“Your turn, Christie. Truth or dare?”
“Um…I did truth last time…” She hesitated, then blurted out, “Dare.”
Bethany smiled wickedly. “Okay. Do something you’ve never done before.”
Christie thought about her options. There were lots of things she could do, just to be cheap. She’d never put lipstick on her forehead, for example…it would be stupid, but still qualify.
She knew that wasn’t the spirit of the game. She knew her friends were expecting something that made her squirm. That’s what Truth or Dare was all about, right? Possibilities spun through her head…
…And stopped on one.
“Well…okay…but I’ll need to go to the basement.”
She led her friends to the door in the kitchen, reached in and flicked a switch. The girls trooped down the stairs. They had the house to themselves, but Christie only had a vague idea when that might end…her parents hadn’t spent an evening out for a while. But she didn’t imagine her dare would take very long.
Her friends took in the dusty heaps of boxes and the workbench in the corner. The bare bulbs cast everything in a stark yet insufficient light, leaving spaces in shadow. There was a clear track winding between the stacks to the workbench, and also to a large wooden panel leaning against a wall.
“Here, help me move this.” Christie got one side, Bethany took the other, and the two of them tipped the panel forward, then slid it aside. Behind it was a plain interior door.
Christie gave the girls a moment to look at the door, then said, “This is my dare. I’ve never been in there.”
“What’s in there?”
“Don’t know. My folks never talk about it. I think they think I don’t know about it.”
“Dead bodies?” “Is it their Bluebeard room?” “Maybe it’s all the stuff they stole?”
Christie smiled, listening to the girls speculate. She suspected she’d just “won” the game. Even if the room behind the door was empty, no one would be able to top her that night.
“Let’s find out.” She put her hand on the knob, turned and pulled.
At least, she tried to pull. The door didn’t appear to be locked, but it was very stuck. Bethany offered to help. It wasn’t easy to get more than one hand around the knob, but they managed, and tugged together. The other girls couldn’t reach the knob, but at least dutifully tugged on Christie and Bethany.
There was a scrape, and dust dropped from around the edge of the door. Another, longer screech and the door slowly started to come open.
Christie had expected to see darkness beyond. She was surprised at the sight of a muslim curtain hanging over the doorway. She couldn’t see anything beyond it.
She raised her hand to the curtain, then hesitated. “I should probably go first,” she said. None of the other girls seemed inclined to argue with that.
She gently pushed the curtain aside with the back of her fingers and stepped through.
Instead of the darkness she had been expecting, she saw a grey wall lit from some not-obvious source. The wall was only a little ways in front of her, but the room extended into the distance on either side of her. Doorways lined the wall behind her; the wall ahead had one door in front of her.
As she took in her surroundings, the door opposite her opened, and a woman wearing a grey robe came through it, studying a clipboard. She started as she noticed Christie. The two of them stared at each other for a silent moment.
The woman took a look at her clipboard, then peered again at Christie. “You. What doorway did you come through?”
“Uh…” Christie hadn’t moved from the doorway. She gestured behind her.
The woman shook her head, studying the clipboard. “No. No, that’s not right. You’re not scheduled for a while. You’re not due here yet. You need to go back.”
“But…?”
“Now. Get going.”
Christie had a pile of questions, but she could tell she wouldn’t get answers from the woman. Though, having seen what she had, she was ready to demand answers from her parents. She turned and pushed past the curtain once more.
The door wasn’t wide open as she’d left it; it was mostly closed with a crack visible. Had her “friends” thought to shut her in the room as a joke? She pushed the door open.
The basement full of dusty heaps was no longer there. Instead there was a room still lit by bare bulbs, but empty except for a table sitting in the middle. On the table was an envelope in a plastic bag, covered with dust. Brushing it clean, Christie could see her name written on the envelope.
She opened the bag and withdrew the envelope. Inside were what looked like bank statements and a copy of her birth certificate. And a letter.
My Darling Christie…
Your father and I are very sorry about this. We don’t know if or when you’ll be returning, but please know we have provided for you. We will arrange for the basement to be kept ready as long as possible. Please find us, if you can, and we’ll try to explain.
Know that we love you and hope and pray for your safety and well-being.
Mom
PS: Bethany says you win.