Tales of the Trap Door

"Malakai please stay near the cabin!"

That's my Mother Audrey, she's a bit of a worry wart when it comes to anything "dangerous" which still leaves me in complete shock that she would bring us here.

"Kliff Side Cabins" I stare blankly at the dooming sign hanging over the moss covered entrance. "Why call it Kliff Side when we're nowhere near a cliff" I grumble obnoxiously. It's a warm summer's evening and all I hope is to stay as far away as possible from my family. "Family bonding time" my Mum said, "It would be thrilling" she said, though her words were pointless. We all know shes having a midlife crisis due to her office job. "Grey" we call it, the only word that can describe a dreary office in the tenth story of a falling apart building.

We pull up to the cabin which looks to be abandoned and straight out of a soapy horror movie plot. Never ends well though you could see the danger from a mile away. "Why couldn't we have gone to a beach side hotel? Why this dump?" my sister groans from the car. "There's no wifi either" she adds in mumbling. "I thought it would be nice for a change don't you think?" Mum declares, hands on hips, shoulders back, and the fakest smile I'd ever seen to seal the deal.

I dump my stuff on the first bunk I see, "I call dibs" I yell out casually as I wander off into the woods. It's dark already, the last rays of sunlight dabbling in through the twisted branches. I act out a scene from a trashy horror movie, strangling the tree and sarcastically playing dead. Stabbing mushrooms with dirty sticks and kicking up fallen leaves. The leaves fall in harmony, scattering the grassy ground, a glint in the freshly fallen leaves catches my eye. I step closer to the shining object that lay amongst the leaves and wildflowers.

Crouching down I can now tell that it's quite old, with rust covering most of the base, I pick it up unknowingly what it could be. "A key?" I say aloud, turning it over in my hands, inspecting it carefully. Squinting I turned the key in an invisible lock, motioning what it had done before it ended up here. Strange, although it could be for the cabin, though I don't see why it would be all the way out here, since I had wandered off quite far. "Malakai! Where are you!?" Mums screams holler out from the camp. I quickly shove the key in my pocket and make my way back.

"I'm here Mum, no need to worry" she grabs my cheeks in a tight squeeze pulling me down as she inspects every inch of my face in case something has happened. "Look how dark it is Malakai, you need to be more careful" she states gesturing with her hand to the open night sky. "Dumbass" my sister calls out from one of the bunks lazily. Swinging her arm over the edge she points a lollipop at me, "Mums upset with you so no lollie for you". I stick my tongue out in protest, childish of me I think frowning to myself.

I lay in the darkness of the cabin, sister snoring, Mum silent. I hold the key above me, pulling a face at it's strangeness. I look about the room carefully before sliding out of bed, key in hand. Nothing really stands out to me that would require an old key to unlock anything. Whistling? I hear some sort of a whistling sound approaching the cabin slowly. A few years ago my instincts would be to dash to bed and hide under the covers but something strange is arising in me, almost like it's waiting for me to go outside.

"Hello?" I breathe softly. As I look around. I see what looks to be footprints leading from around the cabin into the woods, almost like they're engraved in the fresh dew. Inhaling a shaky breath I follow the footprints into the woods. I didn't bring a flashlight but the moon's light guides me alongside the footprints. Suddenly they stop. Gazing about, I see that I'm nowhere near the cabin, just branching pines and patches of grass. The whistling sounds throughout the woods, the trees howl and blow about in response.

The wind picks up stirring the leaves into a beautiful dance of emotion and grace, like a retired ballet dancer feeling the music for the first time again. Almost like a blade had cut through the wind, everything fell silent and still to reveal a wooden trap door. The whistling sings through my ears, "The key" it whispers deeply. I lock the key into place and steadily turn it ever so carefully.

The latch breaks open sending a wave of fear through me, a shiver running up my spin.

Cautiously I grab hold of the handle, also rusted over. With all my force the trap door swings up with a deafening force I couldn't quite comprehend. A tail of blue smokey light engulfed the area and whatever laid within, sealed behind the trap door. Not a second thought crossed my mind, if I were to die, this would have to be the most thrilling way to go out, no doubt about it. What stands between me and whatever may lay inside this hole is my resistance.

Jumping in felt like a million butterflies flapping against my ribcage, begging, fighting, to be let out. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, my whole body somersaulting as I fell further and further down. What had felt like torture became somewhat relaxing. Everything slowed revealing the true beauty of what I had thrown myself head first into. Many, many miles I had been falling through caves of gemstones, libraries of ancient books, homes of fairies and fantastical creatures and a whole workshop of magic.

With falling must come a landing. My entire body felt like a feather, gliding softly to the ground, but really I had come plummeting down, deep into the ground. "Why hello there, you must be new, come along now, let me brew you some tea" A little old man pronounces calmly, lifting me out of the hole I had created when coming down. "Thank you sir?", "Call me Juno", "Uh- Thank you, Juno".

The old man seemed to be leading me through what looked to be a town of elves and fairies, gnomes and all sorts of other creatures, though unbothered by the fact a human had just dropped from the sky into their world. Juno led me to this small shop inside a twisting willow tree. Little trinkets hung low upon floating shelves, plants hovered above us in hanging pot holders. The shop smelt of vanilla and lavender soap all melting away the confusion that has brought me here.

"A newbie huh?" Juno places upon his pointy nose a number of glasses inspecting my every move just as my mother had done earlier. Suddenly a sharp pain flowed through me, Mum, how am I going to get back? "You are the first in centuries to have found this place kid, though I thought the last person had locked the entrance up once they decided to leave" something unworldly is happening and I feel like I'm going to pass out. "Name?", "Malakai, but I need to know how to get back to my family", "Oh so soon?" he replies with a chuckle.

"Never mind that kid, you belong here now, lean in close and I will tell you all you need to know".