Some Forbidden Door
R. 04/16/2005.

1. "There was once a man who had fine houses, both in town and country..."

Hannah's home is in his arms; there is no place she rests that welcomes her as he does. They are always moving, shuffling through living spaces; from a New York penthouse to a bunker under a wheatfield in Idaho, to the room in Vegas where they rediscovered love. Always running; she has no time to remember what it was like to settle. She forgets the sound of her mother's voice, the smell of the Montana wind. She severs the roots that tie her to the earth, tightens the cord binding to eternity, and fears death a little more each night.

2. "He is in love; and what love has begun, love can carry to a conclusion."

The man in the auditorium made Elena forget the whole world. She went though the daily motions of school, boyfriend, home, but nothing more. She had no name for him, yet she called for him in all her dreams.

She let him into Bonnie's dining room, and he whispered words of love. She clung to him, and swooned, and he carried her into the forest, a flash of gold in the gathering dark.

So they move through the world, invisible save when they wish. His stained lips, sweet as wine, do not need to promise what is already given: Forever.

3. "She went down a little back staircase, and with such excessive haste that she nearly fell and broke her neck."

Kori went into the house on Number 13, though it wasn't there before. She knew the danger and ignored it. She ran through the empty house until she found the basement door; she went through, and descended.

Now: "My Persephone," the man calls her. It is always night here. He says he loves her so deeply he cannot bear for her to leave. His name is John, but she calls him Master. She could escape, but has never tried. The light from the open door burns her eyes, and she burrows more deeply under the sheets of their marriage bed.

4. "You went into the chamber, did you not? Very well, madam; you shall go back, and take your place among the ladies you saw there."

Kaitlyn found a secret door in the hall, and stepped through to see what was inside; and so she paid the penalty.

With each successive surgery, Mr. Zetes had improved the process. He needed psychics who were docile, not half-witted; who were malleable, not mush. Every woman who shared Kaitlyn's cage represented a step toward his goal. The earliest ones were fit only for breeding; a few could do simple tasks.

Kaitlyn was his prize. Her mind attuned to his slightest whim, which she would grant with efficiency.

She did not need voice or tongue to inform him of success.

5. "I see nothing but a cloud of dust in the sun, and the green grass."

Claudia follows the fox into the witch's house, because it has her letters and its fur looks so soft. It leads her into a trap and she's too busy petting its flanks to notice right away.

The witch will cook her in a pot, or bake her in an oven, like in the stories. Her name is Morgan, and she's barely taller than Claudia. Her teeth are filed to points; she looks like a fox herself.

"Let me go. My brother will find me and hurt you," Claudia says, as the witch pinches her skin.

But no one ever comes.

6. "But Scripture says we may not serve two masters, and little keys have opened large disasters."

Jenny opened a door she should have never seen, and everything changed.

She has loved, and lost, and they say she is her only master, but they lie. Her demon lover, though she denied him, is always in her heart, whispering delicious defilements of her flesh. She shivers and moans in sleep.

Her waking hours are with men who wish they could be him, men with whips and knives and rope. She prefers white hair and blue eyes, but needs nothing but a certain intent.

She is ravaged, over and over, in homage to him: he that she secretly serves.

Moral: "Curiosity, in spite of its appeal, often leads to deep regret. To the displeasure of many a maiden, its enjoyment is short lived. Once satisfied, it ceases to exist, and always costs dearly."



Notes: Quotes are from several public-domain versions of the fairy tale "Bluebeard."

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