Oculus

There it was... The portal to who knows where. What will be found? The "Eye" was calling, just like he said it would. I couldn't resist. It was as if I had been destined to be here. In this spot. At this very moment. But where will it take me? I reach out my hand just for a split second to see what would happen and if this was all truly real. I guess I shouldn't have because what came next, was the beginning... of the end.

2 years ago I met a man at the train station while I was going out of town in business. He wasn't much to look at, a surely, short stump of a man with a hunched back like he had been working since birth, and a head full of curly grey hair. His eyes were a bit sunken in and even though they were blue, they were as deep as the darkest parts of the ocean. We talked for a good bit. He spoke about his family whom he's been missing for years since he came to this "great land" as he called it. I chuckled a bit having been born and raised in the good ole' U.S., it hasn't been so "good" to me and my people one bit. But that's another story. As his train arrived, we said our farewells and he slowly got up to depart. It wasn't until a short while later I looked to my left where he had been sitting, and saw that he left a little black book. "Oh no!" I thought as I gazed upon this beat up and what appeared to be an address book of some sort. I hurried to try and catch him but I didn't make it as the train slowly started disappearing down the tunnel. "No worries" I thought to myself. Not fully intending to snoop, I figured I would at least have to look in it a bit to find someone that could reach out to him for me to be able to return the book. At least that's what I thought I would find...

Once I opened the book, oddly at the very top was my name and address however, it was an address I hadn't lived at since childhood. It also had the coordinates to what appeared to be a treasure in the backyard. Curious, I decided to forego my trip and go back to the old house which had since been abandoned so I knew no one would mind me being there. It took a little time for me to find the spot as it had started to get dark by the time I reached the house and the backyard was so overgrown. It was as if I was on an excursion in a uncharted land. "YES!" I shouted, then quickly lowered my voice as to not disturb the neighbors, remembering that this was not an imaginary excursion but reality. I found a little shoebox buried just beneath the surface and quickly opened it and what a surprise! Inside the box was $20,000 and a note that gave nothing more than a name and another address. Surely I thought this had to be his name and address so I decided in the morning, I would be a good Samaritan and take everything to him and hopefully he would give me a reward.. I mean, it's $20,000 I'm giving back right?!

The next day I awoke still excited about the fun journey I had yesterday and how hopefully, with the reward, I could in the LEAST pay my phone bill and go to my favorite diner for lunch. Such is the small joys we take for granted in life. Nevertheless, on my way I went! Fortunately, the address was only 3 blocks away from where I lived now so, since it was such a nice day, I decided I was overdue for some exercise and decided to hoof it. 3423 Lumber Way was the address, simple enough I thought. Once on Lumber Way I slowly walked down the street looking at every address. "3422, 3424, 3426" on one side I muttered to myself. "3421, 3425, 3427...wait what?". I walked up and down 3 times and each time, there was NO 3423 but how could this be? Frustrated now and almost ready to give up, i decided i would take just one more look. I haven't had breakfast and this $20,000 was starting to look better and better as a "finders keepers" moment. I mean, I tried right? Just as I crossed the street from even to odd, I noticed a little blue house that I hadn't seen before. "I must really be hungry to miss a whole house 3 times" I thought to myself. Nevertheless, there it stood plain as white rice.

As I walked up the steps, a strange red light caught my eye coming from the front window. The porch was not the sturdiest and the decor was atrocious in my opinion but I didn't have to live there so I didn't care much. This was starting to get very tiresome and I just wanted it over with. The front door was big and brown with the word "OCULUS" scratched in it under the God awful door knocker. Before I could even knock, a little tiny woman opens the door and with such excitement yells "You made it! Praise Larkis!" "Please come in, he is waiting for you" she says with such conviction. "Uumm... alright sure.." I stuttered and walked slowly into what appeared to be some type of hallway with many doors. She lead me to the third door and told me Calat would be with me soon. I gave a quick sigh of relief as I did remember hearing the man mention that name and I thought then that it was an odd name. So in the least, I knew I'd found the right person. After all, how many Calats could there be in Philadelphia?

The door opened to an empty pale pink room with a single chair. "Have a seat, have a seat!" She said as she turned and hurried out the room. "Click Clack" is all I heard shortly after. "OH no! I'm locked in! This is so creepy!" Is the only thing I could think of and all I wanted to do was GET OUT of here! Forget the money and to HELL with Calat or whoever! "Hey! Let me OUT!" I yelled. No answer. Just my luck. 2 days before my 21st birthday and THIS is how it ends. In an ugly blue house, in a pale pink room, with little red Riding-hood’s wolf grandmother. "Uuuggghh" I thought. Just as I was about to scream bloody Mary and kick the door, a portal appeared out of thin air. At first glance, I thought my hunger mixed with fear had developed into hallucinations and I fell back on the chair and closed my eyes to regroup. "This CAN'T be real" I thought to myself. "Wake up NOW!" I yelled before i opened my eyes slowly... Nope! Still here and it's still there.

Although I had somehow entered into what seemed to be the twilight zone, after a few minutes, a deep warm calming feeling came over me. It was the strangest thing. Almost like that feeling you get when you had a bad day at school but the you come home to freshly baked chocolate chip cookies your mom made. Then that first warm gooey bite just melts in your mouth and the heat and chocolatey goodness goes straight to your brain and cheeks. "Come here my child" a low high pitched voice said calmly. "You are needed here and you are wanted here" the voice says. I couldn't tell if it was my curiosity beckoning me closer to the portal, or if it's gentle magnetic pull was drawing me closer. Either way, I just couldn't break away. Suddenly a gleaming yellow light streamed through. It was so bright, I turned away quickly as it broke the slight spell I had been under. As I turned however, I noticed the light seemingly illuminated some writing on the far left wall in the middle if the wall. “The day is dark, and the night is new. Who you think you are, you barely knew. The time is now, yesterday is here. The things you love, you really should fear.”

My feet went numb and my eyes swelled with tears. My grandmother used to say that VERY riddle every time I thought I was “in love” with someone. I would laugh because EVERY time I was always sure that they were “the one” and of course, I’d be wrong. She would tell me I need to invest more time in me and TRULY get to “know” myself and whom I really am. I just though she was old and crazy but I loved her more than life itself just the same. Underneath the writing was the word “OCULUS” again. Trying to get my brain to work in such a hungry state had never been harder than in this very moment as I struggled to understand why this was all happening. Why to me? What does it all mean and what did this have to do with who I am? Riddled with guilt because the last chance I could’ve had to spend with my grandmother, I had decided to go in to work that day instead. Also dying from what felt like my body slowly eating itself from the inside out , I wished I had more time with her to know what she really meant and how it may have helped me in this very moment. It also dawned on me once again that I was still trapped in this tiny little house of horrors with a stubborn little lady that refuses to unlock the door. With everything going on, I had failed to realize there was a small window nearing the top of the right corner wall. I’ve never been the skinniest person in any room, but judging by the size and height of the window from where I stood, I was pretty sure I could fit threw it if I had enough leverage to boost me up. I quickly grabbed the chair (especially since it was the only thing in the room anyways) and stood atop of it. “Woohoo!” I shouted because It had lifted me just tall enough that I could reach it and see out of it. Not certain about how far the drop would be, I stood on the tip of my toes to gain a better evaluation of my circumstances. As I reached myself up and gazed out of the window and to my surprise it was NOTHING that I remembered seeing in the way into this house. “Well Dorothy, you aren’t in Kansas anymore..” I grunted to myself. I swear, if it wasn’t for bad luck, I probably would have no luck at all. All I could see out of the window were trees and what looked like a field of lilies. Not really caring about WHAT was outside, I just knew it had to be better than this and wanted out now! I lifted the little flap of the window and just then it was as if the wind had been knocked right out of me and I fell backwards off of the chair. As I gathered myself, the same warm feeling I felt before, beckoned me once more. I couldn’t resist all over again and drew closer to the portal.

It was as if I had been destined to be here. In this spot. At this very moment. I couldn't stop my curiosity. The "Eye" was calling me. I reach out my hand just for a split second to see what would happen and if this was all truly real. I guess I shouldn't have because what came next, was the beginning... of the end.