The Locked Door.

I was sitting at my little cubical. My least favorite place. I wish that I could at least try to escape this place. But there was no escaping. I needed the money this job provided me. Luckily, I almost had enough money to start a business. It wouldn't be the easiest thing, as I knew what it was like.

My brother opened a business a few months ago. He was caught up in getting everything together, and I had to help. My parent's help, and everyone else. It was a music shop. Records, coffee, instruments, and other things. I go there and help whenever I please. Not very often at well. And because the shop is across the bridge from where I usually am, there was no point in going there. Even if I want to. It's not often.

I stood to get some water. On my way, my closest friend at work talks with me. Asks if I'm going to the woods this weekend. Each weekend we explore the forest behind my house. I try to find things. The most exciting thing we found was a group of trees in a circle. There is a table in the middle, made of wood. There were also two logs propped up next to it. We have dirty clothes that we wear when we get out there. I, at the moment, am looking for a door. I think that he's looking for a river.

I nodded. He said he'll be there at the normal time. I smile and grab some water. I headed back to my cubical. This work was becoming a nightmare. I just had to suffer a month more, maybe less. I thought there could not be any worse work. Even though my friend didn't want me to leave, it was probable that I would anyways. I just get back to work and keep my head down. Especially when the boss came around. The boss scared everyone.

Saturday came at long last. It felt like forever. But at last, I had made it. I waited on my porch, waiting for my friend. Once he came, we went all the way back to the circle trees. We chose a path and walked all the way until we found a door. I smiled at him. I ran towards it. I read the wording on the door. There were odd words on the door. "Those who enter the door be warned. For what is on the other side is not for the faint of heart."

It wasn't connected to anything, so I tried to open it. The locked door. But fortunately, the keys were on the door. The door opened, and inside was another door. This one unlocked with the same key, but it opened to a hole. I jumped in and I felt like Alice in Wonderland floating down. But a hand catches me and pulls me up. He looks at me like I was insane.

"Are you insane? You could fall and plummet to your death. We are going to burn the door down and never tell anybody that this door exists." I nod. He grabbed the keys and threw them in the woods. He grabbed his lighter and water bottle. He burnt it and I put it out. It burnt not in yellowing, red or blue flames, but in green flames. It went out the moment it was all gone and we ran. We agreed to never explore again.

That Monday, the same terrible schedule continued. But ever since we burnt the door, there was a tragedy that finished. There were so many things that had happened since. Car crashes after we made sure to drive carefully and carpool with others driving. There had been a spike in flu cases, and our boss was buckling down on our work. There was so much going on, that we decided that the only way to stop the pain and suffering was to go back into the woods, find the keys, and keep them safe.

How we came up with that was I got a mysterious email saying the only way to save the world from dying was to do exactly that. Which meant our promise to each other had to be broken. Anything at this point to try. Maybe work would be tolerable even. If this was the best, things were going to really be bad.

By the end of the week, we had decided that things were absolutely terrible. Everything was going wrong. But we went out first thing Saturday. Searching for those keys. I found a little bit of shiny metal. I started to dig and he came to my aid. We got it and cleaned them, and the moment I got the keys, everything felt better. Almost like the way things were before. I stored the keys in my kitchen and we hung out the rest of the day.

Monday, everything was better. Everything was back to normal and life was better. Unfortunately, there was one last obstacle. My boss and work. It didn't improve even after I got the keys back. If anything, it got worse. I was drowning in work. Deadlines piling up, my anxiety higher than ever. I thought about quitting, but with no income, I wouldn't be able to keep anything together. My life depended on this job.

Soon enough, I got enough money and I went straight to my boss. I quit my job and immediately got to work for my business. My brother helped me, and my parents. My good friend from work was my co-manager. I learned that in a short time there were many customers. I realized people loved my business.

I opened a clothes shop, as fashion was my true passion. I think that there were so many different ways to express yourself. I found my friend and I became more than just friends, and we've been dating for over a year now. We've been through a door of pain together, but having this story together goes beyond the door and the keys.