This is a story I've been working on based on a dream I had. Let me know if it's captivating enough to post the second part? It's still very raw and unedited and I don't know what the title is yet. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
We were standing outside our elementary school, each holding our own memories of the place. It was so different now. I remember it being the biggest place in the world, full of wonder and so easy to get lost. Funny how it happened. How we got lost this time. How wonder took over.
My sister and I are two very different people. Though we grew up together, at ages thirty and twenty eight, we have very different views on life. As the older sister, I always want to protect her, to keep her safe and help solve all her problems. It's a full time job. I think she has so much potential locked up in there. But that's a story for another time.
This day, like tons of other days in our lives, started by going to school. We decided to drive by the old abandoned elementary school. There was still a playground outside. You could almost hear children playing on it. Playgrounds aren't supposed to be quiet, so I think our brains trick us into hearing screaming children and tired teachers. I almost expected to see my principal when we opened the door, round and bald and black and sweaty and dressed nicer than any of the teachers. I remember him wearing the same brown, bell bottomed suite to school every day. I wen't to elementary school in the nineties. Brown bell bottom suites were not in.
I couldn't believe it was unlocked! It's like the school wanted us to come in. From the outside, everything looked normal. It wasn't one of those abandoned buildings that lost all its pride. Though it seemed tiny to me now, it still held all its character. It was the inside that turned our life upside down.
I think we've both been searching for something. Something that means something. My sister and I get bored easily and boredom leads to insanity. That's one thing we do have in common. When things get too boring, our brains take over and start making things up. We've always been able to relate in this way. No matter how good we have it, there's always something to freak out about, something to make us question our life purpose. This is what made us decide to check out the school. Let's do something different, and free, because neither of us have money to spend on having fun. We were saving our money for a music show later that night.
I remember watching my sister walk into the building, wearing an old t-shirt and faded jeans and dirty, red Chuck Taylors. Her hair is always up in a bun, as red as her shoes on this day. She is so funky and I love her boyish style. She has always been the cutest little thing but lately I've begun to notice she's just a plain sexy woman. Though, she covers it up with her boyish nature. Well, she tries anyway. It still comes through strong as hell. I like to flaunt my womanliness. I prefer leggings and knee high boots. My ass is too fantastic to cover up. My curves go on for days and I ain't ashamed to stuff them into something tight and revealing. It makes some people uncomfortable but I love being sexy. It's the best part about being a woman. Though neither of us have amazing tits and we've both always wanted them, yet another thing we have in common.
We looked around the entrance hall, the principal's office right in front of us. This was an area I never knew much about, though my sister spent more time in there than in her classrooms. I wanted to go in because it was such a mystery to me so I walked towards it but something down the hall on the right tricked my eye. The halls were so ugly. The floors were white and speckled brown shined concrete and the walls had carpet on them. It was backwards. Why did they carpet the walls? I understand not carpeting the floors where a bunch of clumsy, likely to pee themselves, elementary school kids spent their time, but why carpet the walls? It made no sense. This must have been some kind of seventies fad from when the school was built.
It felt like someone was down that hall, but I convinced myself it was just my brain, just like hearing the children on the playground. I looked at my sister and she was looking down there too. Maybe I did see something. We looked at each other for a second without saying anything and turned back towards our original destination. That's one thing we've always been able to do, read each other's minds. We've been able to talk with our eyes since we were kids. It used to get us in trouble in places where we weren't supposed to laugh. There's nothing like a good laugh in church when everyone is giving you the evil eye. I think Jesus would want us to have fun in church, not fall asleep from boredom nor give our children the evil eye.
Our memories of the principal's office are so very different. I remember winning a book with a unicorn on it for having the closest guess of the number of gumballs they kept in a jar in the front window. This was the beginning of my unicorn obsession that is alive to this very day. In fact, we both love magical creatures and if you asked, would tell you faeries are real and like to fuck with you. Mermaids are sirens, so watch out. And you can see a unicorn once in a blue moon if you believe. I guess that's how we got ourselves in this situation. Nothing isn't real if you want it to be.
The front window of The Office was kind of like what you see at one of those gas stations where the attendant is locked behind a glass barred window to keep from being robbed. It was a sliding window that was usually closed and the whole set of offices was locked in the middle of the school, like the heart of the building. I feel like my sister remembers it more like the barred jailhouse than the place where you win things. She was always getting in trouble for something or another. Never anything serious, but she never put up with shit. I envy that about her. I've gotten better but as a kid, I did what adults told me to do, no matter what. I wish I had been strong like her and did what the hell I wanted instead of becoming a zombie and a slave to the man.
We could see through the window and it looked just like it had before, only messier. There were papers and folders everywhere. Huge computers were knocked on their sides and old brown and green and yellow seventies schemed chairs were a little torn and not in their places. I remember playing games on those computers, the huge gray ones with the big green screens. Not every classroom had one. They were so special and fragile. I remember when our school first got them. It was such a big deal. Now, you can buy something the size of your hand that you can do more with than you ever could with those honking things.
When we walked into the office, everything suddenly changed. I remember turning the door knob and expecting to see papers and files and desks and chairs. I was going to sit at one of those computers and pretend to be a sexy secretary to make my sister laugh, but instead we walked into another world. It was dark and smoky and covered in Indian Bali fabrics and antique looking mirrors everywhere. There were shiny jewels and golden pendants all along the walls. Everything was so colorful and vibrant, yet there was barely any light. I grabbed my sister's hand and looked her straight in the eye to say "What the fuck." She said "I know right" without even blinking. We turned our heads towards the door that we just walked through to find that it was no longer there. In it's place was a golden spiral staircase, begging us to go up. Smoke was billowing through the area, but not smoke from a fire, more like from a hookah or incense. The smell was overwhelming. I wouldn't let go of Kat's hand so we turned around awkwardly and she quietly lead the way up the stairs.
"What in the fuck is going on?" I finally said out loud. Eye talking wasn't enough to convey the craziness of what just happened.
"I don't know... maybe they redecorated?" She smiled because she knew this would bug me. Acting like we weren't in a fucking nightmare right now. I don't know how she keeps her cool sometimes.
"Kat, we just... a door just... stairs... what about... What the fuck Kat, we haven't even taken any drugs yet!" That's another thing we have in common, we both love to lose our minds. She's never been a big drinker but I have been a connoisseur since I tried my first Strawberry Wine at thirteen. Mama loves a good glass of whisky, too. Or an ice cold craft beer or a dark red, thin glass of wine. But Kat never did, so we just smoked weed and took hard drugs to bond. This weekend we did plan on eating some mushrooms, but I swear we hand't yet. We were saving them for that show were were supposed to go to a couple towns down. Coming back home where my sister still lives always involves some kind of substance. Being around my family requires losing your mind a little bit, whether you're sober or not, and I choose not.
"I know! It's like a circus trick or something, I mean with all the smoke and mirrors? It's got to be some kind of hippy hide out, right? There's probably just some homeless people who found a good place to hole up."
"Okay, yeah, right." I said, feeling my heart calm down a bit but my mind was still racing. There was no spiral staircase in this building before... right? Then again, I'd never been in the principal's office, really.
We made our way up the spiral staircase, up and up, and up, and I was getting out of breath. Kat is such a beast, she can always keep going even though she smokes a pack a day. She's always been in such good shape. Another reason I envy her. I like to pretend I'm in good shape because I do yoga and try to exercise everyday but if I had my choice, I'd drink beer on the couch all day. She is naturally in good shape and never has to work for it. She lives on Cheetos and Mountain Dew for God's sake. Disgusting. I live for farmer's markets and Whole Foods. I couldn't wait to get back home and get back to my normal eating routine.
I got brave enough to let go of her hand and touched the railing of the staircase. It was cold and metallic and I could feel the engravings. It was elegant. We were definitely not in Kansas anymore, To-To. When we finally got to the top, there were closed doors all around us. There were eight doors and each door was a different color: red, turquoise, orange, yellow, black, purple, green, and white. We couldn't hear anything though. It was so quiet. We stood there for a second, taking it all in. We eyed each other to say "Ok, this ain't no fucking homeless pit, but I accept it and I'm curious and I'm not leaving til I find out more." We nodded to each other and started exploring. The hallway around the staircase was tiny. There was barely room to walk through so we went opposite ways. We could still see each other as the top of the landing was simply gated around the staircase so you wouldn't fall down. The room was small and round like a circle, like we were in the top of a princess tower, something I've always wanted to do since I am quite the princess.
Kat reached out to the turquoise door and put her hand and ear up to it. She looked at me to say "Nope, nothing." I raised my eyebrows to ask "Do you think they are locked?" "Only one way to find out," she responded by placing her hand on the doorknob. I ran over to her quickly. We were not about to get separated like in those scary movies. Not a good idea, ever.
Opening the door revealed another spiral staircase, just as gold, just as elegant, but much smaller. It was harder to walk up. We both kept tripping and twisting our bodies to fit into the spiral. When we got to the top, there was another door, turquoise, again. Kat reached for the knob and I pushed her to scream "Wait! God! Are we not going to talk about this for even a second?!" She rolled her eyes at me and turned the door knob. There were two women in there. We stopped cold. They were smiling at us, invitingly. The room was tiny and round and very smoky. There was a four poster king size bed covered in elaborate fabrics and the walls were covered too. The same adornments of jewels and pendants and mirrors covered the walls as was downstairs. There wasn't a window. The carpet was shaggy and orange and so soft looking I wanted to bend down and touch it. I couldn't though. I was frozen.
The ladies didn't say anything, so neither did we. The four of us stood there in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time while they continued to smile at us with their hands crossed in front of them so southern-bell like. You know the kind, pretty and tactful on the outside, cruel and manipulative on the inside. Something was up with these women.
They were wearing Indian clothing, draped in elegant, bright fabrics covering their whole bodies except their soft midriffs. They both had beautiful dark skin and a mysterious red dot on their forehead. They had bangle bracelets and nose rings and belly button rings. Their fingers were long and skinny, adorned with many rings both above and below the knuckles. They both had strong looking long fingernails. I can spot a well taken care of fingernail. I love painting my fingernails. So does my sister but hers are always short and stubby. That's never stopped her though. Today, they were royal purple with sparkles and mine were turquoise, the same color of the doors we walked through.
Finally, one of the ladies moved. You could hear her every movement as she was adorned with so many bangle bracelets. They chingged and changged like tiny wind chimes. It was such a beautiful sound that seemed to last too long. I was coming to realize everything in this room as absolutely wonderful and seemed to move in slow motion. I never wanted to leave. I couldn't remember if we closed the door behind us but I didn't even care anymore. I was entranced. I wanted to be one of those women. I wanted to live in this princess tower with them. The woman who moved turned on some music. I don't know where it came from as there was no radio or stereo or even a fucking Victrola. The music was just there. It was upbeat and instrumental and never ending. It made me want to dance. I love dancing. It makes me feel beautiful and strong. It makes me feel captivating and care free. It puts me in the moment and helps me lose my mind.
It takes my sister a little longer to let loose. I usually have to grab her hand to get her going. So, I did. I looked at her to say "there's no one else around. Let's dance like no one is watching!" She gave in a little and started moving her little sexy body and the other ladies started dancing too. There was barely any room for us to dance so one of the Indian women got on the bed to move better. The four posters were draped in sheer fabrics covering the top of the bed and she grabbed them down and started rubbing them all over her body. Waving her hands in the air and swishing her ass side to side. She was captivating. She was sexy and strong and care free. She had the tits we always wanted, busting out of her top so I couldn't stop watching.
The next thing I knew, we were smoking a joint with half naked Indian ladies in the princess tower in my old elementary school. We were laughing and giggling and dancing and none of us had said a word. It was getting hot in there. We were all sweating and out of breath but I was having the time of my life. I felt nothing but happiness and was worry free for the first time in a long time. I didn't give a shit about anything. I felt like I had everything I needed right there with me, like I could take on the world and I would always win. I felt so connected to these women and my sister, like we were all sisters. I was in love with the fabrics and the way they felt on my skin. I did finally laid down on the carpet and it was so soft and smooth on my cheek. It was softer than rabbit fur. I wanted to live in the carpet. I wanted to shrink down to a tiny little woman and just live in there.
Time was not a concept at this point. Everything was slow and fast at the same time. I have no idea how long I was enjoying the shaggy smooth carpet. I had taken my boots off and was close to taking off my tunic as I had started to realize how tight it was now that I was sweating through it. I felt like it was trapping me, like it was keeping me from experiencing the full potential of my happiness. I sat up to get undressed and realized I was the only one in the room now. My sister was gone. No beautiful half naked Indian women. And when I stopped to think about it, there was no music anymore. I hadn't realized it stopped. I hadn't realized I was alone. Did I fall asleep? Why would Kat leave me in this strange place alone? I was staring to get a grip and starting to freak out. What the fuck was going on? What the hell just happened? What was in that joint?
I tried to find the door. It was turquoise, it should be easy to find in a tiny round room. But there was no door. The round room just kept spinning round and round and I felt all over the walls and ripped the fabrics and mirrors down and there was no door, no window, no way out. I felt like the room was starting to collapse in on me. It was getting tinier and tinier and I couldn't breathe. My long hair was all wet with sweat and everything was sticking to me. I shouldn't have left my phone in the car! I loved the way that tunic made my curves pop but damnit it didn't have any pockets!
"OKAY!" I shouted to no one. I stopped moving so I could gather my shit. I had to get out of there. I pulled my hair back into a bun, put my boots back on and took a few deep breaths. If doors could disappear around here, surely they could just appear out of no where, too. This wasn't like real life. I could make shit happen if I put my mind to it. Well, I can do that in real life too, but you know what I mean.
I closed my eyes and tried to envision the door. For some reason, I couldn't envision the turquoise door. The orange one was calling to me. So, I let it happen. I tried to picture the orange door as hard as I could. When I opened my eyes, there was an orange door on the other side of the bed, opposite of where the turquoise door had been. I had to take it. It may not be the way I came from but it was the only way out of this room. Maybe it's the door my sister went through. I knew I shouldn't have trusted those women. What kind of woman is just sexy and doesn't say anything? A woman who will stab you in the back later by telling all her friends how tiny your dick is, that's who.
I jumped over the bed to the orange door and grabbed the door knob. It was smoking hot! It didn't actually burn me but it took me aback. I used one of the fabrics to grab it again and turned it slowly. I didn't open the door at first as I was trying to use my new found powers to envision outside where my car was parked. Maybe I could get to my phone and call my sister or the police or... I don't even know how I would tell the police what happened. They'll think I'm fucked up on drugs for sure.
I slowly opened the door and inside was not outside. My mind powers didn't do the trick this time....