A Door To A Gentleman

You cursed as you stumbled on a tree root.

Luckily you had quickly caught yourself, and after a moment, you were once again cool and collected.

After lifting your head up, you paused.

Where exactly am I?....Like hell if you knew.

Earlier that day, you visited the local library and happened to come across a book. What a shocker, finding a book in the library! Well stop being snide, because this wasn't an ordinary book. Yes, that dusty book was ancient in its own right, pages yellowed with age and heavy with untold secrets.

The thought of it made you sneeze, partially from the withheld wisdom.

You spent a minute or two, wordlessly flipping through page after page of myths and fairytales. Until one in particular caught your eye; rooted on the center was a drawing of a wooden door in a tree, the ink mingling together with the shadows that oozed from the frame.

Hurriedly you read the paragraph underneath, which depicted that in a nearby forest one could find themselves a plethora of these entryways. The point of such things were unknown, but it was said to pass through one would take you to the past, a moment in a forgotten life.

You pondered the possibility of a magical door, and the cosmic potential of other worldly things, until you shrugged. You had nothing better to do, and if it wasn't true, it was not even a blemish on your conscience.

This line of reasoning left you in your current predicament.

Emotions were rising as your frustration soared, the book had said these tree/doors were in a clearing. Why? It was beyond you. But what the leather-bound tome had forgot to mention was the mud that clung to your shoes, or the thorned bushes and branches that were at every bend.

On wards you pushed yourself, keeping your head low as you fought the wildlife with the determination of a freight train.

Eventually you came to a stop, but that was only because of the forsaken tree. It had appeared out of nowhere, and it didn't even have the common courtesy to be planted slightly to the left. Instead you surely got a face full of splinters as you walked into it. You stumbled back with a curse, reeling in pain. Shakily a hand was raised to your throbbing head, and through narrowed eyes you glared at the accursed tree. More than prepared to give it a severe tongue lashing, and at that exact moment you noticed it. Words had completely left you, the tree had a number above its door, the same as its kindred brethren.

The book...it had been right. You let yourself digest that thought for a moment. And as quick as lightning, you were struck with excitement.

Which one should you choose? They were all so different, with a variety of colours, shades, and themes that you could never imagine, much less altogether.

You gulped down your apprehension and walked over to the nearest door, yanking hard on its knob and  pulling on it. Its secrets were then bare to you...