Through the hobbit door

Chapter 1

"There was something special about this house. I'm not really sure what it is but we'd been renting it out for the past few months and sometimes things happened." I explain to Sicily. This was the first time she'd actually been here because she'd been studying abroad for the last few months. "What kind of things?" She asks looking around at our small group of girls sitting in the room. My roommate Lily and I exchange a look. It was difficult to explain. From the outside it probably looked like a bunch of coincidences but living in it things were strange. "Sometimes things move and sometimes disappear." Bronwen says hesitantly. She lived down the hall with Wade. "Things move?" Sicily asks skeptically. We all nod. "The doors lock on us. Even the ones without locks." Rana adds. She didn't live here but she'd spent enough time with us and slept over most weekends. She fully understood our plight. Sicily still looked unsure. I could tell she was trying to hid her scepticism probably not wanting to hurt our feelings but it was there I could see it. It was time to pull out the big guns. "We've also found things. Trinkets." I say reaching a small storage tub. I had intended to use it for important papers and stuff but those got added to a folder once I started collecting the trinkets. I popped off the lid and dumped the contents on floor. Decorative metal hair clips, small brooches and engraved rings spilled out.

Sicily runs her fingers over the trinkets. "Maybe these are from the previous renters?" She says logically. Wade shakes her head. "The last people to live here were all guys and the first day we moved in we looked for anything left behind and there was nothing." She says. Lily picks up a hair clip with a silver butterfly on it. "Besides we find them on the table and on top of the toilet lid. Places that don't make any sense if they were left behind by previous renters." She says twirling the clip between her fingers. Sicily's brow creases in thought. "So what do you think it is?" She asks. The room was quiet for a moment. None of us knew. I shrug and speak up. "In the beginning we thought it was a bunch coincidences. Things like lack of communication and an old home. But then we started talking and we'd put something in a place and all agree not to touch it. The thing would still move. It's almost like..." I pause for a moment and my friends all look at me. They all knew what I was about to say. None of us had said it out loud yet though because that would make it too real. "It's like this house is haunted." I finish. There were no gasps or astonished looks. We'd all known it was going to be said eventually. "You think it's ghost, Corey?" Sicily asks. She looks a little shocked. I couldn't blame her though. The Corey she'd left was all about logic and proof. I nod. I felt crazy admitting it but what else could it be? "Well maybe some-" Sicily gets cut off by a loud knocking. "Someones at your door." Rana says. I was closest hence it's my job to answer. I sigh and bounce over to the door but when I open it there's no one there and the knocking continues.

I close the door and follow the noise. It was coming from the small storage door in the living room. We'd nicknamed it the hobbit door because that's the only sized person who could walk through it without crouching. "Guys." I say. Fear made it come out louder then I'd meant it to though. The little door started to rattle like someone was trying to get in. Wade's head pops out of my room worry painted across her face. "Corey what's wrong who's at the door?" She asks. I don't take my eyes off the little door. "Um,they're at the hobbit door." I say. "What that's-" Her words drift off as she follows my sight line. "Wade what's up?" I hear Rana call from inside my room. Wade doesn't answer and slowly comes farther into the living room. "Do you think it's an animal or something." She says. From the corner of my eye I could see the rest of my friends trickle in from my room. "Guys what's going on?" Bronwen asks. They all stop next to Wade and me.

The door gives one more violent shake and then bursts open. A golden light shines through the threshold blinding us for a small moment. When we could finally see there wasn't a storage closet behind the door anymore instead there was a silver path. "Do you guys see that?" I ask. "You mean the silver path and the sparkling sky?" Lily asks. "Good I'm not crazy." I say. "What do we do about it, Call the landlord?" Bronwen asks. I was sure it was a joke but I wasn't sure how to react. "I think we should go in." Lily says. There's determination and wonder in her voice. "You can go for sure but there's no way I'm going in there." Wade says looking at the door skeptically. I had this terrible feeling, if we split up then something horrible would happen. "We stay together. Whether we all go through the door or none of us." I say. Wade scoffs. "Who made you our leader?" She asks. I turn away from the door and look at Wade. No one had made me the leader but I was completely serious. I stare her down and her smile drops. "I don't care what choice we make. As long as we stay together." There wasn't a hint of humor or emotion in my voice. We held eye contact for a long moment and I could tell Wade wanted to challenge me. She wanted to disagree because she didn't like being told what to do but I wasn't giving up on this. I wouldn't back down. She huffs and looks away. She wasn't happy but she'd comply. I let the feeling drain from my being. I didn't have to be afraid.