A Very Bad Dream with Golden Doors and A Whisper

Cheryl is dreaming.

In her dream, she wears a white frilly dress, like a princess. She is standing in the hallway of a castle. There is a long red carpet on the golden floor, and beautiful candles are lit on the sides of the golden wall. As she walks forward, a strange feeling comes closer and closer. She doesn't need to turn around and see what's behind her because she can already feel the presence of a mysterious figure radiating a scary feeling, getting even more real every second. The hallway becomes darker. And darker. And darker.

She runs away as fast as she can.

She finally finds the end of the hallway, a great big golden door stands there, all mighty. She opens the door--it is surprisingly an easy task. She quickly gets inside the room and closes the door.

She immediately regrets it, because now she can't see anything. It is dark, very dark. There is not a single light. She is very afraid. She wants to go home. She wants to go back to her Mama and her Papa. She wants them to tell her that everything is fine in the world.

"You, child," there is a whisper. It sounds breathy. Cheryl gasps out of surprise. "Why are you here?"

Cheryl does not answer the whisper's question. She can't. She is too shocked and afraid to remember how to open her mouth.

"Why are you here, little girl?" The whisper asks again, this time it sounds more caring.

Cheryl starts to get control over her body again. She answers the whisper, "I do not know."

"You do not know?" The whisper chuckles. It is becoming to sound like an old woman's voice. "My, my, I am sure you are here for a reason. Are you dreaming?"

"I do not know," answers Cheryl again, "perhaps I am."

"Well, then, child, we both know you must wake up," says the whisper.

All of a sudden, three golden doors appear in front of Cheryl. The three doors are floating in the air. She still cannot see anything, as the room is still very dark. Only the faint lights emerging from the doors illuminate the environment.

"Pick a door," says the whisper, "in one of those doors, is how you wake up."

"Which one is it?" asks Cheryl.

"I must not tell you, you have to choose it for yourself," answers the whisper. "You only have one chance. Which one do you pick?"

Cheryl hesitates. She doesn't know which door is her way back to consciousness. She really wants to wake up and feel all right. Everything in this dream is not right. She doesn't like it. "That is not fair, now is it? What happens to me if I choose the wrong door?"

Suddenly, there is a very loud, evil laugh in the air. Cheryl feels very scared. Somehow she knows that the one laughing is the same person who has been talking to her--the whisper. It has become a very loud, scary voice of an arrogant old man. "Fair? Life is never fair! You don't always know which option is the best for you, you just have to take a wild guess. If you choose the wrong option, you will get consequences. In this case, you can never wake up!"

Cheryl feels very angry. This is a very stupid dream. Come on, now, she just wants to wake up! "That one!" She says, pointing to the door on the right. "I choose that door."

There is a very brief silence after she answers, only lasting a few seconds. Then there comes a chuckle. "Very well," this time it is the whisper again, "open the door and see for yourself."

Cheryl tells herself that everything is going to be okay. She will open the door, and she will wake up, and her Mama and Papa will be there, they will hug her, they will tell her that everything is all right. Because everything is always all right. Nothing is wrong in the world. Nothing can be wrong. They promised her that.

She slowly walks to the door. She cannot see the floors, but she keeps on walking towards the door on the very right. She has to go there. She has to wake up.

After three more steps, she is standing in front of the door. She grabs the door hold with her right hand. "Everything is going to be okay," she whispers to herself, "I am going to wake up and everything will be all right."

She slowly turns the hold, and quickly opens it.

And then she disappears.