WHICH ONE?

    There was a posting for a competition in his local coffee shop. The $1 million prize caught his attention, so he decided, what the heck, and he applied. It wouldn’t hurt to try. I will either get accepted or not, he thought to himself. There was an audition and a questionnaire to fill out, which he obviously passed, since he is here now. I wonder how many people passed. I will never know since I signed that release which disallows me to ask any questions, either before or after the contest.

      He stood there, shifting from foot to foot. Which one? He thinks.  He stretches out his hand, no not that one. His palms are sweaty. Which one? He turns around; he has the feeling of impatience behind him; but there’s no one there. He stretches out his hand again; it’s shaking. Why am I here? He asks himself. It was my choice, I have to do it; I will do it. He opens the door on his right.

      All he can see is a very long corridor, with doors on each side. It seems to go on forever. The doors are each numbered and there is a also sign on each door. The first door on his right says, “Enter here. Nothing to fear.” What could that mean? He asks himself. Since I don’t like watching scary movies, I definitely will not want to open this door. He then turns to door number 2, on his left. It says “Do you really want to?”  I’m not sure, he thinks. What can be behind this door? He goes to the next one. It says,”You can see clearly now.” That could mean it’s an optometrist’s office, but I don’t need glasses, he says to himself. The 4th door he comes to says, “Are you hungry?” I am a bit, he thinks, but I can wait. It might be something I don’t like. The next door #5, says, “Want to have a good time?” This can mean so many things. It could be a party of sorts, or a car: I could use a new car he thinks. He moves on to the next door. It says, “Have you ever seen this before?” Whoa, the possibilities could be endless. Not for me.  On to door number 7. This one says,” Alice in Wonderland.” I remember that story and I am not ready to go underground. No thanks. 

      He looks down the hallway. He cannot see the end. Wow, how long will this take?  I guess as soon as I open one door then it will be over, I think. I hope.  Door number 8 says, “It grows on trees.” This is an easy one to predict. It either means fruit or money. He hesitated quite a long time at this door. Who couldn’t use extra money? He thinks. But I think I will just continue on. Door number 9, wow, it says, “Are you sure? Are you really sure about this?” No, no, I’m not. I admit I am afraid of the unknown, but the $1 million dollar prize was too good to at least try. Okay, next one. It says,” Aren’t they cute?” I just bet that there are either puppies or kittens behind this door, no, not for me.

      He looks down the hall again, and is sure he can see an end. OK, carry on. This door says, “Can you hear that?” What? He puts his ear to the door. I can’t hear a thing. He stands there for a minute longer, then shrugs and continues on.

      He keeps looking back to where he entered this corridor. There was no sign of the door he entered through. Odd, he says out loud. I guess there is only one thing to do, continue.

      The next door, number 12 said, “Is this the way?” Could this be the exit? He ponders. Or, maybe when I walk in I will fall, like there will be empty space. Well, I’m not ready to end this yet. So, on to the next one. It says, “Walk along the straight and narrow.” I bet I would have to walk along a plank, can’t do, I do not have good balance at all. He’s thinks.

      He can now see the end of the corridor; but cannot count how many doors are left.

      The next one says, “A perfect fit?” I wonder if it’s a clothing store.  So, when I win the million I can go shopping, so then I will go to the next door. “Are you comfy?” it says. I definitely could use a sit down, but not now. I’m anxious to get this over with. What’s next? He wonders.

      I wonder who thought up this competition and how many people qualified. Or was I the only qualifier? I didn’t see any other people around. Probably not, what kind of a competition would this be if only one person entered? The only way to find out would be to get to the end of this corridor and then decide which door I want to open. So, the next door. It says, “What is that smell? He sniffs at the door for a minute but doesn’t smell anything. Of course, I have to open the door to find out what it is that smells. I think I’ll also pass this one by. Now, to the last door, number 16. It says,” Who’s there?” It must mean that someone is in there. I don’t think I want to meet anyone. 

      He is startled by an incoming announcement. “You have read all the doors, so now it is time to decide. Choose carefully.”

      After walking back up and down the very long corridor to re-read the door signs, he finally makes a decision. He walks over to door number 8 which says, “It grows on trees.” For a moment it is very dark so he cannot see a thing. It takes him some time to accustom his sight and what he sees shocks him. Do you mean to say I went through all that just to get back to where I started? As he is mumbling to himself, the person who made the announcement comes up to him and said, “Congratulations, well done”. You made the right choice. Just follow me and I will present you with the prize money. It will be in the form of a cheque, of course. Wow, I won, yippee! But, I don’t understand this, he says to himself, but I will go along with him. I hope this is not one big joke.