The Secret Door

Ok, ok, I know.  I have gotten entirely too serious, too scientific, and way too historic for you.  I get it.  I even wrote a story about the Holocaust and suddenly – who would imagine? – women cried, men got angry, and everyone was equally upset as soon as they realized the story wasn’t real!  It was a work of fiction – what can I say, I like to flex the muscles of my imagination a bit from time to time.

And while on the topic of imagination, imagine this – you walk by the door to your basement and instantly notice a light peeking through the lower corners of the door.  You wonder what it may be, and you open the door.  The light is now powerful and nearly blinding, and as your eyes adjust to the brightness and you make your way down the stairs, you suddenly realize you just walked into your old apartment – yes, the place where you lived 25 years ago.  And it’s not only where you lived, but also WHEN you lived there, as you just magically stepped into the past!

You walk through the rooms of the apartment, not entirely sure how this may be possible, and then wander outside… Curiosity takes over and you take a quick walk to meet some of the people you knew, friends and family.  Don’t worry, you don’t get to meet your younger self – we will cover that in the next chapter.  Your friends look surprisingly younger, while you, unsurprisingly, look just a bit older… Before you get a chance to explain any of this, you suddenly see him… That one friend or family member who’s no longer around in your future present, 25 years ahead.  You can’t stop looking at him, unsure what to say or do…  A hug is all you can think of, as there are no words.

Can you bring yourself to tell him why you are acting that way?  Should you find the words that will explain to him that in the future life goes on, but does not go on for everyone?  Imagine having to tell him when and how his life ends… Knowing the future might be a miracle, but it is also a curse.  We, human beings, can’t live knowing the possible suffering that awaits us ahead in time.  We want to know the good, yet we can’t handle the bad; we want to enjoy the present moment without thinking of what the future may bring.  If you knew your own future, would you have the ambition, would you have the reason to do anything at all? – in fact, is there a future if you seemingly have no control over what will happen to you?

And so you return to your old apartment, walk through the empty rooms and you are back in your present basement.  The light is now flickering, and you instinctively hurry up the stairs.  As you close the basement door behind you, you realize that some things are better left behind, and some doors are meant to stay closed.