Chapter 1: The Other Side of the Door
Jane had always loved her peaceful life in the suburbs. She was an introvert who preferred the company of her books and her thoughts to the noise and chaos of the big city. She had a routine that she followed almost every day: wake up, make breakfast, read a book, do some cleaning or gardening, have lunch, take a walk, read some more, cook dinner, watch TV, and then go to bed. She was content with her simple life, her small pleasures, and her solitude.
But that afternoon, something strange happened. Jane was sitting in her living room, reading a novel, when she heard a tapping sound on the door. She frowned, wondering who it could be. She rarely had visitors, and she wasn’t expecting anyone. She got up, walked to the door, and looked through the peephole. Nobody was there. She shrugged and was about to go back to her book when she heard the tapping again.
This time, it was louder and more insistent. Jane hesitated for a moment, her hand on the doorknob. She wondered if it was some kind of prank or a salesman trying to sell her something. But then, she heard a voice. A male voice. It was muffled and distant, but she could make out some of the words.
“Hello? Anyone there? Can you hear me?”
Jane’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t recognize the voice, but it sounded urgent and maybe a little desperate. She opened the door, half-expecting to see a lost child or a drunkard. But instead, she saw a man she had never seen before.
He was tall and slim, with short black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a black suit and a tie, as if he was coming back from a funeral or a business meeting. He had a serious expression, but he smiled when he saw Jane.
“Hello,” he said. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I need your help.”
Jane’s first instinct was to close the door and lock it. But there was something in the man’s eyes, something that made her hesitate. She looked at him for a few seconds, trying to read his intentions. He seemed sincere, or at least not harmful.
“What kind of help?” she asked, folding her arms.
“I need to go to the other side of the door,” he said, pointing at the entrance.
Jane blinked. She didn’t understand what he meant, but she felt a cold shiver go down her spine. This was getting weirder by the second. She opened her mouth to ask him to leave, but he spoke again.
“I have a device that can take me there,” he said, taking out a small metallic object from his pocket. “I just need someone to activate it from this side.”
Jane frowned. She didn’t know what kind of device it was, but it looked like something out of a science fiction movie. She wondered if the man was a lunatic or a criminal, or if this was some kind of prank. She didn’t want to get involved, but she didn’t want to be rude either.
“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t help you.”
The man’s smile faded. He looked disappointed and a little frustrated.
“Please,” he said, stepping closer to her. “I don’t have much time. It’s a matter of life and death.”
Jane felt a surge of fear. She didn’t like the way he said that, as if he was threatening her or manipulating her. She backed away, keeping her hands in front of her.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I can’t help you. Please leave.”
The man sighed, and for a moment, Jane thought he was going to grab her or force his way inside. But then, he lowered his gaze and nodded.
“Very well,” he said, putting the device back in his pocket. “I understand. Thank you for your time.”
He turned around and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the hallway. Jane watched him go, feeling relieved and confused at the same time. She closed the door, locked it, and leaned against it, trying to calm down. She wondered who that man was and what he wanted. She wondered if she did the right thing by refusing to help him.
And then, she heard the tapping again.
Chapter 2: Crossing Over
Jane froze as she heard the tapping sound again. She thought that the man had left, but apparently he was still there. She hesitantly walked back to the door, and peered through the peep-hole. This time she saw nothing, no one was there. Nevertheless, the tapping sound continued.
She sighed, considered calling the police, but then again it might be just a practical joke, the perfect time to call in for her neighbor or friend’s help. But neither of them was home. With apprehension in her heart, she slowly opened the door. And there he was again, standing as before, with the strange device in his hand.
The man looked at her with clarity and determination in his eyes. He reiterated his pleading request, “Please, I beg you. Activate the device and help me go to the other side of the door.”
Jane was skeptical but the man seemed sincere this time around. Moreover, something about the device and this man’s behavior piqued her curiosity. Before she could overthink it, she reached out and took the device. It had a button on it, so she pushed it without much thought, wanting to satisfy her curiosity and see what this was all about.
The next thing Jane knew, she was in a completely different world. Everything around her was strange, unfamiliar, and yet vaguely familiar at the same time. She looked around in shock, unable to process what was happening. She felt her body changing, distorting into something that she could not understand. She finally understood what the man meant when he said he needed her help.
She looked to the side, where the man was standing. He was still carrying a serious expression, but she noticed a glimmer of relief in his eyes. She listened as he explained to her about parallel universes, worlds that existed alongside each other, and how he needed to cross over to this one to save someone’s life. She listened as he took her to their destination, beyond time and space, where their reality merged with many others.
As they walked, Jane was amazed by everything she saw. She saw strange creatures with multiple limbs, trees that lit up like neon lights, and buildings that defied gravity. She saw beings that looked like humans but had features she never would have imagined. And all around her, she felt something she had never known before – a sense that anything was possible.
Finally, they reached their destination. A parallel universe Earth, very different than what Jane had known. The man led her to a hospital where they were able to save the life of his loved one.
After this, she was brought back to her own world, to her own reality. She marveled at the amazing experience she had, but also felt sad, her mind filled with questions and thoughts of the things she had seen and the people she had met over there.
Chapter 3: A New Understanding
Jane spent the next few days lost in thought. She felt as though she had been awakened to a new world, a new way of thinking. The experience had changed her in a way she couldn’t explain. The ordinary routine of her life suddenly seemed unbearably dull.
She kept thinking about the possibilities of parallel universes, of the other versions of herself that might exist in those worlds. She wanted to go back, to see more, to experience more, but she had no idea how. She wondered if the man from the other side of the door would ever return, if they would ever cross paths again.
Days went by and the initial rush of the experience died out. Jane tried to go back to her old routine, but everything around her seemed flat and meaningless. She longed for that wondrous world, for the adventure and excitement that came with it.
One day, Jane decided to take a walk around her neighborhood. She had always found peace in the act of walking, and she hoped it would clear her mind. As she walked, she heard the tapping sound again, the same rhythm that she heard before.
For a moment, Jane hesitated. She remembered the fear and confusion of the last time she heard the tapping. But something in her heart told her that this time would be different. With a deep breath, she followed the sound, tracing it to an alleyway she had never explored before.
There, she found an old wooden door, slightly ajar. The tapping sound was coming from the other side. Jane pushed the door open, and entered the other side of the door, the side where her curiosity led.
She stepped through the threshold, and felt the same strange sensation that she had felt before, as if her body was being stretched and twisted. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in that wondrous world again, the world beyond her own.
The man was waiting for her, just as she had hoped. He looked at her, surprised, but pleased.
“I knew you would come back,” he said. “You have the heart of an adventurer, don’t you?”
Jane felt a smile stretching across her face. She felt alive, completely alive, like everything around her was buzzing with energy.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
The man shrugged, and handed her a device that was exactly like the one she had pressed on the other side of the door.
“We explore,” he said. “We see what else is out there.”
And together, they stepped through the portal, ready to discover all the wonders of the worlds beyond their own.
