All stories begin as a closed door, waiting to be opened by someone curious enough to try. Not unlike those stories, this story also begins with a door. This door is not a metaphorical door, but rather a physical door. One that is not emblazoned by fancy gemstones or intricate carvings. Simply an average, everyday door.
At the edge of the small town of Elm, lies a door obscured by moss and brush. Nearly everyone in the town is aware of this door, but yet it has never been opened. No one knows where the door leads to because not one person has been curious enough to try to find out.
“Come on. Just take a look inside,” James told Kim.
“I already told you I don’t want to,” Kim replied.
“Are you scared?” he asked. This irked Kim because she thought of herself as a brave person, and she didn’t want to seem cowardly in front of one of her peers. So, she mustered up as much courage as she possibly could and started towards the door. She didn’t get far before tripping on her untied shoelace, and falling straight into the door. To her surprise, she found herself crashing through the door to the other side. As Kim was recovering from her fall, she heard the door creak shut behind her. Quickly, she ran to the door to get back to James, but found that the door would not budge no matter how much she tried. Being the quick witted girl she was, she decided it was of no use to continue to waste energy on the door, and she would have to find another way to get back to James. Kim then noticed a bricked path and decided to follow it because if you ever follow a path, it is bound to lead to civilization.
Kim had been walking for roughly three minutes before she began to hear an odd noise. She deduced the sound to be the voice of a man. He seemed to be practicing his vocal range as Kim had done many times during her choir lessons. After a bit of walking, the man finally came into view. He was sitting on the edge of a tree stump with his back to Kim, raising his hand up and down with the pitch of his voice.
“Excuse me,” Kim said to him. She had noticed nothing strange about the man until he turned toward her. The man did not have a face.
“Yes?” the man asked. Kim could not find the words to reply after discovering the man was faceless. Her mother had told her it was rude to point out people who are different, so she acted as though she hadn’t noticed his facelessness.
“Could you tell me how to get to Elm?” Kim asked the man.
“Elm...hmm,” he said, scratching his head. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of it.” At this point Kim was afraid she would never find her way home, and because of this, she began to cry. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get home,” the man said.
“Really?” Kim asked.
“Of course. I would never go back on my word,” the man replied. So the two of them began walking on the path again.
After ten minutes of walking they came across a town similar to her own. The sign by the entrance to the town said “Karaton”. The man told Kim it was his hometown, and there was someone there who could help her. They walked down the main street and Kim saw the townspeople were also faceless. Even though they didn’t have eyes, she could feel they were staring at her. Eventually they got to a shop called The All Knowing. As they walked inside the bell above the door rang.
“One moment,” a voice called from the room behind the counter. After a short while a figure stepped out of the room. He was tall, muscular, and wearing a leather coat, but the peculiar part about him, was that he had the head of an owl. “What might you be here for?” the owl-man questioned Kim.
“I’m lost,” Kim answered.
“Oh, I have just the thing,” he said, walking into the back room. He came out with an owl feather and handed it to Kim. “All you need to do is grip the feather tightly, close your eyes, and envision the place you want to go,” he instructed her. She did what the owl told her, and she felt as though she were evaporating into the air.
She found herself on the dirt ground in front of the door. It was all a dream, she thought to herself. I must have knocked myself out running into that door, and James must have gone for help. She was glad she was finally home, but looking down, she saw something that would lead her to many questions. In her right hand was the feather of an owl.