The Wooden Door in the Woods

1. Discovery

"Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intellegence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden."

--Phaedrus

***

Half asleep, I felt something warm roll across my cheek. I fully regained consciousness and felt the wet side of my face to realize my beagle, Buddy, had climbed upon my bed to wake me up in his usual way; licking me. He hopped off and wobbled downstairs once he realized his job was done. I grinned and wiped my face with the sleeve of my blue sweater. Running my fingers through my scalp, getting my long, dark, blonde hair out of my face, I began to relive the wonderful dream I had in my head. I dreamt I met someone who actually admired me. If you knew anything of my real life, you would know I am not admired by anyone.

I sleepily looked over at the clock and was fully awakened from my daydreams to realize it was 7:30 AM. I rushed down the stairs, struggling to get my black jeans on all the way, and darted to my mother's room.

"MOM, WAKE UP! I'm late for school and I need you to give me a ride!" I shouted, lightly shaking her shoulders.

"Violet Evergreen! It is Sunday! Please let me sleep!" She loudly responded after a harsh wake-up.

I felt my cheeks get hot and was completely embarrassed. I had waken up my siblings, Mark and Ashley, too.

I went to the kitchen, only to find Mark with a smirk across his face.

"Nice going, dimwit." He mocked. It was just like him to jokingly spew remarks after the smallest of mistakes.

He was 17, only 2 years older than me, but still acted superior to me in every way. I eventually learned to ignore his little comments.

I decided to get my mind off things by going for a walk in the woods that grew right to the side of my house. I threw on a black jacket, black combat boots, and a light brown beanie. I swung open the front door to a cool breeze hitting my face. It felt nice after being in a hot, cramped house.

I walked down the dirt path, kicking the fallen pine cones out of my way. The aroma of wet leaves after a rainstorm and the sight of the beautiful yellow and red trees make my walk worth while. I began to think about all of the things going on in my life. How my father divorced my mother and moved out, no communication afterwards, and how my friends at school have seemingly dissapearred from my side. No warning or explanation, they just lost interest and left me.

My pondering was interrupted by a loud "Meow!"

I looked down to find a small, brown kitten with a white chest and wide orange eyes. It wore a black, nameless collar. It's soft fur waved gently in the cool breeze.

"Hello there little guy." I said softly, as I patted the top of it's head. It didn't budge, and continued to stare into my soul with it's piercing eyes.

"Must be our neighbor's cat." I thought out loud. Our anti-social neighbors always left their cat outside to sit on their porch. Although, I distinctly remember it being a calico cat...

It meowed once again, before running swiftly down the path with it's tail held high.

"Come back!" I shouted, running after it. What if it gets lost out here when I have the chance to save it? Our neighbor's wouldn't appreciate having a missing cat. I kept chasing it until It took a straight right turn. I turned the same corner to find it had vanished. I looked around, no cat to be seen.

I finally glared forward, in shock, to find a dead end with a maple, wooden door standing tall on the last trace of dirt path. No house attached or anything, just a tall door sitting in it's frame. I walked up to it cautiously, studying it's extraordinary details with wide eyes. It looked very new, and quite fancy. I ran my nimble fingers over the door knocker, shaped as the face of a cat. I took notice to the door's shiny, golden features, such as it's handle and frame. In my process of studying it, I carefully placed my hand softly on the large door handle, and turned. I glanced upward, jaw dropped, in shock of what laid in front of me.