January 8, 2011 by Mark Lidstone

Journey

Inspired by Neil Gaiman’s “Instructions”

Someday, you may wake up in a concrete room. It will be cold and dark. The only light will be that of a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. The room will be bare, void of any windows or doors. You can bang on the walls, no one will hear you. You can scream, if you’d like, no one will answer. Mostly, you will just sit on the floor wondering what happened. You will never feel hungry or thirsty. You will never sleep. This is where you will spend all of eternity. Unless, of course, you realize the obvious. All rooms have doors. If there wasn’t a door then how did you get in? That’s when you will see it. The door was there all along, right in front of your face.

You can stay in the room if you’d like. You are probably quite used to it by now. Or, you could try the door. Don’t worry, it isn’t locked. Through the door is a dock. A boat awaits.

When you reach the end of the dock, you will meet the captain. His skin is very smooth and his face featureless. He will appear to be a mannequin at first, until he moves. He will be wearing a crisp white robe and his skin as black as night. To pay for your ride, you must answer his riddle. The riddle changes every time but the answer is always the same. You only have one guess. If you are wrong, you will wake up back in the concrete room. The door will be locked.

Once on the boat, the captain will sing songs from your childhood. If you know the words, sing along. The water below you will be calm. If you look in, you will not see the souls of the damned, or anything at all really. Just your reflection. The boat will bring you to a very small cabin. You have no other choice, you must go inside.

Inside is a library. It’s impossibly large and filled with books that have never been written. You may read some, if you’d like. One book is hallowed out. In it is a weapon. I suggest you find it. Take your time. When you are ready, go down the stairs in the middle of the room. There are seventy-two stairs in total. Every fourth one is weak and will break if you step on it.

At the bottom of the stairs is a garden. It will be filled with beautiful flowers. Do NOT pick them. Soon, you will find the gardener, a small, self conscious, troll. His terrible odour will over power the smell of the flowers. Pretend you don’t notice. Listen to his stories. Laugh at his jokes. If he offers you wine, drink it. If he offers you fruit, politely refuse. Don’t stay too long. He get’s nasty after dark.

Pass through the garden until you reach the forest. Be careful, it’s very dangerous. There are small creatures in the trees. They have no eyes, so they can’t see you. Tread lightly though, they can hear very well. If they attack you, kill them with your weapon. At the middle of the forest is a campfire. Gathered around it are the forgotten Gods of years ago. They compare stories of death and birth; love and loss; creation and destruction. Don’t disturb them. Try not to listen. Soon you will come to a lake. Dive in.

Now, you must swim to the bottom. It will be a long journey. There are many lights to follow but most are traps. Head towards the one that makes you feel safe. When you feel as though your lungs are about to burst, keep swimming. Soon they will. It will hurt but afterwards you will be able to breathe. The light rests on a metal door. Open it and head inside. The water will not follow you.

If you have found the right door, you will find yourself in a long hallway. The walls are decorated with paintings. Each one depicts a moment in your life. The right wall holds your proudest moments. Your accomplishments, friends, loved ones, birthdays, graduations. On the left wall hangs all of your disappointments. Your shame and embarrassments. Moments that haunt you when you can’t sleep. Events that will never leave you. You may take one painting from the hallway.

At the end of the hall is a large golden room. On the gold plated floor is a circle. In it are symbols. You may recognise some. Most you won’t. Step inside the circle. Once you are inside, you must use your weapon to take your own life. You must do it in a way that no blood is spilled outside of the circle. When you do this, one of two things will happen.

If you have done everything right and you are ready, you will wake up at home. You will be laying in your bed surrounded by the people you love. The painting you took will be gone along with whatever memory it held.

If not, you will wake up in the concrete room, holding your painting. The door will be locked. You can bang on the walls, no one will hear you. You can scream if you’d like, no one will answer. Mostly, you will just sit on the floor wondering what you did wrong. You will never feel hungry or thirsty. You will never sleep. This is where you will spend all of eternity. Unless, of course, somewhere along your journey you found the key. Then you will get another chance.