morphs in the distance. The figure continues to move further and further behind me the closer we get to the light but they never release my wrist. They do add a hand to the small of my back, telling me to keep moving forward.
When the hand releases my wrist, ice courses through my veins.
“What are you doing?” Please, I don’t want to be alone again.
“I have brought you to the ‘key’.”
I try to glance over my shoulder but the figure no longer has a hold on my back and I can’t tell if they are directly behind me or not.
“Okay, but where is it?”
A chuckle echoes around the corridor when a pressure pushes me closer to the the light.
“It’s the light. Walk into the light and it will guide you to the ‘key’.”
Another push on my back and my chest constricts.
“You’re not coming with me?”
“No. The secret can only be prove the ‘key’ to a single individual. That ‘key’ is yours to have. It always has been.”
The ache of loneliness spreads across my chest and I quickly spin around as I stumble into the light.
“Please, don’t—“
The corridor is empty and dimly lit. Not a single other person to be seen.
‘Go to the light. Only there will you find the ‘key’,’ comes the figure’s soft voice.
My eyes widen as realization dawns on me. I was right! The figure I saw and who lead me here is the voice I’ve been hearing. With a new wave of determination spiking within me, I nod. Turning on my heels, I stride into the light, allowing it to engulf me.
The blinding whiteness doesn’t last long and within twenty strides, I emerge from the light into a decently sized dimly lit room. On the far wall is three identical doors, each a different color: green, blue, and red.
Curious, I cautiously approach the doors, studying each one closely. Outside of the color, these doors are nearly perfect replicas of one another, down to the strange, swooping symbols etched into their surfaces. I trace each symbol with my finger, following the smooth curves and swirls along the green door’s surface.
“But which door is the one that I need?” I mutter to myself, taking a step back to evaluate my options.
‘Go with what your heart tells you.’
I jump as the voice answers me, not expecting the voice to still be with me. I gnaw on my bottom lip as I process the voice’s words, rubbing my hands on my forearms.
Go with what my heart tells me?
My eyes slide from door to door, sizing up each one as I go. After a beat, my eyes glide back over to the door furthest to the left. The green door.
The sudden urge to approach the door hits me and I walk up to it once more. I study the symbols that I ran my fingers over a few minutes ago, my fingers itching to touch the smooth surface once more. I look down at the golden doorknob. It gleams in the dim light.
I nod as I make up my mind. This is the door I’m going to open. Reaching out, I grasp the cool metal as my heart threatens to pound right out of my chest.
“Here goes noting,” I mutter, quietly hoping that I have chosen the right door. Breathing out, I twist the doorknob and swing the door open.
A deep, endless void stares back. A pit forms in my stomach.
Oh no. Did I choose the wrong door?
My eyes widen when a small ball of golden light emerges from the void. It hovers in front of my face for a beat, bobbing as if in water. Intrigued, I extend a hand toward the orb. My fingers brush the light’s surface, a calming warmth radiating from it.
Suddenly, the orb zips up and around before slamming into the center of my chest. The air rushes from my lungs as a blunt force knocks the wind out of me. The warmth that my fingers felt spreads out from where the orb entered me. I clutch at the spot.
“You’ve found the Secret.”
A cry escapes me as the voice whispers directly into my ear. A cold wash of fear replaces the calm that the orb is trying to spread through me as the air around me shifts and swirls, sucking me into the empty void. I frantically claw at the door as I fight to keep myself from being dragged inside.
“What’s going on?” I shout as I nearly lose my footing. The voice chuckles and I risk a glance over my shoulder.
A tall figure in a hooded grey cloak stands three feet from me. Their entire face is obscured from view but their shoulders shake as they chuckle.
“You have found the Secret. And now, you are receiving your reward. For this is your ‘key’.”
The figure waves a long charred hand toward me and an invisible force pries my fingers from the door.
A terrified scream rips from my lips as I lose my grip on the door and I’m swiftly sucked inside. The last image I see is the cloaked figure before the door slams shut, blanketing me in darkness before I know no more.
'Til Kingdom Come 