Memories (Of Dreams and Demons)

The Door

I'm almost lost in her eyes, caught up in a daydream that could not be real.

From the space about us, I catch something move; manage to catch it as it slinks around the bookshelves.

"What is that?" I gasp.

A slow-moving tide of shadow, like a wave of magma slowly creeping towards us, consuming every book in its path. It's almost alive, an angry black wave of grotesque hands and arms reach out from the black tide, grabbing books and antiques from shelves and table, dragging them into the darkness.

Naoko turns, her eyes go wide, and I grab her hand to take her away from the coming wave. She looks at me, shocked a moment at my touch, but leans close to me when she understands my intent. We must run away from this together. She presses her face against my chest as if to block out what is happening around us, her smile gone.

"Oh no," she whispers, almost a sob, squeezing my arms for just a moment. I think she's making sure I'm still here at least, seeking comfort in my mere presence. The thought is nice at least.

Naoko leans back, still gripping my shirt, but when she sees the library still about, the shadows slowly consuming all, she pulls a face and nods. Her eyes dart about the library, searching for something, something important, something I can't quite see. But beneath her determination, I still see fear, uncertainty, sadness, and something more: recognition.

"You know what this is?" I ask her, looking around. Several bookshelves begin to topple, one falling to slam upon its neighbour, drowning half-consumed by blackness. It's creeping closer, gaining momentum.

"I have to go," Naoko rushes, ignoring my question, "I have to find somewhere to hide!"

With that she leaps out of my arms and darts off down a hallway free of shadow. I hesitate. If I leave this spot and my parents return to find me gone I'm in big trouble. The hesitation lasts a split second; there's no way I'm waiting here. Between the mysterious girl and encroaching shadow, staying still is the last thing I want to do, despite the consequences.

So, I chase after her. I don't even know her name, but I'm not going to let her out of my sight. She is only a few steps ahead, but every time I reach out to take her hand she's just out of reach.

"I'm coming too!" I call after her.

Naoko looks over her shoulder, looking almost shocked that I follow her.

We flee down rows of books growing increasingly dark, the subtle lighting of the main hall having little presence in these rarely-visited sections. The shadows chase us, covering the library inch by inch, smothering everything in their path. They pick up speed to match our pace, unable to be shaken, always in sight. Entire sections of bookshelves are thrown violently into the air, the books upon torn apart, pieces of paper shredding into tiny pieces to float about us like snow.

I barely manage to keep up with Naoko. Ahead, she suddenly darts to the side and disappears behind another row of tall bookshelves. As I sharply turn around the corner after her I almost barrel her over. She has stopped, and stands there out of breath, panting and looking at me desperately. Managing to catch myself just in time, I slide to a halt, and she rests her hand on my shoulder for support.

"I don't know where else to run," Naoko says, "I'm so tired!"

I turn and cautiously peek back from behind the row of books. The shadows still head towards our little spot, crashing about, consuming the path behind us.

'Come here,' they whisper, 'when we find you, oh, when we find you..'

Half of the library seems enveloped in shadows, searching for us. I know what they are doing now: trying to tear us apart, trying to end our story here and now before it even begins.

"Hey," I say to her, "remember what you just told me about believing and making things become real for you?"

She nods emphatically as she slowly regains her breath.

"We have to do that again, now," I rush out. "I'm imagining our own little secret tunnel. It will help us escape."

"We don't have much time," she pants, but the twinkle in her eye tells me that we are on the same page.

"It has to work right now," I say. "I believe it's there!"

She keeps nodding as she reaches out to grab my hands. I look down, surprised to see her fingers suddenly wrapped in mine. We both close our eyes, knowing that there has to be a secret tunnel around here somewhere for us to escape the shadows together. We both concentrate so hard that the world slows down around us.

And just like that, I hear a heavy metallic click. My eyes snap open at the same time as hers. I look down to see a little wooden door tucked against the wall behind a nearby bookcase. A bunch of books have been pushed aside to make room. The sound was the door unlocking itself, and it slowly swings outwards, beckoning us to enter. She claps as her smile returns, her face slowly scrunching up in delight.

"That has never worked before," she gushes. "I've never been able to escape!"

"This has happened before?" I ask, confused.

"More times than I can remember," she says. A hint of sadness in her voice vanishes as soon as I notice it, "but now that you're here, it works!"

"The door?" I ask.

"Quick, come with me," she says, ignoring my question.

Still holding my hand, she dashes forward towards the little door, and crouches down to slip through its frame. Following her, I duck to avoid bumping my head. The voices from the shadows behind us are getting louder.

They angrily whisper for our return, to forget this place, threatening and demanding answers. I laugh and slam the door shut, knowing that they'll never find us in here. As soon as it locks, all semblance of outside light vanishes. We're in a dark, empty tunnel that seems to lead off into the distance forever. It feels as if I'm in another world, far away.

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