?Coughing and hacking like an old crock, I stopped to catch my breath. I sat back on an old chair and looked around the basement, taking stock of what I’d sorted out- not much, and what was still left to go through- way too much.
I grabbed my waterbottle and glugged a few mouthfuls of water, eyeing a large stack of boxes against the far wall. Right, that’s next. I put down the bottle, stood up and stretched tall to the ceiling- I could nearly reach it since it was lower than the other ceilings upstairs.
I marched over to the pile of boxes, stepping carefully around piles of books and dusty furniture.
Why did I think it would be so exciting to buy this old deceased estate? “Mysteries from times past!” Really? Whatwill I ever do with all this junk?
No one answered of course. I reached for the top box first, and pulled it down to the floor so I could open it up. Oh, my gosh, it’s so heavy. Tugging it hard, I dragged it out and it toppled to the floor, ornaments and papers spilling out of the top. Jumping back out of the way, I nearly toppled over too, but saved myself against an old wardrobe.
Coughing in all the dust- why aren’t I wearing a mask,idiot– I looked up at the pile while the dust settled. Light caught against the edge of something I hadn’t noticed before. I stepped over the mess on the floor, and looked closer. Adoor.
That’s weird. How bizaare how bizarre! I did a little jiggle of excitement.
Shoving the rest of the boxes aside- they could wait for another day- I marvelled at the door. It went all the way to ceiling, no doorframe like all the other doors in the place. There were carvings on it- flowers and leaves, the sun on one side at the top, and the moon opposite. Reaching up, my fingers trailed over the carvings and I could sense the chisel marks on the wood. I reached the door handle- a massive curled lever, and made to grab it. My fingers tingled as they closed around the handle and I found myself being pulled into the door- the closed door. I screamed.
In panic, I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath. Tiny scratches tickled and pressed on my bare arms and legs, then stopped abruptly as I fell forward and landed on my hands and knees. Goose bumps sprang up on my arms from the cool damp air.
I peered around. It was dark with a musty smell of gloom. Moisture was heavy on the air making it if feel dank and clammy. I shivered and ran my hands over my arms, as I looked around. I was in a forest!
Well that makes no sense. Maybe I knocked myself out when I fell over pulling that box down?
Turning to look behind me, I was completely alone- no door, no house, no boxes.
What the hell?
The ground started to vibrate, just a little. I wasn’t even sure it really was shaking, until I started to feel it shaking up through my sneakers and rattling my teeth. Sudden panic ripped through my gut and I spun around, looking for the door.
Maybe I’d rolled away when I landed. It’s got to be here somewhere.
I ran over to the trees at the edge of the clearing andpeered into the dense bushes.
Oh, those thorns are huge- I definitely didn’t come through that.
I looked at my arms, there were no scratches and definitely no blood.
I quickly searched around the clearing, scrabbling around the edges of the forest, and found nothing but dense trees and thornbushes. I got back to where I’d started and looked behind me again.
Oh, those trees aren’t as close as all the others. And those bushes have flowers not thorns. What are those flashes of light?
The vibrations were shaking my whole body now. And a deafening roar pounded at my ears. I threw my hands up over my ears and spun around to look back at the forest.
Panic was starting to overrun my whole body and I could see why. A wall of Christmas Beetles was advancing towards me. Millions of little beetle feet pounding the ground, and millions more beetle wings hammering the air. Sunlight flashed multi-coloured beams of iridescence from their wings.
How did they get so close so fast?
I could see their little beetly feelers and my skin crawled with abhorrence.
It was my worst nightmare- Christmas beetles clawing in my hair, their prickly little feet on my skin and getting all tangled in my hair. The childhood memory that flashed into my mind. I screamed and ran towards the trees with the flowers.
A door appeared in front of me and I reached out to grab the handle. My scream abruptly cut off as I was pulled back through the wood and I felt my empty lungs about to burst. Everything went black.
My eyes opened to the calm dusty stillness of my basement. I was lying on the floor next to the spilled box. I sat up, feeling a bit dazed. A small black beetle scuttled over my leg and I screamed, the nightmare coming back with horror.
I jumped to my feet and stepped cautiously over the boxes to look at the wall. No door, just a wall. I shivered.
So creepy. I must have knocked myself out.
I combed my fingers through my hair and found the sore spot on the back of my head. A drop of blood smeared my finger.
Shit. That’s it for today. Definitely time to pack it in.
I climbed the stairs to the basement door, and turned to look back at my very own shop of horrors.
I locked the door behind me, dropped the key into a dish of bits and bobs, and vowed to never clean up down there ever again