Down the wooden floor door

Here she was, bored, still wearing her bright pajamas from yesterday. She had played in the playroom for a while now and her mother was still reading her book in the room next door. Olivia had just turned 5 and some of her gifts were stored away in the playroom closet. She walked in, and accidentally slipped on some blue ribbon. As she tumbled, she fell right on top of a small outline of a door. The floor was darker here, and it had a teeny tiny hole. She poked her chubby finger through the hole and pulled, and the small space opened. Below her was a small white staircase, and her curiosity got the best of her. She stepped right in, and as she went down, she became surrounded by forest trees, and the sweet sound of a waterfall. She looked down, and she no longer was wearing her pajamas, she now wore a beautiful blue dress with gold butterflies. There was a picnic blanket laying in a sparse area, and on that blanket, was an array of dishes. Chicken, pasta, salad, cupcakes, Oreos and a pitcher of lemonade. Before she could run to it she heard a voice call out to her. “Olivia! Olivia!”

“...Honey, wake up” she heard it say. Olivia opened her eyes to her mom giggling.

“... Did you fall asleep playing honey?”

As Olivia looked down, she saw her blanket sprawled on the floor, her play food everywhere, and the same outline she thought She had entered before. She stuck her finger in the small hole, to her dismay, it didn’t open, and her mother told her it was just a scuff from something. She shrugged, took her moms hand and went into the kitchen for some lemonade. She described her dream to her mom and her moms eyes went wide. Her mother ran to the playroom and Olivia followed. Her mother grabbed a play fork of olivias and stuck it in the hole. She pulled and this time it did open. She stared down, and reluctantly stepped onto the stairs, she helped Olivia down and began to explain that she had had the same dream when OlI is was still in her tummy, and then again when she began to furnish the playroom for Olivia. She always thought it was a dream, but she vaguely remembered walking down the same stairs, and feeling the waterfall. as they stepped down farther they both realized that it was never a dream, this whole time it had been a real thing. Olivia grabbed hold of her mothers hand, as they walked and eventually they stopped to rest near the waterfall. Their feet ached from walking but Olivias mother seemed to be looking for something. “the First time I dreamt-came here, I remember a house, that looked exactly like ours, but inside it it had pictures of your dad and I, and I remember finding the necklace your daddy gave me, it was in a box.” Olivia‘s dad had died in a house fire when she was a year old. Her mom had taken her out for a drive to get her to sleep, and arrived to a burnt house, and her husband in critical condition. He later died of his injuries. Everything in the house had perished, including a gold necklace with a heart pendant that Olivia’s dad had gifted her mom when they married. Her mom thought that by finding this house, she could find the necklace and have a piece of him with her always. The sky began to darken, and they were both cold. “I want to go home mommy” Olivia whisperEd. Her mother looked at her with a stern face, “no, we are finding this house.” Olivia looked down, and felt her mother embrace her, “please honey, just hold on, once I find the necklace, then we can go back home, I promise” she said as she gently rocked her to sleep in her arms. Olivia awoke, still in the strange place she had discovered with her mom. The sky was the bluest Of blues, and the sun shone brightly. Her mother picked her up and put her on her back, and began walking. Everything looked the same to Olivia, it felt like they had been walking in circles for hours, and quickly the night sky came again. It was funny, they hadnt felt hungry, or had needed to use the restroom, but they were still tired. Again, they fell asleep peacefully. After about three days like this, Olivia began to cry. She wanted to go home, and Her mother refused to listen to her. She was so focused on finding that house. When another morning came, Olivia refused to go on any longer. “I don’t want to anymore mom! I’m tired and I miss home!” She yelled through sobs. Her mother looked at her, she knew that she had to give up, she had to go home. She looked her her sweet daughter. The spitting image of her dad. She wanted to go on, she had hope that she could find that necklace and take it back with her. She sighed, and nodded her head. It was time to go home. As they approached the staircase they realized that there only remained one stair, and on top a glass timer. On the timer it said “for you’re given one chance, if you take it, time still must carry on” Olivia’s mother knew that this door would never be opened again, her chance to find that necklace was now or never. She looked at her daughter, tired with puffy eyes from crying. But she knew she had to let go and move on, it was time. She lifted olivia onto the stair, and through the door they both went up. Back in the playroom, she closed the door, and the door shut, the outline disappeared into the floor, and the hole healed. Olivia’s mother closed her eyes, but felt peace. “...I miss him, I’m sorry Olivia” she whispered. “It’s okay mommy, but I never want to go down there again” Olivia replied. “I know, and we never will be able to, it’s okay honey, I think this was a sign, a sign telling me that he’s okay because we are okay.” She said as she smiled at Olivia. Olivia took hold of her moms hand as she got up and walked her to her bed. She climbed in with her and kissed her mom on the cheek. “Goodnight mom” she sighed. They slept, and that memory soon became distant, never to be mentioned again.