NaNoWriMo 2008: Day 3
-=Keyholder, Part III Cont.=-
-could swear that his own thundering heartbeat was audible to the entire room. But whether that was true or not, the man in the top hat gave no sign.
More silence passed. The man in the top hat drank his water, and the bartender tried not to twitch as he sweated into his shirt collar.
Finally, the hatted man set his empty glass down, and patted his lips dry on the back of one of his sleek, black gloves. He smiled at the bartender.
“Aah~” he sighed. That was refreshing, thank you.”
And then the man took off his hat and set it atop the bar. Raising one hand, he gestured with a finger for the bartender to come closer. The bartender swallowed and leaned towards him, trying not to make eye contact.
“There's a reason I'm here,” the man started, reaching down now that he had the barkeep's attention, and grasping for something in one of his pockets. “Actually, I'm currently looking for...” he paused, and squinted curiously at the other. Then he pulled what he was looking for out of his pocket, and continued talking.
“Sorry. I was looking for a door. I'm fairly certain now that I've found the one I need.”
Was? The bartender had meant to ask. A door? He also silently inquired.
But though the thoughts formed in his head, they never made it past his lips. For one, he was beginning to grow wary of this man, and didn't entirely want to know what the answers were going to be. And for another....
For another, the man was looking at him again.
No...
No, he wasn't looking at him. He was looking through him. Straight through him, into some entirely different part of the world.
Or something that wasn't part of the world...
So instead of questions, the bartender could only move his mouth, like a fish gasping on the shore. A sweaty fish in an apron, holding a dishrag.
The man continued to smile, playing with the item he had taken from his pocket. It glinted through the fingers of his gloves, gold against black.
And then he held the thing by one end and thrust his arm forward, very sharp, and very quick.
There was a hollow sort of thonk sound. The bartender looked down.
A slightly aged, simple gold skeleton key had been lodged, quite deep actually, into his sternum.
His eyes bulged and he looked up again sharply, imploring, confused, outraged. He blustered.
“What...how did...who are you..?”
The man, with one hand picked up his top hat and placed it back upon his head. He smiled politely at the bartender.
“No, sir. The question you really ought to be trying to ask is not 'who are you', but 'where are you going'. But I suppose there isn't any point in trying to correct you now...
Ah well.”
And with his free hand, he turned the key.
~~
-=Facts, Part III=-
Doors are a tricky business.
At first, they were only meant to help keep out the cold, and the weather, and strange, crawly animals that one generally didn't want snuffing around the house. Later they were there to keep out things like awkward neighbors, thieves, and sometimes cheating husbands.
In all the history of doors, from the very first moment of their invention to present day, they've always had one purpose, and one purpose alone: To keep out unwanted things. This is a fact.
One might disagree, and propose that doors are also used for passage from one room to another. But this is a common misunderstanding made by people who like to take things like doors for granted. Doors didn't always exist, and people got into places just fine without them.
Doors as a passage would be entirely unnecessary if people didn't build so very many walls, or such very drafty houses, or have so vary many cheating husbands and irritating neighbors.
Besides. There are so many other kinds of ways to get from one room to another, which are so much more entertaining, what have nothing at all to do with doors of any kind.
So doors are meant to keep things out. Now that this has been established, here's something to think about:
Not all doors are placed on houses, or buildings, or rooms. Not all doors are put on cars, mailboxes, or grandfather clocks. Not all doors are used for things. Not all doors are meant to protect the inanimate.
[Continued on day 4]
~~
Skip to:
Day One
Day Two
Day Three - You are here
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven
Day Twelve
Day Thirteen
Day Fourteen
Day Fifteen
Day Seventeen
Day Ninteen
Day Twenty
Day Twenty-One
Day Twenty-Three
Day Twenty-Four
Day Twenty-Five
Day Twenty-Six
Day Twenty-Seven
NaNoWriMo 2009