The Door was not large. It was not ornate. It was not unordinary. The only interesting thing about the Door was its handle. It had an old Victorian-style handle that curved where it was pulled. The keyhole belonged to an equally interesting Key, but the Key was hidden away.
A Family lived in the house. It was a nice Family, with a Man and a Woman and a Girl and a Boy. They lived an ordinary life. There was only one Rule in the house, and it was posted in plain letters next to the Door: DO NOT OPEN
The Family never questioned the Rule. The Door always remained closed, and that was that.
“Why must we never open the Door?” the Girl one day asked the Man.
“Because,” he answered, “the Door must remain closed.”
The Family was happy in the house. They always had enough to eat and they were never plagued by sickness. They couldn’t have wanted more.
One day, the Boy was wandering near the Door and he stopped in front of it, staring. The Girl came next to him and asked, “What are you doing?”
Instead of answering, he responded with a question. “What do you suppose is lurking behind the Door?”
“Why do you think there is something there?”
“Because,” he reassured, “doors are meant to keep things in.”
Later, the Girl approached the Woman. “What lies behind the Door?” she asked.
“Why, my darling, there’s nothing behind the Door. It’s there to keep us out.”
“Why would we be kept out?” asked the Girl.
“Because,” replied the Woman, “doors are meant to keep people out.”
Later, the Girl came to the Man and asked him, “Why is the Door keeping us out?”
He responded, “The Door must not be opened.” And that was that.
Days passed by, and with each passing hour, the Boy became more and more concerned with the Door. Whenever the Girl saw him staring absently by it, she would quietly say, “The Door cannot open.” She never received a response.
Once, she witnessed the Boy stepping forth and touching the wood of the Door. “You shouldn’t do that,” she said fearfully.
“Why not? After all, we mustn’t open the Door, but it’s perfectly fine if we touch it.”
Not knowing what to say, the Girl walked away and left the Boy to his thoughts.
“Are we able to touch the Door?” the Girl asked the Woman one day.
“Why of course we’re able to, dear,” replied the Woman. “Our living hands can touch the material wood of the Door.”
More time passed, and as every day came to a close, the Boy grew more and more interested in the Door. Not a day went by that he wasn’t found enthralled by the Door. The Girl couldn’t understand what he found so wonderful about it. It was only a Door.
“There could be something terrible behind it,” he said. “Big claws and gnashing teeth and red eyes.”
That frightened the Girl. She told the Woman about it.
“Don’t worry, sweet,” said the Woman. “The Door more likely has something exquisite behind it. That’s why we can’t open it.”
Feeling even more confused, the Girl asked the Man. However, he simply replied, “The Door must never open. It must stay closed at all costs.” That should have been that, but the Girl was growing frustrated. She wanted to know the Truth.
“Where is the Key to the Door?”
The Man grew very angry and said, “The Door will stay closed.”
The Girl began to wonder if the Boy and the Woman were right. Something must be behind the Door. Why else would it be there? But the Rule said DO NOT OPEN. And the Rule must be obeyed.
Not too long later, the Girl noticed the Woman sitting in her rocking chair, glancing over at the Door every now and then. The Boy was in his usual place.
“I wonder what lies behind the Door?” said the Boy in quite his usual way.
“We shall never know for sure,” sighed the Woman.
The Girl left, wondering why they cared.
Days later, the Girl timidly approached the Man, almost too afraid to talk to him. “Don’t you wonder what’s beyond the Door? Why can’t we open it?”
Eyes wide, he answered. “The Rule says we cannot open the Door.”
“But where is the Key?” she persisted.
“The Door must never open!” he yelled.
She ran away, very afraid.
The Man knew something. He must. Why else wouldn’t he answer her questions? He knew where the Key was. Of this she was sure.
She found the Woman and the Boy sitting together, talking quietly. They looked up when she was near.
“The Man knows the whereabouts of the Key. We must reach it. If we cannot open the Door, let us at least hold the Key. Maybe we will find the Truth.”
“But the Rule says we must not open the Door,” said the Girl weakly.
“Silly Girl,” snapped the Woman, “we are not trying to open the Door, we simply want to hold the Key.”
The Girl did not know what to think. She didn’t know if they were right to want the Key, yet the Rule did only say not to open the Door… perhaps they could find out what was behind the Door without ever breaking the Rule. If only they had the Key…
More time passed. The Woman and the Boy both spent all their days pining for knowledge of what lay beyond the Door.
Finally, the Girl could stand no more. She was going to find the Key.
The Girl had never thought about finding the Key before. She didn’t even know where to look. However, as soon as she thought this, she knew exactly where she would find it.
The Box.
The Box’s contents were unknown to her. She had never wondered about them before now. But she knew the Key was there. She wondered what other things were hidden from her.
She approached the Box. Quietly, so she didn’t awaken sleeping guardians, she lifted the lid.
Nothing happened.
She grasped the Key and pulled her hand away.
Still nothing happened.
She tiptoed (without really knowing why) away from the Box. She felt triumphant. It must be fine to examine the Key, for nothing had happened. She wasn’t breaking the Rule, either.
The Girl began to wonder if she knew the Truth. What was behind the door? Suddenly, she didn’t want to give the Key to the Woman and the Boy. They would forgive her if she found out for them.
They were right. The Man had been hiding the Truth from them. And she held it in her hand.
She could open the door.
The Girl approached the Door. It was as normal as ever. She inserted the Key into the Lock.
The Rule was there: DO NOT OPEN
She turned the Key.
Suddenly, the Girl was afraid. She thought of the Monster that the Boy had described. What was behind the Door? She remembered the Wonderful Place. She was very afraid.
The Key clicked. She pushed gently.
The Door opened.