What Lay Behind That Door

Have you ever felt so familiar with a stranger you've just met? Because that's how I felt at the time I saw him.

"You must be new here. I have never seen you before," I looked at the person who was talking to me. Black short hair and a pale yet sickly face.

"I'm Ezekiel. Just call me Kiel," he continued.

"Oh…?"

He smiled brightly, "What's your name?"

"Me? My name is Lorelei, but everyone calls me Lo."

His eyes were beaming with excitement. I offered him my hand to shake, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Lo."

But, as soon as his hand shook mine, his eyes flinched, and his expression hinted confusion mixed with surprise.

He muttered, "Your hand is surprisingly warm…"

"I bet I'll be an interesting friend for you."

At that time, I didn't know what he truly meant by that.

A child of Mother Nature he was, effortlessly alluring me closer with his charms. It only felt natural to admire his figure.

"I'll show you around!" Kiel said while holding my hand, dragging me away to God knows where.

His pace was quick and he didn't even seem to be out of breath. However, I was struggling to keep up with him.

"W-wait! Slow down."

He slowed down and looked at me, "You're surprisingly slow."

He laughed a little at me, and I defended myself, "It was too sudden!"

"Oh yeah?"

He let go of his gentle grip on my hand, and then he positioned himself to walk side by side with me.

I felt a little bit disappointed when he let go of my hand. But, we walked idly.

"So, what are you going to show me?" I asked the boy.

Kiel shrugged and averted his gaze to the golden paddies on his left, "You'll find out."

After walking for a little while, Kiel gestured for me to stop.

"Here," He said.

In front of us, a paddy field lay gracefully. Somehow, this paddy field attracted colorful butterflies to land on its golden paddies.

It's a paddy field unlike any other, not to mention the huge size of it!

Whoever owns this field must be someone with big money...

"This looks dreamy," I commented at the sight which lay ahead.

Kiel looked at me and said, "Yeah."

The boy dipped his feet into the mud of the paddy field.

"What are you doing?" I asked him with a bit of surprise.

"What? you've never been dirty before?" He scoffed.

The barefoot Kiel has stood in the mud, "Come on, our destination is not far and this is the only way."

I gulped, "We'll ruin the crops if we walk here. Don't you know that the farmers put a lot of effort into growing these paddies?"

"Trust me, everything will be okay," He shrugged.

I hesitated, "Are you sure? If anything happens, it's all on you!"

He nodded before pulling me into the mud. "Wha— hey!"

I shouted at him. I could feel my sandals slipping away and mud staining my lower body.

"You ruined my dress!"

Kiel only grinned, "My bad."

I remember the feeling of liberation he bestowed on me. My dress might be ruined, but my soul felt at ease.

He grabbed my right hand and led the way. We walked through the paddies on our naked feet.

The sun shone warmly, caressing our skin. I could hear the faint noise of a gecko squeaking somewhere near us.

"Where are you taking me?"

He didn't look at me and chose to continue leading the way.

I was about to ask him another question when I lifted my head and found a green wooden door standing almighty in front of us.

The door stood on its own; it didn't need any wall to lean on. The door looked clean despite the location of its unexpected placement.

"How can a door stand on its own in the middle of a muddy paddy field? Is it planted to the ground? that's the only possible explanation" I inquired.

Kiel didn't answer my chirping. His soft gaze fell upon my confused face. Then, his hand landed on the doorknob.

"Lo, do you want to know what lies inside this door?"

I wish I could show you what his expression looked like when he asked me this.

"Are you joking?" I laughed a little at his question.

"Well, if there's anything behind this green door, I'll do anything you want" I added.

"Deal."

Before opening the mysterious door, Kiel's face seemed to soften. 

The door creaked as the boy opened it carefully.

"You'll regret making that deal with me," A smile bloomed on his sweet, pale face.

How surprised I was to find out what lay inside that mysterious door, "What...?"

He let go of his grip on the doorknob before holding my arm. He stepped inside.

"Is it safe?" I asked him out of alertness.

"It is safe, don't worry," He reassured me while leading me inside.

Then, I stepped inside. My feet were met with the green and dry grass. I lifted my gaze from the ground and I could see a beautiful and vast meadow.

I froze for a moment. It was truly a breathtaking scenery. I have never seen a meadow as magical as this one.

My gaze fell upon the flowers. How poised those flowers looked as they were dancing with the breeze and the grass.

The whole atmosphere of this place was contradicting. It made me feel at home yet also managed to send shivers down my back.

I still couldn't process what was going on.

I could feel the warmth on my arm had depleted. Kiel wasn't holding my arm anymore. I looked to my right where he was supposed to be.

However, I couldn't find his existence anywhere near. I had just realized that I was left alone thus, I started to panic.

I looked behind to check the door.

As I turned my head slowly, I could see more of the vast meadow, and the green door was nowhere to be seen.

Tears started to form as I faced the horror.

"How could this be...?" I mumbled to myself.

"Where am I?"

The gentle breeze hinted at uncertainty, and the once joyful flowers now murmured secrets I couldn't understand.

Anxiety filled me as I looked at the expansive meadow, realizing it held more mysteries than I could grasp.