Open Book

25. Journey Through the Doors, Part 2

The silent atmosphere breaks as you start to move. The green plant has had domain over the door for some time. It has even gotten a hold of the handle. Calmy, you take it out and hold the handle, pushing the door, yet it does not open. "It's stuck," you say. You push with more of your strength till you hear a simple cracking sound.

     "What?" you laugh humorously at the sound, "this door is so old fashioned, kicking is the key to open it!" you joke to yourself. As you enter rays of noonday light fill the home. The walls, the ceiling,the floor is all made out of wood, just like those Russian old wooden houses. The room in which you have entered seems to be the main room, but you become aware of a second room to the side. The wooden wall in front of you has three windows perfectly placed to be not to big or too small and each a short distance from each other. The curtains are a transparent white, going down until they ended between the middle and the bottom edge. As a soft breeze pass by the curtains give way to a clear view on the low hills outside, colored by diverse lime green tones. The wall to your left has another window, and each of them has a different flowerpot with a different flower in full bloom.

To your right at the corner of the house was a bed with a patched quilt that reached the floor and had two simple white pillows at the head of the bed. On the floor were two long patched rugs next to one another, going from the bed to the single window on the left wall. Its rectangular patches were of green, brown, blue and purple, all different shades and tones. Right under the middle window is a dark wooden chest as used to hold clothing in old times. Its front was decorated simply with geometrical patterns, and on top lay a few books. A square wooden table was situated near the single window to your left. On it held a white cover with a jar of flowers on top. Three dark wooden chairs surrounded the table, as well as two stools that stood at the same height of the chairs. The wooden walls held some pictures and a wooden framed mirror in between the windows. All in all, though it had little compared to the other doors you had seen it had everything necessary with a clean and ordered space.

Siting on the bed, a freshness surrounds you that you cannot help but take a deep inhale, which overwhelms you with calm and peace. The light in your face, birds chirping and the breeze itself seems to invite you to come outside so you follow the invitation. Walking to the door a flood of light engulfs your being as if you have stayed indoors for a long, long time.

"Oh man," you giggle, "now that is what I would call a bath of light." Your eyes begin to adjust, and you start to see before you a vast field with low hills abundantly dotted with various flowers in full bloom. You spot a few lakes here and there, some containing tiny islands amid them. The sight of them softens your spirit with peaceful excitement. In the distance there is a hedge of mountains in colors of blue. To your left three stone steps ended the open stone porch. In front of you is a beautiful yet simple wattle fence with rural pots hanging on it. The flowers behind the fence made the scene more pleasant as they hid the pots with their diverse flowers. Oh, your heart races with excitement and joy at the sight before you. Marveling, you trip and find yourself flat in the flower meadow, gazing at the dancing clouds above. So high and yet so close, it feels as if you could grab them with your hand.

Hours pass. The sound of wind chimes comes over the wind and curious you turn your head to the adorable sound. As you continue to hear the chimes you sit up and notice something in the distance. "Is that a cabin?" you ask yourself while getting up, and soon start to walk by the tiny dirt lane towards your goal ahead, all the while taking in the freshness of the day as the sun moves towards the horizon. The coolness of evening sets in as birds fly home to their nests and a sky painted with warm clouds announcing the closing of the day, but not yet, for there seems to be time before the sun will disappear.

The structure you saw in the distance is now before you. It is not a cabin; it is a wooden six-pillared open gazebo with a dark brown roof. In it isa long round bench going all around the gazebo. It is spacious enough for it to fit in and still be able to have space to move around. In the middle of the gazebo is a round wooden table, bare, except for four birds jumping here and there. And, in the middle of the table, is a curious closed navy colored box. You step into the gazebo and sit down, admiring the fence as you lean on it and the polished wooden table of how well formed they were. You then draw the little box nearer, gazing at it.  

     "What could a little box like this one have inside?" you ponder, placing your chin upon your entwined hands on the edge of the table. You hum to yourself, which bring the birds closer to you, so they land all around. "Huh, not even the birds fly away in this place," you muse as you look at them without moving, "odd.... but sweet." The birds settle in their places and quietness begins to surround the gazebo as you go through your mind on what the box could contain. In a moment you decide to find out, reaching your hand to take off its plain cord and opening it. You are stunned! There is nothing in the box but an out of ordinary bubbly flat surface. The stuff is not transparent at all so you cannot see the bottom of the box.

 "Odd things in an out-of-place box, well that is interesting." You muse while gently touching its surface as to not destroy it as you are usually used to. Its surface is solid, yet spongy, containing a dominant pearly white that prevents any sight beneath, yet on it mixed soft colors play here and there as they mingle slowly, just like in a soap macro. As you increase your touch your finger suddenly disappears.

 "WHAT" you cry out as you self-consciously react by pulling your finger quickly out. Looking at it you sigh of relief. It was not cut off as your senses alerted you. This prompts you to get up, cross your arms and walk around the table as you eye the mysterious box. You tap your chin and change direction while thinking of what to do.

Five minutes later you stop and thrust your whole hand into it! The size of the box is just big enough to fit your hand with enough space to move it around freely, yet its height is not taller than the size of your first finger.

"How on earth am I able to do this?" you laugh incredulously, "Is the box bottomless?" you keep pushing in and yet you cannotfeel any bottom. "Now that is something out of this world!" you exclaim. At that moment you find something to grasp and pull it out. In your hand is a shell just as big as your hand. Sitting down on the bench you place the shell near your ear. The sound of waves resounds beautifully in your ear and so you covering the other one as to hear it better. Nostalgia hits your heart as eyes close and picture the times you have walked by the seashore. How lately you have had the wish to learn to swim and therefore conquering your fear of water too.

Placing the shell gently on the table you put your hand back in the box wondering what else you may find. Surprisingly, the next thing you pull out in exactly what you need. For a while now your belly has beenasking for food and now in your hand is a chorizo stuffed bread –your favorite. Delighted, you take your time eating the tasty treat while leaning against the protective fence of the gazebo once more. After you have finished and rested a little for your tummy to settle, you place your hand back in the box. This time you pull out a baseball bat.

"WOAH!" you shout, "but where is the ball?" you ask as you stare at the mysterious box. "What is this anyway? A wishing box? It seems to know the things that I like." At the sound of your swallowing the little box itself until nothing of it remained. The mysterious bubble-y surface has now reached the wooden table. To your marvel, it began to slowly spin and expand in size. No longer was it square as in the box, now it took the shape of the table - round! Right in the middle of it, gleaming still with its fascinating light and playful colors taking various swearly turns, now clearer in details that before! Even the birds express their wonder while landing on the edge of the table, carefully, as to not to 'swallowed'. You lean your body forward with the intention to see closely the details of that artwork.

"What am I thinking!" you move away, "I might lose my face in there!" you say loudly, gesturing to the birds. You gaze at the tabletop seemingly struggling in with yourself, gazing at it for a moment and then you dive your full arm into the tabletop!

"I bet this one surely has no bottom."You affirm. And indeed, there seems to be no bottom nor anything that you can grasp. Within a split breath your eyes widen and your heartbeat quicken, releasing screaming adrenaline into your instincts for your feel yourself being absorbed by this odd thing! Yet in a split second you surrender and down the bubble you go, vanishing from the gazebo. Leaving the little birds chirping with questions near the sound of waves from the shell.

Continued in Part 3...