you find yourself in a room that seems all too big. its walls begin to melt, threatening to swallow you whole. the lights pulse ever so slightly (just enough to drive one mad). below your worn soles sits a dingy, black and white, diamond pattern floor that bends and sways with every shaky inhale. you hear muffled voices through the walls that you now register are lavishly sprinkled with identical doors. the room you inhabit doesn’t necessarily feel safe, but you have a premonition that whatever lies beyond those doors won’t fill you with warm and fuzzy feelings either.
despite the room’s impending demise, you hesitantly inch toward one of the uniform portals and twist its icy, metallic knob. watching the room you narrowly escaped contract and collapse in on itself; you feel an acute chill run down your spine. whatever occupies this room, is radiating a sinister energy. though afraid to perceive such a thing, you free your feet from the thick, ooze and pivot gingerly. your pupils dilate as they’re met with abysmal darkness. you stretch your hand out in front of you, bringing it closer and closer to your face until you feel the back of your clammy hand resting on the tip of your nose.
you can’t see anything.
you begin to take measured steps forward, hoping to bump into a wall and not an entity. your outstretched hand makes contact with what feels like rabbit fur; a sensory experience that would normally put one at ease. you begin to pat the surface, in an attempt to gauge its shape and size. luckily, this carpeted “wall” doesn’t seem to be breathing. after a small eternity, you find a discrepancy in the pelt - a miniscule patch that’s wiry and long, like boar’s hair. you push on it and stumble forward as the ground beneath you begins to shift.
falling
falling
falling
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.
.
you appear in a space that seems like an uncanny replica of the room you began in, only the walls aren’t melting - yet. though the room poses no imminent threat, you resolve to proceed, as the chill that visited your spine in the previous room never left. you choose a door at random and twist the knob with assertion. “the only way out, is through.”, you tell yourself.
your ears are then assaulted with an overwhelming cacophony of discordant sound waves. you instinctively crumple to the ground, with your hands over your ears, willing it to stop. you wish you could return to the “safe” room, but the moment you open a door, the wall it once occupied vanishes without a trace. with your hands still firmly exerting pressure on your ears, you dare to open your eyes and survey the room. its walls are an off-putting, not-quite-white. you seem to be the only occupant of this room - its surfaces reflectively pristine. you catch a glimpse of your troubled image on the floor and feel pity for yourself.
though you perceive nothing of the sort, you can’t shake the feeling that you’re being chased. as you raise your head, you notice: a single door has appeared on the other side of the room. fearing that your ears might bleed the second you remove your hands, you army crawl toward what you hope is an exit. your desire to escape outweighs your concern for the future of your hearing as you reach for and turn the knob expeditiously.
you enter a dimly lit room, piled high with what appears to be moving boxes. in the shadows, your eyes barely make out a vague figure as it scuttles from the cover of one box, to the next. it breathes heavily, as if it’s been at this for days. you assume the exit is behind a few boxes, so you begin to make your way towards a wall. the creature is now at your feet. it looks up at you. it’s your beloved cat! something is right in this maze of fears after all! you pick her up and plant many, many kisses upon her tiny noggin.
though she doesn’t typically appreciate being held for a long period of time, she seems relieved by this arrangement. she snuggles up in your arms, her purring offering you brief solace in this nightmarish scape. you’re flooded with a desire to protect her.
there can’t be that many more doors, can there?
you finally find an exit behind a mountain of boxes. you’re able to squeeze past and open the door just enough to slip through, cat in tow. your stomach drops as you realize you’re now teetering off the edge of a large beam, more than eight-hundred feet in the air. your cat clings to you as you make a concerted effort to arrive at safety. you walk the beam with absolute precision, praying that you can make it safely to the other side. despite the wind and lack of stability, you make it, and land on a rooftop -another respite.
you catch your breath and approach the access door. you turn the knob and you’re met with an opulent ballroom that seems to also double as a bowling alley? confused but somewhat relieved, you walk towards what looks like an entryway (which could also be an exit), only to realize, you’re not alone. a pack of indiscernible assailants is barreling towards you at an egregious rate. you run as fast as your feet will carry you towards the other end of the room (as they are unfortunately blocking the exit).
you open another portal, trip on the threshold and tumble to the ground, using your arms as a shield to protect your dependent friend. your ears are met with maniacal laughter as you look up and realize you’re surrounded by clowns! you jump to your feet and make a beeline for the exit as they grasp at you with their polyester gloves. your cat helps by growling and hissing at your comically over-saturated aggressors.
you stumble into the next room and beeline for the door once more, as it contains animate, victorian-era glass dolls. they march toward you with adamantine, blood red stares.
you escape and find yourself in an empty room.
no noises, no smells, no feelings, nothing.
it’s eerily aseptic.
your cat nuzzles her head beneath your chin. you see a single door on the opposite end of the room and walk toward it, hoping for closure. you open it and are initially blinded by bright sunbeams. you register the green grass and windflowers swaying in the wind. in the not-too-far distance, your house rests against the backdrop of a cloudless sky as you long for all of this to be real. you walk through the field, inhaling the sweet country air and feeling the flowers tickle your knees. you arrive safely to your front porch and turn the knob, praying that the inside will reflect the outside.
your cat jumps out of your arms and claims her spot on her throne (the back of the couch). you sit next to her, struggling to relax your shoulders. your other cat finds you and curls up on your lap. all seems to be well.
though, you could’ve sworn that the wii was red…
the sauce:
this piece of fiction is “inspired by” my nightmare and not a canon, written account of said nightmare, due to the fact that 1) creative embellishment is fun and 2) in the actual dream, I never escaped the maze and also my cat literally exploded in my arms soo yeah:) (don’t worry. my cats are both fine. they did not ‘splode irl.)
but I hope you enjoyed this revised retelling!
thank you so much for your support as I dabble in this new genre! <3
~ mj
it was such a lovely listen!! what was the song that was playing in the background? i think i recognise it but i just cannot put my finger on it right now
Glad your cats are safe 🙏