The Dark Room

I returned to the corridor of doors in the White Room.

The door closed behind me.

With the key in my hands, I looked at the door that stood outside the corridor.

It seemed to stare at me threateningly.

It was as if it had a life of its own.

I remembered the warning I had received from myself.

Don’t open the door.

The worst thing is in there.

While I was in the corridor, I went from door to door.

I turned each handle.

Slowly.

None of them were open.

I went to the angel statue and tried to push it.

I used all the strength I had, and the statue didn’t even move.

It was useless.

I sat on the floor.

My back against the statue.

And my eyes fixed on the door.

I took the key and slowly turned it between my fingers, feeling its texture.

Trying to imagine what was behind that door.

I couldn’t hear any sound.

I had no clue.

And even so, I felt a chill.

I wanted to go anywhere except there.

I took a deep breath.

There was something I wanted to check.

I put the key in my pocket.

I walked slowly to the door.

I went to the mirror beside it.

If it was there, it meant something.

I don’t know why, but I wanted to look at it again.

I needed to look at it.

So I stood in front of the mirror.

And stared.

I focused mainly on the eyes.

And what did I see?

Just me.

A man like any other.

Not possessed by the mirror.

The black ink didn’t appear.

Something had changed.

I think I was ready, then.

I stood in front of the door.

It seemed much larger than normal.

My hands were shaking.

I couldn’t put the key in the lock.

Maybe I shouldn’t do this at all.

It felt as if my body was sabotaging me and stopping me from continuing.

I had to hold my right hand with my left to keep it steady.

Firmly and slowly, the key entered the lock.

I let out a sigh of relief.

I turned it slowly, feeling each pin in the lock give way until finally…

…the door was loose.

I swallowed hard.

Being so close, I started to understand.

I already knew what was behind the door.

Everyone knows.

I opened it slowly.

There was nothing.

No wall.

No light.

No sound.

Only emptiness.

I was still afraid.

But I went in.

The door closed behind me.

Leaving me in complete darkness.

I didn’t feel anyone’s presence there.

Even so, I had the feeling that I had been in that place before.

If it had been before, I would have panicked. I would have had panic attacks.

But now, after everything I had gone through, it was different.

I took several steps forward, into the depths of that room.

I lay down on the floor I was standing on, facing upward.

I was at peace.

It was true. I had been here before.

Before I knew my name.

In truth, everyone has been here before.

Even though no one was there with me inside.

I was not alone.

Everyone I had ever known had already gone through this.

And everyone I know will go through it one day.

We will all be together here.

It could be today.

Tomorrow.

Or many years from now.

One day, we will arrive here.

Where we were before.

That is why there is no reason to be afraid.

I closed my eyes slowly.

Because, if one day I was able to see the light, it was because I had already seen the darkness.