MidReal Story

1

Anonymous

May 29

Scenario:1

Create my version of this story

The basement was dark and musty, with only a single bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling to illuminate it.

I’d been down here a few times already, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.

Michael and Sarah had both refused to come with me, claiming they were busy with their chess game, so I was on my own.

I knew they were probably right, but I was too curious to let it go.

I was sure there had to be something interesting down here, something that would explain the strange things we’d been seeing since we’d moved in.

I crept down the stairs as quietly as I could, not wanting to alert whatever—or whoever—was down here to my presence.

The door was at the far end of the room, behind a tall stack of boxes that had been left by the previous owners.

If it weren’t for that sliver of light peeking through at the bottom, I never would have noticed it at all.

It looked like it had been sealed shut for years, maybe even decades.

But when I tugged on it experimentally, I found that it wasn’t locked—it wasn’t even closed all the way.

My heart sank.

It felt like some kind of elaborate prank—like the builders had started building a secret passage and then just given up and left it unfinished.

But as I examined it more closely, I realized it was anything but ordinary.

The lock was a series of gears and levers that I’d never seen before, all interconnected in such a way that I couldn’t even begin to guess at how it worked.

I’d always had a knack for puzzles, and I found myself drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

I reached out to touch it, then hesitated.

Maybe it was booby-trapped or something.

I glanced around nervously, but everything seemed perfectly normal.

In the end, my curiosity got the better of me and I reached out again.

I turned the gears experimentally, trying to get a sense of how they were supposed to fit together.

There was no way I’d be able to open it without the key—it was too complicated for that—but I hoped that by looking at it closely I might be able to figure out what sort of key it would need.

As I worked, I gradually became aware of a dull ache in my fingers and wrists.

I was about to give up and go find something more interesting to do when I heard a soft click, and the door swung open on silent hinges, revealing an impossibly bright light beyond.

I blinked, my eyes watering from the sudden change in lighting, and felt my heart start to race in my chest.