Abandoned

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Aimlessly kicking the dirt and pebbles on the ground, with eyebrows scrunched and the sun beating down on my skin, I was determined to escape grocery shopping with my mother to go play with my friends in the open, grassy field. I tugged on my mother’s floral dress, desperate to leave.

“Mommy, please, can I go to the field? I’ll be back right away when you call me,” I begged.

“Oh, alright, just don’t go too far. Only the grassy field, you hear me?” She finally gave in. Excitedly, I ran to the field.

Panting, I joined with my school friends, and we played a game of soccer with a dirty, beaten up ball.

“Don’t kick it into the woods. Trust me, you don’t want to go in there,” Cat, one of my friends, warned us.

“Why? What is in there?” I questioned.

“Legends say that there’s an abandoned house that will haunt you if you walk too close to it,” Cat revealed.

Frightened yet curious, I kept eyeing the woods as the game went on. For a second, I thought I saw a spark, but I didn’t know whether or not it was because I was dehydrated and was simply hallucinating - or if it was real.

My curiosity was getting to me; I couldn’t focus on the game. “I’m feeling a little thirsty, I’m going to get some water. I’ll be back,” I hastily called out to them as I went to grab my water bottle.

After taking a couple swigs of water, I wiped my mouth and slowly crept towards the forest, trying not to bring any attention to myself. I scanned the vicinity; I couldn’t see the house Cat was talking about. With a sudden burst of courage, I sprinted into the woods as deep as I could go. When I looked back, I found myself engulfed by trees - the field out of view. Telling myself that I would just follow the same path, I continued my search.

My heart began to beat faster and faster the further as I traveled into the forest. Unaware of my surroundings, I tripped on a log and scratched my left cheek. Wincing at the sharp pain, I pulled myself up to my feet, and my eyes widened at the sight in front of me. A huge, worn-down cottage stood looming over my small frame. I scanned the infamous abandoned house, and with quite some hesitation, I slowly crept towards the front door.

I felt as if I was out of my mind, but something inside me told me that it wasn’t dangerous. I twisted the door knob, but instead of opening to what I assumed to be a dirty, dark room, the door revealed a whole new place—a city, and not just an ordinary city, it was Paris! I closed the door and opened it again, only to find myself in somewhere else, right in New York City!

Excited, I closed the door and ran as fast as my legs could carry me until I found the field again. I yelled out to my friends, “I found the abandoned door! It’s not haunted, it opens to different places!” but it was empty, my friends were no longer there, and the market my mother was shopping at didn't exist...

I spun around, confused, only to be met by the door to the abandoned house again. The door was slightly ajar, and an endless tunnel stretched behind it. Peering closer, a sudden gust of wind started sucking me into the hole.

No one could hear my screams for help.

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Published May 2, 2021

Written by Jessie Chen ~ Edited by Farah Mourad