The Room a short story

Posted June 29, 2009 by peregrin

********************ent> </xml><!<endif>--><style>  </style> Here is a short story I wrote inspired by my first experience in a chat room. Not here I hasten to add!!! Excuse the spelling it wanted to tumble out quicker than my fingers could type. I hope it strikes a chord. The Room<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I don’t quite know how it happened! I was hanging on the street usual time usual place, just waiting for my friends to turn up. It was strangely quiet the usual people didn’t seem to be around that night. I decided to go round and call for Jenny but when I got there her house was in darkness no lights on no answer when I rang the doorbell, she must be out. Oh well I thought down the street lives Marie I’ll give her a go, again no answer. I thought I would head back for the corner of marble Avenue someone was bound to have showed by now it was getting on for 9.30, we usually all met up about 8.00. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I slouched along hood up hands in pockets, taking my time keeping my eye on the street for anything of interest. Thats me, too nosy my friends say, everythings my business can’t keep away. Thee was an open door halfway up the avenue, brightly lit, nobody around. I stopped for a brief moment and had a look to see if I could see what was happening but didn’t see a think so carried on walking to the end of the pavement. I looked across the road. There was our pole surrounded by its usual pool of light but noone there. Where could they all be tonight, surely not everyones gone out or on holiday!<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Sighing I turned and started to make my way back down the dark street. Behind the curtains I could see people moving or bright television screens flashing but nobody looked out, they were all doing their own thing nobody was interested in a small lone figure wandering aimlessly outside. I had just made up my mind to go home, switch on my TV and see if I could lose myself in some mindless show when I spotted the door again. There it was standing open shining bright, beckoning me in.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I hesitated on the bottom step unsure. I looked again up and down the street. There was noone. Why was that door still standing there open? Had somebody left in a hurry and forgotton to shut it? Maybe somebody needed help in there. I started up the steps anxious now then just as I was about to step through I had another thought, what if there is a burglar in there, you don’t know who lives here it could be a drug house or anything. I turned prepared to walk away but then thought again of that litle boy with puppy dog eyes, frightened and hurt who could be lying just inside the door. I couldn’t just walk on by I had to go in through that entrance and I had to do it now.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “Hello” I called as I stepped over the threshold “Hello is there anyone here?” The light blazed for just one second and I stepped through into......................................<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> An immense ballroom full of beautiful people. Music played and couples swirled around the dance floor. Silver suited men with ribbons in their long golden tresses. Masked ladies in flowing ballgowns of all the colours of the rainbow. I was bemused amazed, I looked over my shoulder the door was there solid as ever, in an archway of white marble. I looked back at the dance floor where the dancers whilrled and the lights swooshed across floor. I stepped forward out into the dance floor and adressed myself to a lady who was standing at the edge of the floor waiting to swept up into the melee. “Excuse me” I said “Where am I? Whats going on? Is it someone birhday?” She turned and looked at me I could see her glittering blue eyes inside the mask but she never said a word. As if I wasn’t there she looked right through me. I walked across the dance floor, it was as if I was invisible nobody looked at me nobody spoke to me. “Where am I “ I shouted at the top of my voice but it was useless. At the end of the room I noticed a queue of ladies all lined up I decided to go see what was going on there. As I approached I noticed that this seemed to be the place to fid a partner to dance. As I approached a gentleman bowed most formally to a tall lady dressed all in green “Would you care to dance?” She nodded and was whisked away into the crowd upon his arm. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Eagerly I approached the area well heres a thing which should keep me amused. I love to dance and feel the earth run like a conveyabelt under my feet. I approached one of the gentlemen smiling now. “Excuse me but I like to dance” He looked straight through me as if I had not said a word. I thought I would try to engage one of he ladies in conversation, I approached a small dark haired woman all dressed in pink, but it was as if I did not exist. “Will nobody dance with me?” I was shouting now trying with all my might to get some attention. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> As I spun round a figure who had been sittin on a step quietly watching my progress across the room rose to his feet. He moved towards me and held out his hand. His fingers touched mine and I was whirling across the dance floor laughing. We stepped and turned along with the music until we were both exhausted then he led me back through the crowd to the step where I had first seen him. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> We sat and he finally spoke “What are you doing here?” I looked around at the laughing people in disgust “Well I was trying to get a dance but all these rude people chose to ignore me. Thank goodness there was a friendly face.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> He laughed “They’re not real. None of them! Just bots brought here for entertainment. “<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I must have looked completely bewildered “I don’t understand!”. “They are just images, shadows from the past they can’t see you or hear you at all”. “But you are real. You’re here?” “Yes my name is Raymond. Where did you come from?” “I came through the door over there” I looked back and pointed. “What about you?”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I come here sometimes when I’m bored at lunchtimes. I like to watch the dancing. Actualy times getting on and I must go goodbye.”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I enjoyed dancing with you can we do it again?<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “ Sure anytime. Friends”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Then he was gone. I turned and could see how foolish I had been. The dancers didn’t look real to me now They were faceless figures hidden behind their fancy masks. I ran for the door and back out into the dark street beyond. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> As I walked home I was thinking, wondering. What had just happened? I went through a door and in an instant had been transported into another universe. A place where all the rules of physics and nature were different how could this be? <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The next evening I decided to go back to the door. To try again who knows I thought. I have a new friend through in that world now maybe he will be there again. I headed straight for the door I knew exactly where i was going. It was standing there just as before, open brightly lit, inviting me to step inside. So inside I did step. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The ballroom was there as before, immense huge and echoing, with architecture white and golden which seemed to reach for the heavens, but this time it was empty. No dancers, no music, nothing but a great big silent room. “Is nobody here?” I’m making a habit of standing in this large room and shouting to myself I thought. I strode across te floor footsteps bouncing around behind me but there was nobody. I headed back to my little door knowing it would spew me back into my little mundane world but knowing there was no choice. As I made my way back across the room I looked and made my decision. I would never venture through this door again. I waved goodbye to my new found universe which had turned out not o be so bright and exciting after all. As I stepped through the dor and back in to the real world I closed it and heard the lock click behind me. Somehow I knew that my adventure was over after all “This isn’t Dr Who” I told myself. A looked at the closed dark door a second of melancholy then I heard my friends calling me from our corner at the end of the street. I shrugged and ran forward into our usual pool of light where there were six or seven people already gathered.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “ What have you been doing?” asked Jane. “ Not at lot” I responded with a shrug, but looking back at my little door down the street I new that I had a friend through there in a dimension completely different from the one I know!<o:p></o:p>

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peregrin wrote at July 4, 2009

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Thanx Hamo <img src="http://www.wocchat.com/file/smile/smile.gif" mce_src="http://www.wocchat.com/file/smile/smile.gif" alt="" phpfox="image-protect">

HamoHash wrote at July 4, 2009

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Cool story pere xx