Wonderland Bites

Down the Stairs

Down the Stairs

You just wanted a little bit of normalcy. You've had a tough year last year. Your past is coming back to haunt you. Things keep changing around you and you don't like it.

You push that out of your head. You just have to get through this evening.

The boss sent you into the supply closet to get a box of napkins. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a box of napkins.

You open the supply closet and walk inside. It shouldn't be that big, right? You go in and grab what you are looking for. That's when something catches your eye. Has that door always been the supply closet? You don't remember it being there when the manager showed you around. Were you going crazy? How did that door get there?

Suddenly, it slowly swung open. You shiver as it started to get cold. Every inch of your body is screaming, "Nope!" But you find that you can't turn around and walk away. Instead, you walk over to the opening door. When you peek inside, it doesn't make any sense.

There were stairs leading down somewhere. You blink and rub your eyes. Yep. There were stairs down there. However, you don't have time to ask any questions. You hear whispering that makes the hairs on your neck stand straight up. It would be best to turn around and walk away. But no.

Slowly. Slowly. You slowly go down the brightly-lit stairs. You shouldn't be doing this. Still, you keep walking. It's getting dark around you. Maybe you should go back? You shiver as you rub on your arm. The box is still clutched in your hand. You have a bad feeling about this.

The whispering is getting louder. No, you are getting closer. How far down do these stairs go? You still keep walking. Maybe you should turn back?

Before you know it, you're at the bottom of the stairs. It was so dark here. Where was here? Your eyes scanned the darkness. Did the manager know this was down here? You doubted that. However, something else caught your attention.

You tilted your head to the side. Is that fire? It looked like glowing lights in the dark. Almost like ghost lights. They seemed to be whispering in the darkness. You shouldn't be here. You shake your head to yourself and say, "Nope." You're just about to leave when you feel eyes on you.

Oh no.

They are talking to you now.

Tadpole! Tadpole! Tadpole! Tadpole!

How do they know? You've done everything to keep your secrets to yourself. One of the lights flies up close to your face.

There is no place for you!

You step back, shaking your head. A pair of strong hands grabbed your shoulders. Against your better judgment, you turned your head. All you can see pearly white teeth grinning at you. Not fangs, just teeth. A scream catches in your throat. You can't move. Little crackles formed at your fingertips.

Ooo! She's going to attack us.

You want to scream "no." This happens when you panic. Up until now, you've had it under control. In the beginning, things were more of a nightmare.

Should we make her do it?

Really?

She doesn't have it in her!

The crackling at your fingertips gets worse. You take deep breaths. How are you going to get out of this? They keep crowding around you. If they were breathing, you could feel their breath on your skin. You shut your eyes.

"Please leave me alone."

They break into laughter around you.

Leave her alone?

Do you hear that? She wants us to leave her alone.

Poor baby!

Now we have to see her powers!

A hand pushes you back. The hands behind you keep you in place. The laughing and voices get closer. The crackling at your fingertips gets more intense. You shut your eyes as you pray for a way out. Little sparks start to form in your hands.

"Get off of her!"

You turn around in time to feel those big hands pushed off of you. A hand grabs your wrist and pulls you along. You don't get a chance to say a word. You just run behind an invisible force. You hear shouting behind you. Their voices are too distant for you to make out what they are saying. You only hear one voice in front of you.

"You shouldn't have come here!"

"Huh?"

"Get out of here and never come back!"

You are shoved forward in one swoop. To your surprise, you are standing in front of the stairs that led you down in this place. Relief washed over you. It was then you realized that you were still holding the box of napkins in your hand. You don't know how but that doesn't matter. You race up the stairs, not looking back. Only when you make it back up to the top that you sink to your knees and pant heavily. What was all of that? What was that place? Why did it draw you in like that? You can't help but feel that you saw something that you were never supposed to see. You turned your head. The door is gone. You just came threw it a few seconds ago. How did it disappear so fast?

When you get your breath back, you walk back into the restaurant.

Your manager, Denis, is waiting for you. He gives you a concerned look.

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" he asked. You don't answer.

"Where did you go? I sent you to go get a box of napkins. Did you get them?" he asked. You wordlessly hand him the box.

"Thank you," Denis said. "Straighten yourself up and take a seat for a while. Drink a glass of water while you're at it, okay?" That last part was softened to put you at ease. You slump down into the nearest booth you can find. There wasn't anyone else around in the restaurant right now. It's a good thing that Russia Sushi had just opened for the day. You breathe out as you look up at the ceiling. You just wanted a little normalcy in your life. But now this new job wasn't going to be it. At least the worst of it was over, right? You just need to get through today and just maybe...

A jolting shock runs down your spine. Your stomach drops as you fear the worst. Don't tell you...

You looked up at the door.