The Forgotten Door

No one remembered when the door first appeared.

It was old—wooden, weathered, with a faded brass handle and no frame, standing upright in the middle of Hollow Creek Forest, untouched by wind or time. There were no hinges, no wall, no reason for it to be there. And yet, it stood—silent, still, waiting.

Most people ignored it. Some thought it was an art project. Others claimed it was just another weird thing in the woods. Children made up stories about what was behind it—castles, monsters, other worlds.

Only one person ever tried to open it.

Lena.

Lena was seventeen. Quiet. Curious. The kind of girl who looked at things a little longer than others. Her father had disappeared five years earlier during a hiking trip in the same forest, and since then, she visited Hollow Creek every few weeks—searching. For what, she wasn’t sure. Answers? Closure? Hope?

She had walked past the door dozens of times.

But today felt different.

The forest was quieter than usual. No birdsong. No wind. Just the creak of her boots and the distant drip of water. She stood in front of the door. Reached out.

The handle was cold.

She turned it slowly. It clicked.

And then—light.

---

✨ Chapter One: The Other Side

Lena blinked as the world beyond the door unfolded. It was… strange. Familiar, yet not.

The trees were taller, glowing softly. The sky was lavender, with two suns hanging low. A scent filled the air—like oranges and rain.

She stepped through.

Behind her, the door disappeared.

“Hello?” she called.

Silence.

Then—footsteps.

Out of the trees came a boy, around her age. Dark eyes. Messy hair. He looked at her like she was impossible.

“Lena?” he whispered.

She froze.

“…Dad?”

It wasn’t him. But the boy’s face—he looked like her father when he was young.

He stepped closer. “You came through. I knew someone would.”

“What is this place?” she asked.

He pointed to the sky. “Some call it the In-Between. A place where time waits, and lost things are found.”

She frowned. “Is my father here?”

The boy nodded. “He came years ago. Saved me from being taken by the Shadows. Then… he went looking for the exit.”

“And?”

“He never found it.”

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⏳ Chapter Two: Time Doesn’t Wait

Days passed. Or maybe hours. In this place, time stretched and folded like paper.

Lena searched. She found strange creatures, floating islands, rivers that sang. But not her father.

Until she reached a tower made of broken mirrors.

Inside, on the top floor, sat a man with silver hair and a journal in his hand.

“Dad?”

He turned slowly.

His eyes were tired, but they lit up when he saw her.

“…Lena?”

She ran to him, tears falling. “I found you. I found you!”

He hugged her like a man holding sunlight after years in shadow.

“How did you get here?” he asked.

“The door,” she said. “In the forest.”

He looked down. “Then it’s still open. That means… we can go home.”

But the boy appeared again.

“You can’t both leave.”

Lena looked confused. “Why not?”

“The door takes one,” he said. “One in. One out. That’s the rule.”

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💔 Final Chapter: The Choice

Lena stared at her father. He looked weaker now, like the years had finally caught him. She remembered being ten years old, waiting for him to come home. Birthdays passed. Winters came and went.

And now—he was here. Real.

But so was she.

“I’ll stay,” he said. “You go.”

“No,” Lena whispered. “You’ve lost too much time.”

He smiled sadly. “You still have time to live. Don’t give that up.”

The boy stepped back, revealing the door behind him—glowing softly, waiting.

Lena hugged her father tightly.

Then she stepped through.

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🌅 Epilogue

She woke in the forest, the door gone.

But the journal was in her hands.

Inside, her father had written hundreds of pages. Stories. Maps. Memories.

The last page said:

> “If someone finds this, tell my daughter I never stopped trying. Tell her I love her more than all the skies I’ve seen.”

Lena held the book to her chest and whispered,

> “I know, Dad. I know.”