A Fresh Start

From the street, the house was nothing to look at. A simple peaked roof over a box, front door surrounded by two front windows, chimney minus the smoke, and two maple trees to either side. Besides the realtor's sign out front, the house looked like a kid's stick drawing art piece. The realtor's sign had a big red "SOLD" sticker across the face, and the young couple standing next to the sign had huge smiles. This house was a fresh start for the young couple. New town, new jobs, and their first house together.

While the couple stood out front, a red Cadillac pulled up in front of the house. A middle-aged lady in a business suit got out. "Miles, Annie, it is so good to see you again. How are you this morning?" The couple strolled over to the lady. "We are so excited." the young woman, Annie, said. "We can't wait to get into our new house." Miles reached out his hand. "It is great to see you, Cathy." Cathy, the realtor, shook Miles's hand and grabbed her briefcase from her car. Holding up her briefcase, Cathy said, "Shall we go in? I have got your keys and paperwork right here. There are just a few things to review, and I'll get out of your hair. I'm sure you're excited to get unpacked and moved in." Cathy unlocked the front door, and all three stepped in.

The inside of the house reflected the exterior. The front door led into the living room. Off to the side were the two bedrooms. The kitchen and bathroom were towards the back of the house. Cathy led the young couple through the house as they did one last inspection. She set her briefcase on the counter in the kitchen and pulled out a large manila envelope. As Cathy pulled out a large pile of paperwork, a ring of keys tumbled onto the counter. "The keys to your new home," she said, handing the ring to Annie. "And the title. Our company's warranty and all the other important information are all right here." The papers are set on the countertop. "Annie, I was a little surprised to hear that you'll be replacing Mrs. Kacey. I thought she retired years ago. She was my third-grade teacher, and that was a long time ago. The school is lucky to have you. And Miles, the factory opening will be a boost to the community. I've been told that you are the daytime foreman. Thank you both for choosing our little town to start your new life. I know you're excited to unpack, so I'll leave you to it."

Miles and Annie followed Cathy back out of the house. Their entire lives were packed into a pickup truck and a small sedan. Annie started pulling boxes out of her small car. Miles approached her as Cathy pulled the realty sign with the sold banner. "Did you ever find out about the back door? Is it safe to open up? Does anyone know why it was all boarded up? Cathy set the realty sign in her trunk and turned to Miles, "Funny thing. After the money was transferred, we have not been able to get ahold of the previous owners. They have not returned any of my calls. I'm sure that they boarded up the door for security reasons. The house has been empty for months now. I see no issues with you taking down the boards. It's your home now, and you can use it however you wish. But if there is any problem, remember that your warranty will cover the costs of repairs for the first year. Enjoy your new home, and welcome to the neighborhood." With that, Cathy climbed back into her Cadillac and drove off.

Miles and Annie spent the rest of the afternoon unloading their vehicles and unpacking boxes. After their few pieces of furniture were situated and the kitchen and bedroom boxes were unpacked, Annie said, "I'm going to run to the store for some food. We have this big refrigerator and nothing in it. Do you want to come along?" "You go ahead and go. I'm gonna pull the boards off the back door and get that opened." Annie grabbed the keys to her car and to the front door. Turning to her husband, she asked, "Do you have any requests for dinner?" "Pizza!" was Miles's reply. Annie walked out the front, calling, "Be safe. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Miles walked over to the box of tools he had placed by the boarded back door. A sheet of plywood bolted onto the door frame secured both sides of the door. There was no indication of what he'd find when he pulled the boards down. He studied the bolts for a second, then rummaged around the box for the correct wrench. From the amount of rust holding the nuts onto the bolts, it seems like they have been there for a long time. Miles spread WD40 onto each nut and bolt, then walked out of the house and to the backyard. He sprayed the nuts and bolt holding the plywood over the outside of the door as well. Back inside the house, Miles slowly began to work the rusted nuts off the bolts with a lot of effort. After much work, he finally got all the nuts off and was able to pull the plywood off. Miles stood back and examined the door. The door was locked with the padlocks. None of his keys would unlock the locks, so he found his hacksaw and started cutting.

After a while, Annie returned from the store with groceries in hand. "I'm home!" she called, setting the bags on the counter. Miles looked up from his sawing, "Come look at this door." he said to his wife. He had not made any headway on the locks when Annie came over. "It took me a while to pull the plywood off both sides, but when I did, I found three padlocks with no keys. I've been sawing through, but it's taking me forever." Annie gave her husband a hug and said, "I picked up a pizza after getting groceries. Come wash up and eat. You can work on that tomorrow while I'm at the school. I have to go for orientation and a meeting with the principal and staff, so I'll be gone most of the day. You'll have the day to work on that door and explore the town. Lucky that you don't have to start work until next week." Miles put his tools back away and sat down to eat.

The next morning, after Annie left, Miles hopped into his truck to find a hardware store. There, he bought new hacksaw blades, bolt cutters, and a set of carbide drill bits. He was determined to get those locks off. Miles spent hours cutting, sawing, and drilling at the locks. With no shortage of blood, sweat, and curses, the first lock finally gave in under Miles's effort. After the first, the next two opened up soon after. Miles stood there, drenched in sweat for a minute. He tried the doorknob. Stuck! It would not budge. Spraying WD40 inside every seam and opening, Miles went outside to see if that side would open. The knob turned with minimal effort, and Miles walked back into the house through the now opened back door. The inside knob was stuck still. He sprayed more WD40 and let it sit while he made himself lunch.

At 1pm, with a full belly, Miles went back to working on the backdoor. With both hands on the knob and a lot of grunts, it slowly began to turn. Bolstered by his success, Miles put everything he had into turning the knob. With a loud squeak, the door finally opened to the most beautiful sunset. The sky went from brilliant orange just above the horizon to a deep purple higher up. Miles stared in amazement. He checked his watch and looked back at the sunset. It was just after 1pm. That couldn't be right. I was hours away from nighttime. He closed the door and opened it again. The gorgeous sky was still there, and he looked out onto a vast plane of towering black rocks and twisted, gnarled trees. Again, he closed the door and walked out to the front of the house. There, he found the same overcast sky over the quaint neighborhood and his little house. He walked around to the tiny fenced-in backyard and back into his house from the backdoor. Before closing the door, he looked back to find everything in its place. A gray sky, dried grass, and a chain link fence.

Miles closed the door behind him and got a drink of water. I must be dehydrated, he thought. I'm hallucinating. Glass in hand, Miles tried the backdoor again. The vastness of this new world was overwhelming. Miles looked out onto an alien scene from the comfort of his doorway. The sky was as it was the first time, oranges and purples as far as the eye could see. The towering black rock piles were everywhere and in between were the gnarled trees of a deep green with a blue trunk. The whole scene was a dizzying alien landscape resembling a surreal painting by Bob Ross on an entirely different world.

Miles slammed the door and ran out the front door and around the house. His backyard was as it should be. He opened the backdoor and walked in. Without closing the door, Miles gazed back outside. Everything was as it should be. He closed the door again, very slowly, watching for anything out of the ordinary. As soon as the door clicked shut, he turned the knob and threw open the door. His backyard was again replaced by the strange new world. Afraid to step out into the new landscape, Miles pulled one of the kitchen chairs up to the door, sat, and stared.

Later that afternoon, Miles heard the front door open. He quickly shut the backdoor and rushed to greet his wife. "Annie, Annie, I got the backdoor opened and you won't believe what I found." "Hold on hun. I just got home. Let me go pee and change out of these grown-up clothes." Miles sighed, "Sorry. How's the new school?" Annie called through the bathroom door, "The school's great. This should be a great year. Classes start Monday, but I'm returning tomorrow to set up my room." She came back out of the bathroom wearing sweatpants and an old tee. "OK hun, what's with the backdoor?" Quick, Annie, you've got to see this." Miles led his wife through the kitchen to the backdoor. When he opened it, Annie let out a loud gasp. "What the…."

Annie stood stunned for a minute before taking a tentative step out the door. She walked out a few paces and stopped. Miles hesitated for a moment and then joined his wife. Annie finally broke the silence. "What in the world?"

A slight breeze came from somewhere, and the door began to creak. SLAM!