The nightmare in the dream

The elevator’s door stopped at level 22 because during their fight, the cleaning lady pressed all the buttons with her arm. As the door was sliding to open, she pushed her out and she fell on her knees. In that moment, she felt confused and had no time to react as she would promptly do so in normal situations. But this was no normal situation.

This was premeditated and she understood in that second when she had seen herself out of the elevator, hearing in the background both the level 22’s sounds and the elevator closing its door, that she was thrown out on purpose.

She was bruised and during their elevator fight she had dropped her bag with everything inside and, obviously, it remained in the elevator. She had nothing but whatever was on her mind and in her mind: her knowledge, her wits and adaptability skills.

2 men dressed as security guards holding some papers in their hands approached her quickly.

“Ma’am, are you seeking refuge?” they asked her trying to help her stand up.

“I… don’t understand, what… how am I here?” she whispered as her heart was jumping up and down while standing up at the sight that she was now looking at.

“What kind of building is this?” she asked in total mesmerise. The place where the elevator door opened up was more like a door to “wonderland”. It was like an Instagram photo where peace and harmony and colours resided.

A mountain was on her left and there was snow on top of it. The mountain was far away but looked so big, which meant that it was even bigger if you would drive to it. Many different birds were chirping and singing in the trees that she just spotted everywhere she looked. They were blooming and the sight was just spectacular. It seemed like a big garden of different colours of roses as there were paths made that you could walk by and all of a sudden, she felt like in a dream.

“This is no ordinary building” she found herself thinking out loud.

The guards looked her up and down and said:

“This is no building. This is our world. Are you seeking refuge?” the guards continued to ask with kindness and patience.

“I think I am dreaming”, Alice said and covered her eyes briefly trying to see the building walls through all the natural infrastructure that was there and lost her balance and fell on her knees again.

“2 falls in a row ma’am, are you seeking refuge?” the question kept being asked.

“What do you mean refuge?”, she asked while she tried to check the elevator door button.

“You have stopped at Level 22, Universal World Level 22, ma’am and ...”

She interrupted their speech at the sight of the elevator’s disappearance:

“I … I have to… I want to go home! Let me go back, I have to go back home!”, she started crying and begging the guards in desperation as she realised and deeply sensed there was no way back.

The guards called the Ambulance fearing her panic may consume her.

**************************************

“I don’t think this is the right thing to do, Mrs. Galloway. I cannot do this.” Alice swiftly whispered.

“Well, it’s not much you can refuse, Alice! It’s part of the contract that you signed and you work for me. You will call up those potential buyers and tell them what they want to hear. I don’t want to hear anything else coming from your mouth by the time I return than a Yes, all sorted as per your request. Is that clear?” Mrs. Galloway firmly explained to Alice as she was coming towards her with her signed contract. Like an irrefutable proof that she could not slide away.

"Wake up! This is crucial to be done as I have taught you, can you comprehend once and for all?" Mrs. Galloway replied to Alice in a rather rude manner.

The contract, though, was altered and Alice knew that, but she could not say anything as that would mean losing her job and her reputation.

Alice felt Mrs. Galloway might be aware of this situation as well and she reacted so sound to make sure she would definitely “do the job” and get her more involved in the corruption spiral. That way she would get in so deep that there’d be no way out. And Alice wanted out. Mrs. Galloway knew that instinctively and could not approve it.

“Yes, that’s fine Mrs. Galloway, I will work on this for you. I am sorry, I am a bit overworked these days. I will probably get some days off next week if you don’t mind.” Alice respectfully responded back trying to calm the situation just until she could find her way back out. A way back out physically, and never coming back to it.

Mrs. Galloway seemed to sense this too. At that moment, the cleaning lady entered the room. Mrs. Galloway welcomed her in a very uncommon kind way which Alice found very suspicious but did not think much of it because in her mind the moment she would leave the building, she would be leaving too, for good. She just needed the time to clean her desk and get out all her compromising papers, which she started doing moments after Mrs. Galloway left the room.

“Do you mind if I organise the place while you are still working?” the cleaning lady asked.

“No problem.” Alice responded with no interest whatsoever. Her mind was occupied with all the data she needed to collect to craft her disappearance.

It seemed forever until Mrs. Galloway actually left the building. Alice kept watching from the window to see when she would get her car out of the parking lot and leave.

The cleaning lady was exiting the room and in that precise moment, Mrs. Galloway approached her car to go where she needed to go.

Alice said:

“Wait for me. I am leaving too. Hold the elevator.”

“Of course.” the cleaning lady smiled.

Alice jumped in the elevator happy to leave the place and never come back. Which was indeed so very true.

*******************************************

Alice woke up in a room where the walls were all transparent, like glass and the sight was a forest with a running water and a small pond where birds seemed to cool themselves as the air was hot.

The room’s air conditioning was off and Alice got up to turn it on but a nurse stopped her saying that it wasn’t working.

“Where am I and what happened please?” Alice tried to get some answers.

The nurse did not get to reply as the guards she met entered her room and asked her to leave them speak in private.

“What’s this all about?” Alice inquired slightly uncomfortable.

“Are you seeking refuge?” she heard once again from the mysterious guards.

Alice did not understand any of it but decided to just go along. She felt all of a sudden tired and had no idea what the time was. She knew she had to leave the premises of the building by the time Mrs. Galloway would return and that could have happened, which meant she might be in danger.

“And maybe that’s what this is all about”, Alice thought in silence.

“I am seeking refuge. Can you provide it?” she asked.

“Name, ma’am?” one of the guards inquired.

“Alice, like Alice in or Wonderland”, she joked around.

The guards ignored her remarks handing her the papers and leaving the room immediately after.

The papers were offering her a new identity that she could choose for her Level 22 World life and a 2 way passes to World 31 if she desired to do so at any point in her life. She was explained that all refugees are provided with a 2 way passes (which can last as long as she desired) back to the World Level she came from, in case she had any unfinished business without which she couldn't carry on to live on the current one.

Alice read everything carefully and followed the instructions she was given.

She was explained that the building she had her workplace on was actually the building of Life. The building held parts of all 100 Worlds that existed in the Universe and only selected ones manage to work in there which building can also be found in all 100 world levels. The elevator could take someone down or up depending on one’s life’s circumstances. Depending on one’s life choices, people could choose a different World Level to work on and try to upgrade to the next one.

But Alice did not choose this. She was thrown into it. She knew that for sure and wanted to know why. She was going to use her 2 passes to investigate what really happened because coming from World 31 to World 22 it’s no upgrade. It’s a downgrade.

************************

When she stepped out of the elevator, she felt comfortable again. She felt herself. But soon after the euphoria of coming back home, she met Mrs. Galloway on the hall out.

“Where have you been?” Mrs Galloway yelled at Alice grabbing her hand and trying to push her into the elevator.

“Stop! I am not coming with you! Leave me alone!” Alice screamed in fear.

All eyes in that space turned to them and Mrs. Galloway abandoned the hall in a hurry, leaving Alice a bit overwhelmed with the experience.

The cleaning lady spotted her and came to her rescue. But Alice was not paying attention as she was trying to make sure that Mrs. Galloway would not turn around and she managed to get herself distracted back into the elevator.

The cleaning lady was alone with Alice. Alice smiled and thanked her. Then she realised it.

Alice asked the cleaning lady to let her out.

“You are going to work, not out!” the cleaning lady explained.

“I am going out, let me out”, Alice abruptly pushed her and claimed her power back.

“You will go to work, as per your job description”, the cleaning lady continued as she was trying to push back Alice.

They started a fight in which the cleaning lady’s arm hit the elevator buttons and Alice glimpsed that the elevator door was going to open.

“Let. Me. GO. OUT. HOME”, Alice screamed as her hair was pulled and when the elevator door opened, the cleaning lady pushed her out.

Alice fell on her knees and felt confused. She tried to stand up but in a fraction of a second 2 guards holding some papers approached her with candid voice:

“Ma’am, are you seeking refuge?”

She looked up at the 2 men and in the horizon, she clearly could see a mountain with snow on top, but the mountain was far away which meant that if you got any closer, it would be a very big mountain.

“2 falls in a row, ma’am, are you seeking refuge?” the question kept being asked.