Doorways

All that was on the news was reports of the doorways suddenly standing in obscure places all over the world. First, thought to be modern art or part of some political or ecological statement and movement the doorframes each with it’s door closed and locked with different types of locks raised little concern. That was until one citizen finally opened a door in the middle of a busy public park on the first attempt at a numeric combination lock.

Dozens of onlookers started to record the event on their mobile phones as a blinding light seemed to cause many of the devices to briefly malfunction then document a brief glimpse of that citizen walking through the doorway. Some pedestrians screamed as others fled or ducked behind park benches. In about an hour that citizen then reappeared through another doorway thousands of miles away. The world collectively gasped as the information circulated the news outlets.

The suddenly most interesting person in the world wanted to be called “Citizen One”. Citizen One was immediately whisked away into a group of reporters and began to amaze them with information about an experience that although it was only an hour seemed like an entirely different lifetime. Not only had a new mode of transportation been discovered but it seemed also another world.

Citizen One refused to answer many direct questions or elaborate about the other life and world experienced over that hour. The more questions the reporters asked the more distracted Citizen One became… Eventually, someone else suggested that maybe Citizen One should be allowed to rest before they tried to get any further information.

Before the reporters could get to Citizen One again government agents were seen going into the hotel. Meanwhile, everyone was discussing Citizen One and the doorways worldwide. The main topic of the discussions was who if anyone else besides Citizen One would try to also go through a doorway. Many were scared and said they wouldn’t. Others said if the doorways weren’t now being cordoned off by government agencies they’d have already tried to go through one if they could open a lock.

Citizens were given constant advisories to wait until additional information could be obtained before trying to utilize a door. The government agents seemed otherwise dazed too refusing to comment as the press inundated them with questions when they left.

Citizen One was scheduled for a press conference. However, prior to that the national government would be making a statement regarding the matter in response to a new development! ALL the doors had opened on their own and any citizen who looked into one from either side was suddenly frozen in an almost trancelike state! Many were weeping and trying to get past the police barricades to get to and through a door. Others just stood staring in disbelief at what they saw.

Citizen One would only say the combination to open the door was based on numbers specifically special from life. Then to think of the most incredible fantasy they could conceive and that is what the experience had been. A collective smile spread across humanity’s face as each person heard that and experienced the happiness of just the thought of that possible experience compared to their current reality.

Citizen One seemed almost unable to articulate enough about the amazing experience itself almost in a state of seeming disbelief too. The governments worldwide had intensified their restrictions of doorway access so they couldn’t be seen into at all. Occasionally, they could pull someone away from just staring into the doorway and they’d have a similar description of and reaction to just viewing into it.

Suddenly, when the world thought the situation could be no more interesting a being wanting to be known as Citizen Two of physical appearance the news reports were unable to even describe was seen walking out of a doorway. None of the video cameras could withstand the intensity of the light of attempting to record it’s image.