+ • DOORS • + The Series

+ 👁 C H A P T E R : ? ? ? 👁 +

|     R O O M      F O R T Y      N I N E     |

A shadow, tall and mysterious, stood hunched over a closet.

"I swear I saw somethin' in there. It was shakin' the closet, I mean it." he said, before giving the closet an agitated poke.

"Do you think it's some sort of closet-monster?" came a voice from the window, before a goofy, inhuman face appeared from behind it. "Maybe it eats humans like that last one did. What was their name again, Chomper or something? Too bad they got 'exorcised' or whatever they call it nowadays."

"Those damned crosses," huffed the shadow. "Don't worry, closet-entity, we're not gonna do anythin'."

The closet started to shake again. 

"See? There it goes again!" he gripped the handles and then flung open the closet doors with a flourish. Nothing was there. The entity at the window cackled and its face almost hit the window from laughing. "I don't think it likes you, Shadow!" Shadow, if he had a face, would have been giving the entity an evil stare. "Fine Window, you show me how it's done then-- oh wait, you can't," said Shadow, snorting. Window frowned and she tapped on the glass. "Can you try and talk to it again?"

Shadow nodded vaguely and opened the closet door just a crack. "Hello?"

"Dad..?"

"There's someone in there!" Shadow cried, before turning to Window, who nodded and pressed her face on the glass as much as she could. Shadow bent down and crouched before the closet. "Hey kid, you must be new here."

"Dad! Where is Dad?" The closet cried, doors shaking on the hinges. Shadow grabbed the closet by the sides and tried to calm it down. "He's not here, okay kid? You're one of us now."

Window smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry love, we'll get you to the others soon enough. You'll learn." The closet doors shut. "But I don't wanna learn. Where is Dad?"

Shadow and Window shared a look. 

"Nowhere," said Shadow. "He's coming... probably." 

Window inspected the closet and shifted to another window. "What do you look like, love? Are you just really small?" The closet doors flapped around, and then the tiny voice came again. "I don't know. I think I am the closet."

"How about we name you?" Shadow asked gruffly. "I dunno what to name her though, maybe Closet or somethin'?"

"No, no," Window retorted forcefully, poking the glass. "We should let her decide."

The entities waited for a response, and then the closet started to shift around. "I think I want to be called Hide." said the closet.

"See? Much better." Window said proudly. "Do you think you could carry the closet with us, Shadow?"

And so they continued through the Hotel, Shadow lugging the Closet behind him, and Window appearing in windows along the way.

"Now, first," Window said, "We have to tell you what you're doing here..."

                                                                            -+-

And now, a short message from the Guiding Light.

How wholesome.