I HEARD A VERY LOUD NOISE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND WOKE UP WITH A START. AND THE FIRST THING I NOTICED- I WASN’T IN MY BED ANYMORE.  ACTUALLY I WASN’T IN MY ROOM ANYMORE.  I LOOKED AROUND CURIOUSLY. I WAS IN AN OLD AND DUSTY, BUT VERY VAST AND SEEMINGLY EXPENSIVE ROOM. IT LOOKED AS IF I HAD TELEPORTED INTO SOME OLD PALACE AND WAS LYING IN THE KING’S ROOM OR SO.
I SLOWLY AND VERY CAUTIOUSLY GOT UP FROM THE GREAT BED AND STEPPED DOWN TO FIND THE FLOOR CHILLY COLD. AS I WALKED ON THE DUSTY FLOOR, THE FLOORBOARDS BELOW ME CREAKED, AND THE SOUND ECHOED, MAKING IT SEEM ALL THE MORE EERIE.
MY EYES WERE BECOMING MORE ACCUSTOMED TO THE PITCH DARKNESS AND I COULD FIND THE SILHOUETTE OF A FEW ODD OBJECTS IN THE CORNERS OF THE ROOM. I WALKED ON, MY PRIMARY AIM BEING ESCAPING FROM THIS DAMN SCARY ROOM. I THEN SPOTTED A DOOR IN FRONT OF ME. I LET OUT A BREATH I DIDN’T REALISE I WAS HOLDING AND APPROACHED THE WAY TO MY ESCAPE, OR SO I BELIEVED.
I HELD THE COBWEBBED HANDLE OF THE DOOR AND STARTED PULLING IT. AS IT DID NOT BUDGE, I WAS NOW PUSHING IT, AND SUDDENLY, THE DOOR OPENED WITH A LOUD CREAK. I HADN’T KNOWN WHAT TO EXPECT, BUT DEFINITELY I DID NOT EXPECT A FLIGHT OF APPARENTY NEVER ENDING STAIRS.
I WALKED DOWN THE STAIRS, MESMERISED. IT WAS EXACTLY LIKE THOSE GREAT STAIRS WE SEE IN MOVIES.  IT WASN’T DARK NOW. MY WAY WAS LIT BY THE MOONLIGHT STREAMING IN THROUGH THE LARGE WINDOWS. I STARTED WISHING FOR DARKNESS. THAT DEFINITELY WAS LESS SCARY.
AFTER AN ETERNITY, OR SO I FELT, I REACHED THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS AND INTO A HALL, EMPTY EXCEPT FOR A FEW WINDOWS, A CEILING I COULDN’T FATHOM HOW HIGH ,AND A LARGE FRONT DOOR. I RAN TO THE DOOR, PRAYING FERVENTLY THAT MAYBE, I COULD ESCAPE THIS INSANITY AND BE BACK TO MY OWN PLACE.
BUT, OBVIOUSLY, MY WISHES WERE TO BE SHATTERED, AND THAT I REALISED AFTER I REACHED THE DOOR WHICH WOULD NEVER OPEN. I PULLED AND PUSHED, PULLED AND PUSHED THE DOOR FOR GOD KNOWS HOW MUCH TIME. AND THEN CAME THE KNOCK.
I SAY ‘THE KNOCK’ BECAUSE IT WAS JUST ONE DISTINCT KNOCK.  THAT ONE SOFT KNOCK REVERBERATED IN THOSE EMPTY HALLS, SENDING A CHILL DOWN MY SPINE, AND I SAID, “WHO’S THERE?”
OBVIOUSLY I WAS ANSWERED. AND WITH WHAT EXACTLY, YOU ASK? TO BE PRECISE, SILENCE. YES, I GOT NO ANSWER TO MY QUESTION. I THEN HEARD MY SHAKY VOICE SAY, “WHOEVER IT IS, I DON’T CARE. THIS DOOR SEEMS TO BE STUCK. PLEASE HELP ME.”
AND THEN I HEARD THE VOICE. A SOFT, SILVERY, MUSICAL VOICE, BUT WHY DID I FEEL AS IF THERE WAS SOMETHING HIDDEN BELOW IT, I KNOW NOT. IT WAS DEFINITELY FEMININE AND IT SAID, “THE DOOR ISN’T STUCK DEAREST. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS OPEN IT.”
I SNORTED. I WAS TENSED UP, YES. BUT SURELY, HOW COULD I NOT RIDICULE SUCH A STATEMENT? OPEN THE DOOR, SHE SAYS. AS IF I’VE BEEN DOING SOMETHING ELSE ALL THIS TIME. “THANK YOU FOR YOUR VALUABLE SUGGESTION, LADY. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW USEFUL IT HAS BEEN” I CALLED OUT SARCASTICALLY. I DON’T KNOW WHY, BUT I FELT THAT THE LADY OUTSIDE WAS SMILING. I SHOOK MY HEAD AND RESUMED PUSHING THE DOOR.
AND WITH MY FIRST PUSH, THE DOOR OPENED. I STOOD SHOCKED AS THE DOOR SWUNG OUTWARD BEFORE ME AS IF IT WAS NEVER CLOSED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE DOOR REVEALED A PORCH, BUT AGAIN THWARTING MY EXPECTATION, I FOUND IT TO BE EMPTY.
I WALKED OUT OF THE PORCH AND INTO THE GARDEN. THE GARDEN WAS CREEPIER, IF THINGS COULD GET CREEPIER, THAT IS. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL, IN A HORRIFIC SORT OF WAY. THE PLANTS, THOUGH IN PROPER ROWS, HAD A WILD LOOK ABOUT THEM. THE WHOLE AREA WAS SURROUNDED BY BIG TREES. THE MOONLIGHT GAVE EVERYTHING AN EERIE GLOW.
MY FIRST COHERENT THOUGHT- WHERE WAS THAT WOMAN I TALKED WITH? SHE COULDN’T DISAPPEAR, COULD SHE? I LOOKED AROUND ME, BUT FOUND NO ONE. I WAS GETTING SCARED BY THE MINUTE. I THEN SPOTTED A GATE FAR OFF.
AT LAST! SOME ESCAPE! I STARTED RUNNING TOWARDS IT, AND THEN STOPPED IN MY TRACKS. IT WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. IT WAS BECAUSE MY LEGS WOULDN’T MOVE. I STRUGGLED AND SRUGGLED. I WAS DESPERATE NOW. I WANTED TO RUN.
I FELT TEARS PRICK MY EYES. I HAD MADE IT TILL HERE. I HAD TO GO. I COULDN’T, JUST COULDN’T. I FELT SWEAT TICKLING ME AS IT RAN DOWN MY BACK, DESPITE THE COLD AIR.
AND THEN I FELT SOMEONE BEHIND ME, THAT IS TO SAY, SOMEONE APPROCHING ME FROM BEHIND. MIND YOU, I DIDN’T HEAR FOOTSTEPS; JUST FELT A PRESCENCE.I THEN HEARD THE LADY’S VOICE CALL OUT, “STAY. DON’T RUN AWAY FROM YOUR DESTINY.”
I WAS TIRED AND PANTING, AND ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS TO RUN AWAY FROM THE PERSON BEHIND ME, OR ACCORDING TO HER, MY DESTINY.
THE PERSON WAS APPROACHING NEARER AND NEARER. MY RATE OF BREATHING INCREASED. PERSPIRATION WET MY BROW. I FELT AS IF I WAS GOING TO FAINT. I SCREAMED AND SCREAMED, BUT NO VOICE CAME OUT.
I COULDN’T RUN, COULDN’T SCREAM. I WAS FRANTIC. AND I FELT A COOL HAND ON MY SHOULDERS. I LOOKED AT IT. IT WAS SILVERY WHITE, TRANSLUCENT AND WORE A BLOOD RED COLOURED STONE AS A RING.
I SCREAMED AGAIN, AND THIS TIME I COULD VERY WELL HEAR MY BLOOD CURDLING SCREAM.I SUDDENLY OPENED MY EYES, ONLY TO LOOK UP AT MY MOTHER, LOOKING AT ME WITH CONCERN ETCHED ON HER FACE, HER HAND ON MY SHOULDER.
THE END