The Door of the Damned

It wasn't easy, picking just one door. The journey here had been anything but easy, and to expect the decision ahead to be easy would be simply too much. Breathing deeply, and shakily, Emily headed closer towards the doors to see what each of them was called to try to make an informed decision. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the two had the same title, “Door of the Damned,” and she knew she had made a wrong turn before. Emily turned around and banged on the door behind her, knowing that it wouldn’t open, but still willing to try anyway. When she had given up hope, Emily turned towards the doors and examined each. 

The one on the right was made out of wood and looked quite dilapidated. Despite this, however, she still could not see through and therefore had no idea of where it would lead. Looking to the left, she saw a metal door with a menacing handle on it. Anyone in their right mind would go for the door on the right, but anyone in their right mind wouldn’t have wound up in this situation to begin with. 

Emily had died on Earth and believed she was in Purgatory, but these decisions had nothing to do with her Earthly life. No, this must have been a punishment from hell. But even then, she had been a good Christian girl, at least so she had thought, so to wind up in hell in a maze with different doors wasn’t exactly the afterlife she was hoping for. 

Turning her attention back to the situation at hand, Emily looked around the doors. Neither looked like they had been used in quite some time, and that only added to her whole hell or purgatory story she was believing more every moment. Closing her eyes, Emily thought about the decision ahead of her. Both doors were titled, Door of the Damned, and because of this, Emily knew what her eternal future would look like. Thinking logically, Emily could stay in that room and never exit and therefore never feel the punishment of the damned, but that in and of itself would be punishment enough, never knowing. 

Curling into a ball in the corner of the room, Emily freely let tears run down her cheeks. She screamed up to the heavens, “I’m sorry for whatever I did, please just forgive me and take me from this hell.” After her screams subsided, she saw a light slipping from behind the door on the right. Wiping her tears, and feeling somewhat confident, she stood up and walked over to the door and stood in front of it, waiting for the confidence to open it. The rules of this maze were simple, pick a door and go forward, but you can never go back. Pushing her anxieties aside, Emily reached forward and pushed the door open before stepping into a black void. 

As the door closed behind her. Emily walked curiously throughout the room. She walked until she felt a wall, and followed that wall sideways until she felt a doorknob. Her forehead creased as she walked forward, determined to see this test through, even if it meant her own downfall. Before long, she felt a second doorknob, but there was something different about this one. It felt more elegant than the other, almost like something you would see in a historical drama. Not allowing herself to think too much, Emily opened the door and was met with a blinding light. 

As her eyes adjusted to the light, Emily realized she was at what looked like the reception of an office with someone sitting at a desk elegantly wearing white and typing at a laptop. The entire room was white, and Emily bashfully looked down and tried to wipe the bottom of her feet off so as to not track dirt into the room but found herself with no dirt on the bottom of her shoes. Curious, she stepped forward and realized that the receptionist had been looking at her for a while. Blushing out of embarrassment, Emily pushed back her brown course hair before stepping forward and standing in front of the receptionist. 

The receptionist was, as Emily had said, wearing all white. Her ebony skin contrasted her green eyes beautifully not to mention her curled black hair. In awe at her beauty, Emily couldn’t help but speak up, “You look lovely, Miss?” The woman looked back at her curiously, as though she had either never received a compliment or had never seen a human before. Emily blushed yet again as she played with her hands and avoided eye contact. 

Had she said something wrong? What was going on? Was this receptionist mute? What was the point of that whole maze of doors she had ventured through? All of these questions raced through her head before the receptionist smiled warmly at her and responded, “I am Aliya, receptionist of the afterlife. Your decisions before mattered very little compared to the decision ahead of you.” 

Emily looked quizzically at the receptionist, Aliya, in front of her. How could the door decisions have not mattered? Not being able to go back felt incredibly anxiety provocing in that moment. Even though Emily wanted to hold herself back, she couldn’t help but ask, “Why did I do that test then? If I could have made any decision, why did I have to make any decision at all?”

Aliya smiled before chuckling to herself and finally giving Emily a straightforward answer, “That was representative of the life you lived, and all life. There is never any moving backwards, only forward. Knowing you cannot go back sometimes torments people and they give up and lose hope, but you did not. You continued on even though you thought it could end in your demise.”

Emily closed her eyes as she placed her hand against her pounding forehead and asked as gently as possible, “So no matter what I chose, I would have wound up here?” Aliya nodded ecstatically before she applauded Emily and went back to typing at her computer as though nothing had happened.

Emily gawked at the receptionist and tried to get her attention before she gave up and looked around the room she was in. There were pillars that seemed to go up into the sky and when Emily looked behind her, she saw only one door. Ignoring her confusion, Emily looked around the room more to find that there was a new set of doors in front of her. There was nothing notable about each of the doors. No inscription, no pattern, nothing. Rolling her eyes, Emily chose the one to the right and opened it, walking through and seeing her childhood memories flying by in front of her. 

Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she watched herself, so carefree, relaxing and having fun. When Emily turned around she saw Aliya right behind her and gasped from surprise. “You could give a girl a warning next time,” Emily yelped. Aliya motioned for Emily to look out the door and Emily watched as she disobeyed her parents and fell down a structure at the playground, winding up in a broken ankle and a trip to the emergency room. 

Emily winced as she watched her younger self in pain and Aliya placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she explained, “You see, it was in pain that you learned and in learning you grew. You do not only learn by pain but you do always grow by learning. Learning about yourself, your family, your friends, and the world around you, Emily. Those are the things that lead you here. Your lessons you’ve learned both easy and difficult have lead you to this moment.”

Emily teared up as she tore her gaze from the open door and to the angel in front of her. Aliya smiled at Emily as she asked, “You have two options. You can go somewhere where you will not face these difficult decisions, or you can continue making these difficult decisions and get somewhere beautiful. Beware, Emily, for simply going through the motions of these decisions will not lead you anywhere, and the decisions from here on out will matter more than the ones you have made thusfar.” 

Emily knew from her upbringing that Aliya was speaking of heaven and hell. She had always believed in going to heaven, but it was mentally taxing to get this far and she was tired. Looking at Aliya, she asked, “Please, guide me, angel, tell me the right path.” Aliya’s head turned as she looked at Emily. “I never told you I was an angel, yet you assume so, why?” Emily stepped back and hit the wall before she steadied herself and replied, “You are wise, you are kind, not to mention you are wearing white.”

Aliya smiled and chuckled slightly. Hearing Emily saying all of this filled her with great joy. You see, Aliya had been Emily’s guardian angel and had looked out for Emily all of these years she had been on Earth. While Emily did recognize her guardian angel, often times she neglected to speak with her or call upon her in her times of need, so to see Emily asking for guidance as well as recognizing Aliya as an angel was a proud moment.

Not wanting to leave Emily in waiting for too long, Aliya replied, “My dear Emily, I am your guardian angel. I am aware that you were looking at the single door you entered from and realizing there was only one entrance here. There is no way I could have known the decisions you would make, but your doors lead you to me. You have made mistakes, as all humans do, but in your moment of need you called upon me and I shall help you. You do not have to go through this alone, dear one. I will accompany you through these trials. You shall not be on your own anymore.” 

Emily’s eyes filled with tears as she took in this information. She fell to her knees as she begged, “Please, do not come with me. If I fail I do not want to bring you with me. You have protected me until now, why do you risk failure by standing by me?”

Aliya held out her hand towards Emily and helped her to her feet before she replied, “I have protected you until now and I choose to continue to stand by you. I have faith in you, Emily. The time has come for you to have faith in yourself.” Now, new doors appeared before them and Emily took a deep breath as she squeezed Aliya’s hand that was still in her own as she stepped forward with confidence and faith.