A World Outside Every Darkened Door

 

            It took more than seven hours to reach the house in the countryside. Millie’s parents were going on a trip for a few days, and now Millie finally had the chance to stay at Uncle Albert’s house.

            Dad had told her so many stories about Uncle Albert and his house. He would tell Millie about how he pretended he was a spy or a ninja or a cowboy while his parents left him for the summer. Now it was Millie’s turn to make her own adventures there.

            Looking up at Uncle Albert’s huge house, Millie felt a little intimidated. Her parents helped her with her things, and then they all strode up to the enormous front door. After ringing an old-fashioned bell that made a terrific noise, the door was answered by Uncle Albert.

            Uncle Albert greeted Millie’s parents warmly, and then stood back to look at Millie. He wore an uncertain expression, and Millie felt herself wanting to please him. After saying her goodbyes, Uncle Albert showed her where she would be sleeping. She stowed her pillow and overnight bag in the room, and then they went down the hall to a cozy looking sitting room.

            Millie sat nervously as she and her uncle had tea. Albert noticed her discomfort and tried to help her relax. He asked her, “What did your Dad tell you about his summers here?”

            Millie was more than ready to tell Uncle Albert all of Dad’s stories. He listened patiently for a while and then asked, “Would you like to have your own adventures while you’re here?”

            “Yes, please!” Millie answered excitedly.

            The housekeeper came to take all the tea things away while Albert told Millie about his house. “You many go anywhere you like,” he said kindly. “Except, of course, my private rooms on the south side of the manor.” He paused and looked right at Millie. “Just remember that there’s a world outside every darkened door.”

            Millie wasn’t sure what that meant, but she nodded and smiled politely. Then Uncle Albert abruptly announced that he had work to do in his office and he left.

            Since Albert had told her she could do pretty much whatever she wanted, she decided to go exploring. She wandered down the hallways, looking into rooms as she passed them. The house was even more enormous than she had realized at first. There was an immense dining room, a gigantic library, an indoor pool, and even a greenhouse. She told herself she would go swimming later, and then went upstairs to see more of the house. Her own room was on the first floor, so this was the first time that she had been upstairs.

            While all the rooms downstairs were full of light, the hallways upstairs were mostly dark. All of the doors leading off the hall were closed. The only sources of light came from the stairwells. Millie remembered that Albert had said something about dark doors. Was this what he had been talking about?

            Millie walked halfway down the hall before she decided to try one of the doors. She picked the one closest to her to see if it was locked. It opened easily, and she was surprised to feel warm air blowing out of the room. She also thought she could hear seagulls.

            Curious, Millie walked into the dark room. As soon as she was over the threshold, the door slammed shut behind her, and she was blinded by a blistering sun, shining overhead. She closed her eyes and could feel herself rocking.

            Totally disoriented now, Millie opened her eyes and took a good look around. Behind her was the door that she had come through, but that was the only thing that resembled a room in her uncle’s house. She was standing on the deck of a ship that was tied up to an old wooden dock, outside of a bustling city.

            The ship was like ones that Millie had seen in old pirate movies, and there were people on the deck of the ship, on the dock, and on the streets of the city. Millie felt like she was inside the book, “Treasure Island.”

            Millie just stood there, not quite knowing what to do, when she heard a voice say, “Are you ready to go Captain?” She turned and saw a man looking at her.

            “Excuse me?” she said, even more confused now.

            The man was wearing loose clothing with a bandana on his head. He held out an old piece of paper toward her and said, “We’ve got the ship stocked and the crew’s ready to follow you to find the legendary treasure of Captain Bluebeard. We’re ready whenever you are.” He smiled and offered her the piece of paper, which she could see was some kind of map.

            Millie cleared her throat and said, “Um, not quite yet. I’ll be right back.” She turned around and dashed back through the door into the hallway. She ran down the stairs, calling out to her uncle in an excited voice.

            Albert met Millie at the bottom of the stairs with a big grin on his face. “Did you find something interesting?” he asked.

            Millie launched into an explanation of what she had just heard and seen. Albert nodded along as he listened, and when Millie finished, he said, “I told you there was a world outside every darkened door. Wait until you see what’s outside the other doors.” Then he walked away, leaving Millie wondering what else was upstairs.

            Millie turned and bolted up the stairs again. She opened some of the other darkened doors and went inside each of them. There was a bustling jungle village, a freezing Arctic plain, and even a swampy jungle where she glimpsed something huge that was walking along. She came back out to the hall and took a few deep breaths.

            When Dad told her about Uncle Albert and his magical house, she didn’t realize that there was actually magic involved. Making up her mind, she went back to the first door she had opened. The man with the treasure map was still there, waiting for her. Striking her best authoritative and grown-up pose, Millie said, “Let’s go find Bluebeard’s treasure!”