Reaching Towards the Sky

There was only one rule: don’t open the door. Atop a skyscraper in Wilmington, Delaware, there existed a garden. Plump tomatoes and long gourds grew multiple stories up, reaching towards the sky. In this garden, there remained a door. As harmless as it appeared, it looked welcoming and almost friendly. But the owner knew better.

A suspected witch from downstate, Dhelia Norris had fashioned the entire setting all on her own. With the power of the way she looked at the world, she invited camera crews to film her penthouse suite. During a downtime, one of the crew members ventured into the garden and reached for the door.

“Ungh-uh, young man,” she smiled with all of her fifty-five-year-old teeth.

“You mustn't go in there, son.” He was stocky and looked smart. His curiosity was quelled when Dhelia looked about and said, “All of this. Everything in this garden is for the taking. I’ll allow you anything. Except, you must never try to enter that door.”

“Roger that, lady,” Marcos Guerrera acknowledged.

“Dhelia, we have two more shots and then we’re done for the day,” director Penelope Gruen announced. She looked at Guerrera for a long time. He had been on his break and allowed another cameraman to finish shooting. Dhelia smiled and walked back into her abode. Guerrera looked at the carrots, peas, peppers, all vibrant and bright in their orange, green, and red varieties, respectively. But he looked at that door. He wanted to listen to Dhelia’s words, but could not. He reached out and turned the knob. He was sucked into the opposite of the door’s face.

He found himself among Dhelia’s other men. He untied them all and then emerged from the door with three or four other men. “Hey, Penelope. I found the real story here!”