Short Story

As she walked down the endless hallway, the doors on the left and right of her seemed to move with her.  One step after another, one door after another. The chestnut brown coloured wooden doors were labeled. The first door to the right was a date.  The third of February. The first door to the left was labeled with a place. Palm Springs. As she continued down the hallway she realised that all the doors on the right were labeled with dates, and all the doors on the left were labeled with places.  She gazed down the hallway but could not see very far ahead. Confusion surrounded her. 

She was lost.  She was in a place she had never been too.  She searched her mind for recent events. She tried to remember where she had been so that she could know where she was going.  Her memories failed her, and she was left with a blank mind of how she got to her current destination. She soon realised she was further down the hall than when she started, and began to think of a solution.  She knew of only 2 options: try to go in one of the rooms, or get to the end of the hallway. She decided to try and open the door on her right. The 20th of March was the label on this door. She slowly opened the door, and found that it was a rather large living room, there was a fireplace in the corner of the room, and many comfy looking sofas.  There were no windows. She took a closer look at the room, walking around and examining it. It was quaint, homey, but so empty with only some pieces of furniture. There was no one there. She left the room and walked into the one directly across it. Labeled Jeremiah’s 3rd birthday. She saw a small child when she walked into the room, 2 parents and a baby.  They were having cake and celebrating. She asked them where she was but they could not see nor hear her. Frustrated, she left the room. She ran down the hall. More doors, more steps, more confusion and frustration. She ran into another room on her left and did not stop to look at the label. She seemed to be in a city. The walls of the room were nowhere to be found.  People were all around her. She could smell roasted chestnuts. She felt the cold wind on her skin. She felt a sense of peace. She felt as if she had been to this place before. She left the room, and not to her surprise, the hallway and all the doors were still there. Again, she ran down the hallway, this time for 10 minutes without stopping. Tired, she entered another room in hopes of finding a place to rest.  This time a door to the right. She did not check the label, but once she entered, she knew that it was around Christmas time as she saw a beautifully lit tree, smelled cinnamon, and could hear Kenny G Christmas music playing. The room looked like yet another living room, but this time smaller, and with windows. The view from the windows revealed tall buildings, little roads, and trees with no leaves on them. There was not a single person in sight. She began to feel stuck. 

Thoughts flooded her mind.  What if she never remembered?  What if she would be alone forever?  Where was she? How could she get out of this endless hallway with endless doors?

A bright light shone on her and the room she was in became white.  She began to see pictures and videos on the white walls. They seemed familiar. She recognised the people she saw, she knew what the places were called. She began to hear sounds that came from the places she knew as home.  She had relearned the past, and it stick fresh in her mind. Her heart was filled with joy for she was once again found through this experience. She understood what had happened. The room went dark and she closed her eyes and let her mind go dark along with the room. 

She opened her eyes, which were filled with tears, and smiled as she sat up in her bed. She looked outside and the sun was setting.  Her homework was not yet finished. Her bed was messy with papers and markers everywhere. Yet, she was happy. She had gone back, and revisited her memories.  Her thoughts were full of the memories of old, and she loved getting lost in them. Her body was flooded with a warm, happy feeling. She couldn’t wait to go back. This time she knew exactly which door she would open. 

To view my writing process click this link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/152mLpgB2MgKnMh3SoJGf2_qUWlRq9_Ppmtfek5OKQaU/edit