The Tiny Door on the 2nd Floor

October 31st, 2011


The moving trucks slowly pulled up the slanted driveway of our new home in Green, Ohio. We had previously lived in an apartment in the same school district, but we needed more space. With a family of four and four pets, it was a little cramped, especially because me and my ten year old sister had to share a room. In our new house, there is more room, a two car garage, and I get my own room.

Finally, I can have something I've never been able to possess. Privacy. Me and my sister were bringing all of our belongings up to our rooms while the movers were bringing in all of our furniture.

After they were done unloading, my parents went with the movers to have dinner while me and my sister were left to unpack. After I was done, I had to go find a bathroom. Apparently, there was a full bath somewhere on the second floor, and I was able to find it quick enough. When I got in there, I noticed that all of the walls were covered in the same awful wallpaper that looked like it belonged in a retirement home. I was studying all of the wall decorations when I noticed a small square carved out of the wallpaper. There were six bolts, three on each side. I tried to pry it open, but it was bolted up really tight. I wasn't really in the mood to explore, though, so I let it be. But now I wish I had investigated it further to make sure there weren't any cracks.

November 3rd, 2011
I couldn't sleep for the past couple of days. All I've been able to think about was that shape in the wall. A couple of times I've tried using other tools to get it to open, but it just wouldn't budge. It was really starting to peak my curiosity.

My parents wedding anniversary is today, and I plan on getting that door open while they're gone, one way or another. As soon as they left, I snuck down to the basement and searched for my Dad's tools. I was finally able to find them, but the box was so heavy my back was aching by the time I got to the 2nd floor.

Once there, I pulled out my dad's biggest screwdriver. It took me a while to get all of the bolts loose enough, but eventually, all six had been pulled out. Finally, I would be able to see what was mocking me behind this door these past four days! But when I opened it... to my disappointment... there didn't seem to be anything but a little box. I reached in and tried to open it, but it was locked shut. Darn it! Just when I thought I had solved the mystery, it gets even more frustrating! Oh well, since I have nothing else better to do, I suppose I'll search for the key tomorrow.

November 4th, 2011
Well, today's the day. After about three hours of searching, I was finally able to find the key to the box. But where I did find it was... strange. I was down in the basement putting my dad's tools back, and then something caught my eye.

It was an old painting of the previous family that lived here. When I looked at it closer, I noticed it wasn't hanging flat against the wall. And when I looked behind it, there was a small safe. I thought that I would have to try to crack the code, but the lock had been broken a while ago. When I opened it up, I found the key to the box, and a note. The note read as follows:

"Some mysteries are meant to stay a mystery. If you wish to open that accursed box, let me warn you. The chest's contents were supposed to remain a secret for all eternity, for the owners fear that if that information gets into the wrong hands, it can bring total chaos to all who hear that word."

I had absolutely no idea what that meant, so I really didn't take it too seriously. I brought the rusty old key back upstairs and got the box out from under my bed. I stuck the key in the lock, and smoothly turned it to the right until I heard the small "CLICK" and the lock came loose. I lifted up the moldy lid and, to my surprise, there was only a couple of pictures and a small piece of paper. All of the pictures were of all of the rooms in the house. But something was... different about them. The rooms were completely empty except for one little girl that stood in the center of the room. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that each girl was slightly different from the others. I realized that they were different girls, all sisters.

On the back of each of the photos was their names, written in black ink. And below that was a single word. Each word was different for each photo. The words were HOPE, FAITH, DEATH, MISERY, DESPAIR, JOY, LIFE, CONFUSION, FRUSTRATION, ANGER, LUST, BLOOD, and FEAR, for each of the 13 rooms in the house. I had no idea what all of this meant, but it was getting late, so I would have to wait until tomorrow.

November 10th, 2011
Well, it's been five days since I found those pictures. Me and the rest of my family went down to Tennessee for vacation. While I was there, I had completely forgotten about the mystery, but now that I was back, that was all I could think about. That's when I realized that I had completely forgotten about the small piece of paper that was in the bottom of the box. It said:

"In order to solve this mystery, you must go to each of the third teen rooms and recite the special words to free the lost maidens. Using their powers, they will guide you through the dark abyss that lies beyond the gates of hell."

This was obviously starting to creep me out a little, but I was eager to know what happens next. So, I took all of the pictures that I found and searched through them until I found the one of my room. I looked on the back and found that the word JOY was written on the back. I let out a short scream, because I realized that the girl on the front somewhat resembled ME. And Joy was my middle name. LITERALLY. But just as I calmed down enough to read the word out loud, my parents came in and told me we were going out to eat tonight. DARN IT! Even though I have my own room now, they STILL just barge in without even knocking! It makes me so angry!

November 13th, 2011
I wasn't able to focus on the pictures or the words because of upcoming tests and such. But today's the day I can FINALLY solve this mystery! I made sure that my parents were both at work and that my sister was still at her friend's house. Once confirming that I was alone, I went back up to my room. I took out the old photograph of my room and turned it around. For some reason I was expecting that the word would have changed. However, it was still JOY.

But I did notice something strange about the picture. The girl on the front seemed to have a slightly more saddened expression on her face, but maybe it was just me. So, I took in a deep breath, closed my eyes, and shouted out the word JOY! I kept my eyes closed for a while, expecting some sort of crazy explosion to happen or something. But there was nothing. Total silence. When I opened my eyes, however, my room was completely void of all of my belongings. And, in the center of the room, stood a girl, about 10 I thought, with long brown hair that was neatly combed and topped with a pink bow. She was wearing a bright pink gown with designs of flowers and trees on it.

Her face was a pure ivory color, her blue eyes as deep as the ocean. She was smiling a most friendly and kind smile. "Thank you so very much for freeing me from my prison. I don't even know how long I was trapped here." Her voice was soft and innocent. Yet I could hear a slight giggle as she finished her sentence. She then disappeared into thin air "I will be at the gate. Bring the others and we will unlock the seal." I heard her say. So, that's what I did. I went to the remaining 12 rooms and recited the chosen words and each time a girl of similar appearance was freed.

When all 13 were released, I went back upstairs and into the bathroom. And just as they told me,they were all there, waiting for me.They looked different, though. Their skin was even lighter and their hair was even darker and more tangled, not to mention their bows were uneven. Their dresses were slightly torn, the patterns darker and gloomier. They looked somewhat... sad. As soon as they saw me, their faces became even sadder than before. One even started to cry softly into her arm. I was slightly confused as to why they were so sad, but they wouldn't even talk to me. They motioned for me to come towards the door. As I came closer, the girls started to get closer to me. When I reached the door, they came together and slowly pried it open again. As they did, it became slightly cold and breezy in the room. Even more of the girls began crying.

When it was fully opened, they crawled inside. The last one grabbed my arm and helped me through the tight squeeze. Once inside, the door was closed shut by the breeze outside, now a slow wind. It was even colder in there than outside. Just then, the girls' sad and lonely expressions were replaced by laughter and chuckling. They were all looking at me. I began to back away slowly as they came towards me. When I reached the door, I tried to open it, but someone had locked it from the outside. I was trapped. Their laughter became louder and more crazy. when I turned to face them, their faces were horrible. their flesh was falling off of their faces and was dripping with a range black goo.

Their eyes were a pure black, with red glowing pupils and blood dripping from them. Their hair was a mess, and tangled into it was blood, bones, and what appeared to be intestines. Their dresses were completely torn and tattered, the flower patterns having been replaced with spiders and skulls. They were completely DRENCHED in blood, from head to toe. The sight of them made me vomit. They lunged at me, grabbed me, and began removing my clothing. One of them brought out a new outfit, the same one that they had been wearing. I tried to struggle, to get away, but they were strong, and I couldn't move a muscle. They were holding me so tight that their nails dug into my skin and made me bleed.

All the while they were laughing hysterically. After they were done dressing me, they began to attack me. They beat me and bit me and stabbed me and whipped me. I was crying out in intense pain, but that only gave them pleasure. After they had beaten the life out of me, they slowly backed away, pried open the small door, and left me to rot. But I didn't rot. I was already without a body.

???

I don't know how long it's been since that day. I'm sure it's been more than a couple years. My family has long since moved out. I now roam the house in search of my belongings, however, I haven't been able to find any. The house has been abandoned for a long time. No one else moved in after my family considering the fact that there was a "suspicious murder" in the house. But today, something happened. A couple of kids came in today, all with ghost hunting equipment.

They were talking about how they wanted to catch the ghost of the little girl who died there a couple years ago. Now's my chance. I can finally leave this place and move on after switching places with one of those children. Yes, I must switch places. I created a new box, and found new pictures. They were exactly the same, except all of the girls looked like me. They found their way into the little door not too long ago. They then found the little "gift" I left them. After they recite the chosen words, I will be set free. Then, I will lure those unsuspecting fools into the little door. And after they are taken care of, my job as protector of the gates of hell will have been passed on to the new generation. Well, here it goes... "Thank you for freeing me from my prison!"

You're doomed.