Riff 031416

I stepped through the door and ended up here. I don’t know how it happened, or even what happened. All I know is the world I stepped into is not the same one that was on the other side of the door I exited.

And that door is now broken.

It had been a pleasant day. Martha, Jules, Gabe, and I had been enjoying the weather and when Martha suggested we check out the greenhouse, we had agreed. She had bee quite excited about the orchids she had been cultivating and wanted to share the results of her efforts.

Her greenhouse was lush and full and vibrant. While I recognized much of what she had gathered, there were some plants I with which I was completely unfamiliar. As we walked through this tamed jungle, I had the sensation of being in an almost alien landscape. The various shades of greens, with hints of yellows, whites, reds, and purples appearing here and there were dazzling. The scent of fresh earth, of cleansed air, and of subtle floral undertones lent itself to the other worldly sensation.

She led us to the orchids and I was speechless. Before us sat a half dozen of the most unusual plants I had ever seen, their flowers covering the spectrum and their height easily three times the tallest the orchid I had ever seen.

“These are what I was telling you about.”, Martha said as we approached. “I am still trying to identify the exact species.”

There was some back and forth hypothesizing of possible species between Martha and Gabe. Jules gently inspected the plants and their flowers. I just stood there, momentarily struck dumb by the sight and the sensation that as I watched these plants, so too were they watching me.

A sense of detachment filled me, manifesting itself in a sensation of almost floating from the greenhouse floor. The unexpected nature of the sensation snapped me back to the moment and I rubbed my brow.

“You OK?”, asked Jules. “You look a bit pale.”

“I’m fine.”, I replied, not wanting to raise false alarm. “I think the heat of the greenhouse is getting to me. I’m going ot go grab some water. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I walked out a side door I had noticed and found myself here. Martha’s house was nowhere in sight, nor was the greenhouse I had just left. All that stood was that door. That broken door.

I tried going back the way I had come, but the door’s frame was broken and the door would not open. Not that there was anything on the other side. But when faced with something that cannot be explained, one tends to try irrational things.

Rational or not, my world has changed. For better or ill, I do not know.