The Red Pendant

Chapter 9

Maryanne slowly cracked open her eyes, are peered at the crumbly roof above her. She wondered how she didn't notice how earthy looking it was yesterday. Squinting, she studied it, noticing a few small earthworms and stacks of brambles poking out at various odd angles. She wondered whether this was really a part of Marcus's cottage, or if those doors of his really just led them to some far away underground cave or something of the sort. Maryanne then sat up and was surprised to see her brother still dozing in the cot.

"That's twice now," she whispered to herself, eyes hovering on her brother's sleeping figure. "All that is going on recently must really be taking its toll on him."

Everything that had occurred the day before suddenly came rushing back to her in a flurry, and she suddenly felt as if she had been pounding her head upon the floorboards.

"Ugh," she placed her hand on her head in response to the sudden pounding headache and rolled out of the bed. Tip-toeing out of the room, she went and sat on a rickety chair at the table, feeling dreary. The cabin was silent; no sounds could be heard. It's almost too peaceful, Maryanne thought quietly to herself. It felt to her as if the world should have been ending, or at least exploding in chaos after what she had heard the previous night. She suddenly felt like she was going to throw up, and wished that somehow everything she was told the night before was just some huge practical joke.

Maryanne then stood up, and, seemingly out of nowhere, there was suddenly a fourth door on the wall. She blinked a couple of times at the sight, but the door was still there.

"What?" she muttered to herself. "Weren't there only three doors before?"

Slowly, Maryanne tentatively walked towards the door. Something about it was... strange. Different. It was almost as if it was calling to her in a way. Standing in front of it, she couldn't help but feel like it was waiting for her. Nervously she reached out to place her hand on the doorknob, as if in a trance. Right as she was about to turn it, Marcus appeared behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Maryanne," he calmly stated. "Don't go in there. Once you do, I can no longer help you. If you go in, you might never come out."

Surprised, Maryanne jerked her hand away from the knob and flipped herself around to face Marcus, trance broken. "What- what do you mean?"

Marcus let out a deep sigh. "I guess you really weren't quite ready yet to hear the whole truth. This door," he motioned towards it, "is known as the door of escape. It's a door that literally allows you to escape reality, and live forever wandering in an endless dream. It only appears to someone when they are in great distress and want to turn away from what is real. Learning the truth about who you are and who your ancestors were must have really been troubling you for this door to have appeared before you."

Maryanne paled and backed away from the door quickly, stumbling a bit. "No way. Something like that actually exists?"

"Yes. We almost lost you forever," Marcus said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come, let's sit you down for a minute."

Marcus lead Maryanne back to the table, where he sat her down in the chair. After allowing her a few moments to calm down and breathe, he asked, "Are you alright now?"

"I... I think so," she answered. "It's just, all of this, it's crazy. Insane! How am I supposed to just be ok with it all?"

"I understand," Marcus reassuringly responded. "This is why I haven't ever told the two of you the truth; it is an awful lot to take in all at once. Just try to not let it hit you too hard, ok?"

"Alright," she replied.

"I'll leave you here for a moment, just make sure to breathe. You'll be ok," Marcus stood up, and Maryanne watched as he left the room.