door

The impulse to follow the girl that had passed him on the bus had been overwhelming. As if he’d been caught up in a wind and transported, powerless against it’s gust.

He hadn’t noticed her until she’d glanced up at him. All the hairs had stood up on his arms. He’d seen the green of her eyes flash in a split second through strawberry blonde eyelashes. Immediately he had stepped in behind her as she made her way to alight and, almost involuntarily, got off as well, several stops too early.

He was a good thirty minute walk away from home in an area he didn’t know, but there was no time to familiarise himself with his surroundings or to feel annoyed. He was transfixed by the Girl he had seen. He was compelled to go with her.

She made her way around a corner. She moved quickly. He pursued.

‘What’s the rush?’ he though. His heart flipped over thinking for a moment that she might be intimidated by his following. His heart broke in a second that he might have caused her discomfort. He became breathlessly afraid that this sudden, instant, overwhelming feeling he had for her might not be reciprocated.

She broke into a run, as did he. She turned another corner and he followed. She was nimble; light on her feet.

A distance opened up between them.

On reaching her destination she stopped and turned to face a door. The door was embedded in an enclosed garden wall. She glanced at him once more for a fraction of a moment…then she disappeared through the door.

His broken heart pounded as the door slammed shut.

On reaching the door he threw his weight against it. He wanted to pass through and to catch sight of his beauty as soon as he could. But the door did not budge. He collided with the door again. It would not open. No amount of pushing or struggling or wrestling would shift it.

No effort on his part ever would open that door…The ancient hinges were rusted solid and the door was sealed up with lick after lick of paint. The other side was woven over and tangled in a creeping plant, established many, many years ago.

Thanks again to Stefan Lubomirski de Vaux for creating this image. More of Stefan's work can be found here and here Thanks Stefan.