Cold Silence

Crash!

Marcus shoots up in bed scanning his dark room, only slightly illuminated by the glow of the streetlight outside. His eyes shift over to his alarm clock resting on the nightstand reading 5:15. He knew there was no reason for anyone to be awake at this time. HomeAlone was fresh in his mind from the night before, so the idea of an intruder sent a chill down his spine.

“Dad!”

No one called back to him.

His imagination began to run wild with the worse possibilities. Even that his parents may be in danger, but he was a kid what could he do against and gun wielding psycho who wants all their money or just their lives for that matter? But what if his parents needed him? The thought gave him the push he needed to hop out of bed and investigate.

As he hit the wooden panel floor the soles of feet felt as if they had dropped into a pile of snow. Before continuing he slid into his slippers at the foot of his bed. He continued his trek across the shadows of his room. Nearing the door a cold breeze crept underneath through the small opening at the bottom. He throws the door open and is greeted by a faint glow shining up the stairway.

”Mom!” He called out down the stairway. A gust of icy wind replied shifting picture frames on the wall as it greeted the boy’s presence. Shivering at the drop in temperature Marcus began his decent to the living room, a breeze licking his face as he went. The creaking of each step gave pause between each step. Reaching the bottom of the staircase he spots the cause of the loud noise he heard from his room, a snow globe his father had brought home from his business trip to the Rockies had been blown off its shelf shattering on the floor below. But that was the least of his worries the source of the white glow froze him in place. A light in the shape of a doorway greeted the young boy in the middle of his living room.

Marcus glanced around the room, but besides the light from this strange new doorway there was no signs of life. Drifts of snow began to flutter into the room from the new misplaced door. Marcus crept towards the light half in curiosity the other half, fear of the unknown. As he passes his hand into the light a freezing grasp grips his hand causing him to shriek in surprise. Going to pull his hand out it seizes startling him. His hand is jerked on the other side filling the kid with a level of dread. He’s going to be pulled through and never seen again, consumed his every thought. Another jerk pulled him towards the light. Marcus panicks and begins to pull back with everything he has. Leaning far back to pull and yet the only sliding happening pulls him more and more into the light.

“Mom, Dad!”, Marcus calls out into the empty home.

He closes his eyes tightly as he’s pulled the rest of the way through. Afraid to open his eyes he feels a gust of icy wind. He struggles to move feet giving him a reason to open his eyes. A foot of snow encircles his feet as he thing looks out his gaze met with mountain ranges frosted with layers of snow.

“Hey Marcus.” A familiar voice from behind catches him off guard. Marcus shifts in the snow to find his mom and dad ,clad in snow gear, standing behind him.

”Where are we?” Marcus asks as his fear is replaced by curiosity.

His father fashions his coat around the young boy as his mother speaks.

“That’s a story for another day.” She states as they begins to move the boy back towards the doorway.

”But how long has,” Marcus begins but his dad interrupts.

“We’ll discuss this in the morning you need to get back to bed.” His dad says as pulls him through the doorway.

The family steps back into their home tracking bits of snow with them.

”I have so many,”

”Questions? Marcus mom interrupts the young boy.

”Yeah!” Marcus shouts in excitement.

“Well they’ll have to wait baby, bed.” His mom places her cold hand on his shoulder. Marcus’s parents accompany him to his room and tuck the boy back into bed. As the two parents leave they glance back at their son whose face is plastered with a grin.

“Try to get some sleep bud.” His dad softly mentions at the two adults exits the room closing the door behind them.

”He won’t remember right?” Concerned his mom asks.

”No, he’s seen the door multiple times but never has remembered it the following morning.” His dad reminds his mom.

”Ok, but we need to be more careful.” She reminds Marcus’s father. The two of them begin to head down the stairs.

“Tomorrow night somewhere not so chilly please though okay?” His father asks.

”Of course a rainforest expedition?” Marcus’s mother questions.

”Instead of snowboarding sounds like a plan.”

The two adults descend towards the faint glow. Reaching the bottom Marcus’s dad picks up the shattered snow globe carefully.

”Looks like we’ll need another one of these babe.” Marcus’s dad states.

“ True but next time we should definitely try to be more careful, the portal is fragile.” The mother warns him.

Sunlight pierces the blinds into the living room, causing the light doorway to flicker.

“We’ll it’s almost dawn, I guess we better call it then.” The dad states as the two of them make their way to bed.

”Maybe one day we’ll take him. But definitely not until he’s older.” The. Mother confirms with a smile. The light doorway zips itself up and vanishes as more sunlight perforates the living room shades.

Just as the adults make their way into their room to lay down Marcus’s door cracks open and the young boy creeps out to the top of the stairs. No longer chilled by the stairway breeze Marcus glances down the stairs shrugs and back into his room and gently closes the door.