Door One

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 87075

I find myself transfixed as I behold the three doors. My hand is on the handle of Door One and I wonder whether I dare open it. My home, and Astra, need me at this very moment. I dare not abandon her. But when I turn I see to my horror that this is no room but a vast grey emptiness with no beginning and no end. There is nothing else to measure that emptiness by. Looking at it makes me feel strangely dizzy, as if I was about to fall into it.

"You should probably turn around," says the voice. It is high-pitched and creaky and sounds like an old man badly trying to imitate a child. I don't like it. If it had a body I would kill it in an instant, but it has none.

"Look," says the voice. "There's no going back. Besides, pointlessly abrupt transitions are what this thread is all about."

"What thread! I see no thread, and the only thread I wish were here is a rope I could wring your neck with!"

"I don't have a neck. I'm a concept that can't be described in human terms. Now will you go through Door One or not?"

"No!" I scream. "Not as long as Astra needs my help!"

"Astra can take care of herself, believe me. You've done your part. You'd probably be more of a hinderance than a help to her at this point. And she and Tarin will defeat the Shoggoth. We're outside of time, from our point of view they already have. There's always something out there trying to destroy the universe, and we always manage to beat it somehow. The Shoggoths are nothing compared to the next thing. They were only its heralds."

"What next thing?"

"The thing you're supposed to stop. I know I told you you can choose your destiny, but, well, there's fate and then there's fate. Oh, wait, you're not supposed to know about that yet. It'll make sense later."

I ignore the gibberings of the horrible voice and turn to the door. Door One is a niche that opens out to an expanse of blue sky, with towers not too far from the ones I had just left. The handle is made out of white cloud. I know that when I pass through each of these doors I will be a different person. Door One is closes to who I am. Yet I feel as if somehow my perception of the world around me and of my thoughts has already changed by standing near Door One, though I can't say how.

"Stop hesitating, you stupid three-dimensional baboon. It's simple. Door. Enter or not?"

  1. Enter
  2. Not

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree


Knight Random, back at last, at least for a bit

6/10/2010 3:20:56 PM

Linking Enabled

The Never Ending Quest Home

Extend-A-Story Home

21393633 episodes viewed since 9/30/2002 1:22:06 PM.

Do not click me.