I was lying down on the ground, gasping desperately for air while
clutching my side. I had no idea what happened, but the pain ran through my
body as if I had just been struck by a lightning bolt. My mind grew fuzzy as it
tried to blur out the pain. After what seemed to be forever, the pain finally
became bearable. I opened my eyes, ears still ringing after the ordeal, and got
up ever so slowly.
A door stood right in front of where I was laying. It had a grim design. Black,
and had carvings unlike any I have ever seen before, like it belonged in the
medieval times. The door was emanating some sort of aura – one that exuded
sorrow and pain. I looked around me. Darkness engulfed me on all sides. The
only thing I could make out was the door ahead of me, and another one just a
few feet away.
I walked to the other door. This one looked more
welcoming. The door was bright gold lined with what seemed to be diamonds. I
tilted my head to one side, curiously wondering what could be behind such a
beautiful door. I approached it slowly and right away, an aura of joy and peace
beckoned to me to enter. I heard birds chirping on the other side, the
screaming of children playing, and the exchanges of many, many people.
I turned the knob and a world unlike any other opened up before my eyes.
Magnificent mountains stood high in the background, luscious trees and flowers
sprouted everywhere, and the people.. Never in my life have I seen so many
people, each and every one with a smile on their faces without a hint of
sadness on any of them. I was about to enter the door when I was stopped by
something.
Something just didn’t feel right. These people looked happy, yes. But they were
plastic at the same time. It was all just so, unreal. I took a step back, away
from the door. The black door then caught my attention. Curiosity got the
better of me and I shut the gold door, and went back to the black. Again,
something just didn’t feel right.
I took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. As soon as I touched it, the
same pain shot up my arm and I was immediately thrown backwards. What’s happening? When
I regained my composure, I knew I had to see what was on the other side of the
door – no matter what it took.
I mustered all my strength and approached the door again. With one great
effort, I grabbed hold of the doorknob and turned it, ignoring the burning pain
which shot through my body. With the last of my willpower, I lunged at the door
with my whole body and threw it open.
Sweat was pouring down my face as I realised that I was already inside the
door, lying down on a patch of dead grass. I struggled to get back on my feet,
but was finally able to. A breath caught inside my throat as I looked around.
This place was completely empty. Dead grass strewn out as far as the eye can
see. The sun was nowhere to be seen, condemning this land to an eternal
twilight phase. Wind swept through the land, rippling the grass and my unkempt
hair.
“It’s been a while since anyone came in here”, a male voice echoed through the
plains. I followed the voice and saw a teenage boy, just about my age, sitting
on the ground not far away. I walked closer to the boy and noticed that he was
clutching a wilting red rose in his hands. “Where am I?” I asked the boy.
“People these days are selfish, aren’t they?” the boy asked rhetorically,
completely ignoring my question, while staring intently at the wilting rose,
“They go through so much to convince themselves that they are happy, while
forgetting the people who actually care about them the most.”
I was confused. Was the boy talking to himself? Or was he talking to me?
“I don’t understand”, I said to him. The boy just shook his head and
looked up into the distance. “You have been through the other door, haven’t
you? I can tell”, the boy noted. “Why do you think there are so many people
there and none here? Don’t you see? People will go to great lengths to feel
good about themselves, but are they really happy?
They are lying to themselves. Just puppets with masks on.”
“Why are you here then?” I asked him. He let out a small chuckle and said, “You
really don’t know where you are, hmm?” He let out a long sigh. “I am here
because I actually care about how others feel. I am here because in this
twisted world, when we care too much, others take you for granted. They use you
to get what they want and what they need, then bask in their own happiness
while leaving you in one corner to rot away.”
“You are wrong!” I argued. “There must be others out there who feel the same as
you. Others who..” I was cut off by the boy, “Really? Others? Do you see
anybody else here besides me?”
I got frustrated. “This brings me back to my very first question you failed to
answer!” I shouted at him, “Where am I? And why did it hurt so much just to
open that door?”
“You just don’t get it, do you?” the boy said while looking directly into my
eyes for the first time, and whispered, “It is always the unspoken words that
hurt the most.”
The world around me distorted, and the boy disappeared. I was sitting on the
ground, staring at the wilting rose in my hand, as a teardrop rolled down my
cheek.
