The Golden Door

I looked up at the alarm clock waiting for the time to hit 10:50 AM, 10 minutes before

my shift at the zoo began. Just one week ago, standing in my beige button up shirt and jeans, I was named the head keeper of the zoo. Additionally, this meant that my duties were beyond what I was doing before, picking up trash and washing windows. As I sat on the couch thinking back to that week, just staring at the clock in a gaze, I began to feel nervous, yet eager at the same time. My stomach churned as I realized I had to leave now in order to make it to my new job on time, and on top of that I promised I would give my coworker Nicole a ride to work as well. Although I loved my role at the zoo, it also meant that I had to do the most dangerous thing: feed the intimidating lions. I grabbed my keys, stepped into my car, and began to drive. In a matter of minutes I arrived at Nicole’s house, and from there we went to the zoo and clocked in together. We walked over to the paper that read “agenda”. My first task on the list: feeding the lions while Nicole cleaned their cages.

The metal gate stared at me, almost as if it were going to burst open if I touched it. I quietly crept toward it, trying to see where the lions were and what the safest way to encounter them was. I held my breath and leaned over to see through the bronze bars, not wanting the animals to see or hear me. To my surprise, there was nothing there. “Hey Nicole, where are the lions?” I questioned. No lions, none of their cubs, not even any food. All that prevailed in the circular, stone enclosure was the bright sunlight and shockingly a glistening golden door lying flat on the ground. “You might want to come check this out, maybe the animals are down there, but I’m not opening the door.” she uneasily replied. Despite my anxious thoughts about what could lie under this door, I knew it was my duty as the head zookeeper to discover the unknown of the zoo. I hesitantly walked over, put my hand over the brown knob, and pulled up. Peculiarly enough, when I looked down into this hole, there were things, creatures in fact, that I had never seen before.

“C’mon Nicole we have to check this out!” I jumped down into this “new world” and waited for her to jump with me, but when I looked up, the door was gone, and so was she. I landed on something soft and airy, but I still was confused as to where I was at. ​Cotton candy... interesting... ​I thought as I continued walking through this distinct place which was nothing I had ever imagined. Step by step, I gazed in awe at all of the beautiful creatures around me, from the majestic unicorns to the gigantic candy canes that towered over me. Everywhere I looked, there were vibrant colors, cherry red, snow white, cobalt blue, basically a winter wonderland. This was like finding a new dimension, filled with extraordinary things that were out of this world, literally. I was inquisitive, yet fearful at the same time. I set these fears aside and let my curiosity take over, my legs pushing me to keep walking, although my mind was not fully convinced that that was the best choice for me. As I continued on the fluffy patches of swirled blue and pink cotton candy, the unicorns walked up, nodded their heads, and let out a breath of air, insinuating

 I pat their heads and comb through their fur. They were all white, aside from their manes, which were the colors of the rainbow, each strand of hair a different color. ​So they really are as majestic as everybody envisions. M​ y path was displayed by the considerably large red and white candy canes, but as I looked ahead, there did not seem to be an end to this path, like it could go on for miles. ​I cannot keep walking! I have to get back and first of all, find the lions, let alone feed them! H​ owever, my thoughts were stopped as my eyes grew in astonishment and fear, gazing at what was in front of me.

“Who, who are you?”​ The words stuttered out of my mouth, my heart raced. What appeared to be in front of me was a dominating gummy bear, which does not sound so terrifying, until you see it for yourself. This gummy bear was about 12 feet tall, more than double my height at a mere five feet. It was emerald green, transparent, and very horrifying. “​Who are you?!” ​This time I roared out, expecting an answer, although I am unsure why. Given that it was a 12 foot gummy bear, the possibilities were endless. It abruptly gave an answer. ​I must’ve made it mad. ​I thought, cringing at the sound of the booming gummy bear’s voice. ​“I am the ruler of this land, it is called Boginamia, and it is named after me, Bog. I will not hurt you so do not be alarmed, in fact, none of the creatures here will. You treat us with respect and you will receive the same in return. Now may I ask your name?” I​ let out a deep breath of relief knowing that Bog was no predator, simply the ruler of Boginamia. Although his presence still gave me goosebumps because of how huge he is, I simply responded, “​My name is Keana, I am in charge of the zoo above, and I must get back, what is the fastest way?” N​ ow that I had been a part of this wonderland that everybody had dreams about, I realized how different it was than what I had been used to: people, normal animals, and the sight of cement, not cotton candy as the ground. I watched Bog, waiting for a response, and began to become worrisome. His face had an unbearing look, almost disappointed, and I was unsure of the news I was about to receive. “Well... I am sorry to tell you this but...” B​ efore Bog could finish his sentence, everything went black.

I tried to open my eyes, but they seemed blocked by something, getting in the way of my eyelashes being able to lift up to allow me to see. I lifted my head up from wherever I was lying, I had no way of knowing. All around me, was nothingness, pure darkness. I moved my hands all around me, at least trying to have a sense of where I was, but all I could feel was the cold hard ground. Nevertheless, I was relatively happy to know I was somewhere with a real ground, not cotton candy as my passage. I put my hand on my head trying to understand what was going on. I still could not see, so I diligently put my hands over my eyes, only to feel my sleeping mask. I grabbed the elastic that held it together and pulled up as quickly as I could. I guess that gaze on my charcoal black couch had turned into a deep sleep, and the clock now read 11:35 AM. The good news was that my horrific experience of not being able to find my way back home had all been a dream, the bad news: I was going to be late to my job within a week of being promoted.