There was only one rule: don’t open the door.
Sean wondered what lay behind the door but obeyed the rule. Yet, how would he gain entrance if the only door remained fast? The door: caulked, painted over, nailed shut.
He looked around this foyer. This was an exclusive club. Invitation only. And then, to be forbidden entrance! It was a paradox. Was it a test? Like forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge?
He was only one of millions allowed in. It was a stiff competition, like swimming upstream for a grand prize. He had huffed and puffed his way against the odds and was finally there. Where was his warm welcome? There was no "Attaboy!" No ribbon for winning admission. Only a trick. A door closed, sealed, and forbidden.
So he wandered aimlessly in this anteroom. This foyer. Biding his time. Making himself busy. Trying to remain purposeful.
There were others there with him. He'd interact with some and ignore others. Some relatiohships, brief in the grand scheme of time, even seemed important or complicated. But they'd come and go. Some would just disappear, others would hang on as long as they could. He, however, refused to give up. At some point that door would unlatch for him, making all the wait worth it. Worth the price of admission.
Would he wait for it to open? Or would he force it open? What lay behind? Another foyer? Another environment for biding time? Another door?
Then he heard the latch. The cracks in the caulking crumbled. The nails rose out of their driven holes. He knew an invitation when he saw it.
"At last!" he said, and opened it. He looked fondly on the foyer he left. "A life well-lived," he mused, as he gave up the ghost.
About the Creator
Gerard DiLeo
Retired, not tired. Hippocampus, behave!
Make me rich! https://www.amazon.com/Gerard-DiLeo/e/B00JE6LL2W/
My substrack at https://substack.com/@drdileo
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Comments (4)
This was a wonderful response to the prompt and quite clever, too. Your writing, as always, is superb.
Clever bit o writing, Gerard. Excellent challenge entry! Gave up the ghost? Ta, Da! Your dead! Well, at least he worked hard for that final glimpse.
Oooo, this was soooo intriguing! Loved your story!
I guess it was time. Nicely done!