Fear

Infinity

            I closed the heavy door behind me and sighed, glancing around me. My new jacket was warm, almost to the point of being stuffy. I slipped it off my shoulders and headed over to the wardrobe, which had its doors slightly ajar. Once my coat was on a hanger, I opened the doors fully and put it inside, humming softly to myself.

Inside the voluminous chest were drawers I hadn’t noticed before. I knelt to the ground and then sat, opening the first of four drawers. Within the drawer was a set of all sorts of underwear-lingerie included. I blushed slightly at the sight of the erotic clothing and quickly closed that drawer, noting to myself that I would have to move those later.

Next, the drawer was full of all sorts of socks and gloves. I reached in and eagerly searched through the accessories. I almost immediately found a pair of black, fingerless gloves made from a soft fabric. I slipped them on, glad to see that they fit. Smiling, I closed that drawer and moved on.

In the third drawer was a set of slippers, a bathrobe, and a sleep mask. In the final drawer was jewelry-and a lot of it. There were rings, necklaces and bracelets of all shapes and sizes. However, one particularly caught my eye. A black leather cord with a sideways eight-the infinity sign. I picked it up and examined it before fastening it to my left wrist.

After I had finished my exploration of the drawer, I kicked off my boots and headed over to the small writing desk by the window. I discovered a set of fresh notebooks and pens, the nice sort that had ink that flowed smoothly. They each sported a different color, one each for the rainbow, which was marked by the color of their caps. Next, there was loose-leaf paper, hole-punched and lined. There were other essential office supplies, and I silently sent a thanks to Slender-or, whoever had stocked up the room.

I was a writer-I always had been, and I hopefully always will be. The next piece of furniture I examined was the nightstand beside the bed. Within it was a flashlight, a Kleenex box, an empty glass for water, and a small timepiece. I closed the drawer to the nightstand and walked over to the window. There was a softly cushioned window seat, the evergreen curtains softly swaying in the cool wind that came through the partially opened window.

I sat on the cushion, eyes wide as I peered out at the landscape surrounding the castle. In a single understatement, it was beautiful. I smiled, unable to even describe the view. The cliffs that the castle rose from were sheer, and I assumed we left the castle from the other side. After the cliffs was a forest, and beyond that, a few miles of fields, full of crops. Even further away was another forest separating the fields from a small town. In the far distance past the town was towering mountains and more woodland.

My eyes lingered on the landscape for a few minutes longer, and then I stood and inspected myself in the wardrobe’s mirror. I re-did my ponytail and straightened out my clothes until I deemed myself presentable. Right as I finished, a calm, pointed knock sounded from the door.

Awkwardly, I answered with a call of, “Who is it?” as I walked towards the door.

“It’s me and Mindy!” Jack called, a giggle erupting from his companion.

With my lips pulling into another smile, I opened the door, allowing them to rush in. “What are you two doing here?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips and cocking my head to one side playfully.

“We want you to come exploring with us!” Mindy exclaimed, Jack nodding eagerly at her side.

“I don’t know, Slender told me to get some rest…” I replied reluctantly.

I was still new around here, and as inviting as it sounded to explore the castle, I didn’t know what Slender was like when angry. I was dead, I supposed, so I had all the time in the world to explore. Plus, I had to ready myself to go Reaping later. Sighing, I added over their pleas, “How about later tonight?”

Looking slightly disappointed, the kids both nodded, accepting the compromise. Trudging instead of bouncing now, they moved to the door, sending me pitiful, sad glances. I rolled my eyes at them. “Go on, I’ll see you two later, okay?”

They nodded again, a little more chipper, and left, the door swinging closed behind them. Smiling to myself, I climbed into the bed and curled up, hugging the available body pillow and snuggling into it. With a soft sigh, I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.