The Lure of the Unknown

"There was only one rule: don’t open the door."

Elie and Electra stood before the old car, hoping the key from their grandmother's sealed box would work. The car had been there forever. The key, a silvery scratched object, was small and insignificant.

The car's surface was scratched in places with strange symbols that seemed to pulse at times, almost hovering.

Ellie felt brave and imagined they were already arriving at the reunion in their burgundy costumes, with masks of their own making. What an amazing sight this would be! Florian was sure to notice her at last.

She heard the voice again and shuddered. "Don't open the door!" This was not her grandmother's voice, but that of a young girl, frightened and lost, echoing from the depths. The depths of what?

Ignoring the chill creeping down her spine, she reached for the tarnished handle. The paint on the door was chipped in many places, and it was cold to touch, almost like a gravestone.

She took a deep breath and turned the key. The pin stuck, and the door swung open with a heavy groan and a deep squeak. A thick fog poured out of the inside of the car, whispers calling her to get closer, to climb in.

Suddenly, Electra murmured to the engine: "It's alive! It's working, Ellie!"

The engine was roaring somehow, without gasoline in. There was no key in the ignition. What was going on?

The whispers inside grew louder, transforming into anguished cries. Ellie and Electra looked at each other. This was not a common car, it was not even a magical world, but a prison for lost souls.

They were suddenly sucked in and the door smashed shut.

And there was no way back.