The Hidden Door

It is curious how in a crowded street everyone walks hurriedly, determinedly as if their destinations and objectives are the most important in the world. For them seldom anything is more significant than their current targets, not other life's, not other places, not other possibilities. It is almost as if they were slaves of their goals and ones determined the way of achieving them there is no looking back, so they go about their days without seeing around them. Tunnel vision is what it's called, their objectives at the end of the dark cylinder and nothing else. The world an invisible blur.

That is the reason why she went unnoticed, the girl in the black coat, jeans and brown boots that is walking through the crowded street in the rain. The cold wind is slashing her cheeks without remorse but she does not care, the fight with her father that evening destroyed her. She's done! There is no possible way of talking to him without hearing his screams of anger. Tired and hopeless is what she feels, heaviness in her chest that makes breathing hard is her reward for trying over and over again to talk to him.

"I'm done." she whispered. "Absolutely done!"

It was essential to find a way to avoid him for the rest of her life, that or letting the void in her chest swallow her whole and that was not an option. Letting his darkness and negativity towards everything cling to her and tint her world was something she has fought off for so long, too long. He was a black hole waiting and feeding from her light, her soul and she was tired.

She kept walking with her head down grumbling and sulking not really seeing where she went and therefore almost missed the door, a simple old and chipped red wooden door hidden between two brick buildings. Surprised she stopped and looked around; nobody else was looking at the strange door everyone kept walking submerged in their own business.

"Weird." She thought. "Very weird."

Usually, she would just walk away but in her current mood a further investigation of the place was what she wanted. Hoping to break the dark spell that the discussion had cast she took one steps after another.

On reaching the door she hesitated for a minute.

"Is it logical to enter through some random door?" She questioned aloud. "It doesn't even have a sign!"

Hesitating a little longer she shrugged and knocked on the door, but there was no response. So she knocked again louder this time, and still nothing. Pressing her ear to the door she thought that maybe it was closed because there was no sound coming from the other side.

"Maybe." She said while gripping the doorknob and twisting it. "Yes!" It was open.

With a sense of triumph that she did not quite understand, she entered slowly into the soft lit room and closed the door. It was a bookstore, an old and beautiful bookstore. How wonderful! Every place she looked there were bookshelf's filled with books, there were so many that in some cases the volumes were piled not only vertically but also horizontally in the dark wooden shelves. Each plank filled with books till there was not a single space left between copies and wood. The smell of books, wood, and pine that hung heavily and sweet in the room surrounded her like a save blanket. Old and comfortable looking couches could be seen in various places, paintings of magical and mysterious locations hung on the walls, a deep and complex forest on the left and a calm and profound beach on her right full of color and dept. The rugs that decked the floors danced with mythical creatures made of golden threads, asking to be marveled at their beauty.

It was almost visible the way her body started to relax at the sight before her, the discussion of that evening absolutely forgotten. With a smile, she walked to the nearest bookshelf and started looking at the specimens before her like a little girl in Christmas.