Neville Park pt. IV

After a few more left turns, I reached a marble wall with three identically unmarked doors.


I deliberated out loud:

'Surely only one of these doors leads to safety, the other two a path to some kind of doom I'm sure. But which one? There must be some clue. Any suggestions lying nearby? Nope. Maybe in something the red lady said? Let's see... intentions set in stone... no... get up on the pedestal... definitely not helpful... the colour red? Not numerically significant, but there are three letters in "red" and three doors here! Of course! But... the doors don't have numbers. Huh. Wait, maybe something in my pocket has the answer! Chocolates... flask of... bourbon?' *swig* 'Ughhh gawd... no answer there... what else... coupon for Star Burger... mints, only one left. One left? Left! That's it! I'll take the left door.'

With a deep exhale I pushed through the left door and expected the worst. Instead I was inside a marvelous dance hall, filled with people socializing and laughing. The door shut behind me and I turned around, seeing two identical doors beside the one I'd entered. All the guests of this dance hall were dressed in colourfully fabulous clothing: the ladies in long flowing formal gowns with jewelry and hair that sparkled under the high chandeliers, the men in sharp tuxedos with shoes as polished as marble. Several of them noticed my sudden presence and came over cheerfully with their drinks in hand.

'Hey welcome to the party! What's your name?'
'Coates.'
'Excellent! Won't you join us for a drink? The more the merrier!'
'Sure, um, but I'm afraid I'm underdressed.' I replied, my shabby jeans and wine stained sneakers powerfully out of place.
'Oh don't worry! We'll get you fixed up. Please! This way.'

They led me over towards a large punch bowl with a bunch of empty flute glasses beside it. A tall woman with a fro filled up a glass and handed to me, giving me a quick cheers before taking a large sip from her own drink. I nodded and looked this green drink over, its sweet smell very appealing. I was about to bring the brim to my lips when somebody knocked into me from behind, spilling most of the drink onto the floor.

'Oh my, sir I'm so sorry!' A klutzy man in a tuxedo apologized, patting me on the back. 'Let me get you another one. You'd think staying in one place would help my clumsiness but no, apparently!'

It was no big deal and a fresh glass was quickly in my hands. As I raised the glass again to my lips something shiny from the ground snagged my glance. It was the puddle on the floor where my first drink had fallen. That particular spot was transforming from crude concrete stone into flawless, polished green marble. I put the drink down on the table and spun around to the woman who had handed me the first drink, only to find her entire form frozen in the same kind of marble. Her expression was peaceful, blissful, natural. This was her true form. Movement was an illusion.

Several others around me had also frozen back into pristine statue form. I staggered away and nervously scanned the hall for another exit. The party-goers still capable of motion converged on me, pushing their green drinks towards my face. Many of them were changing into marble as they approached, and I backed away as quickly as I could. Glasses were breaking and liquid was flying and my ears were filled with screeching. To think how nice this party had been before I'd arrived.

I escaped through a silver door behind a red curtain and was back in the hedge maze. This time however, the ground was made of a smooth tile that shone in the invisible sunlight. There was the scent of reaching the end of this strange ordeal and so I pushed hard ahead. An occasional booby trap attempted to hinder my progress but were so badly designed and obvious that I assumed most of the funding around here had gone into the party. I climbed a series of twisting steps and entered a large enclosed crescent, the tiled path ending around an open sewer grate. The end of the road. I ran towards it but an arm grabbed my midsection and threw me to the ground.

'Leaving without saying goodbye? Not polite.'