Cai went in search of her friends on the roof top; she wouldn’t miss this gathering for the world; it is as rare as organic foie gras (from non-force fed duck and goose) ……. now that the roof is over-crowded and there’re people standing at the doorway to the elevator lobby and staircase, she has to find her escape route……. CRACK! ……. a clap of thunder in the distance hinted possible rainfall and the roof is not the place to be in rain……. she had limited time to look around.
Hey, there are three-dimensional chalk artwork celebrating various local festivals all over; they jumped out at her, making her head spin, and they kinda marr the installed flooring, making it tough to see where the artwork ended and where the bare, non-camouflaged ground was; if there are any bare patches at all.
Since the elevator lobby is blocked and she can’t go back down, she couldn’t resist walking around, admiring the skilled art; and try as she could, she couldn’t avoid misstepping on some chalked art; not to worry, the colors remained intact as someone must have sprayed adhesive, yeah, this open air must have taken in some heavy beating from rainfall and adhesive is the way to fix your hours of hard work.
She snapped happily away, thinking how smart she was, not to have passed up this photo-op; these art were as good as those pictures in her chalk art reference book, if not better; so absorbed she was in chalk that she failed to notice a square border on the ground – like a picture frame or openinggggg …….
Suddenly she saw pitch black and groping around wildly, she banged her forehead against some kind of vertical wall of resistance, which failed to give way even after she hammered at it, and rammed her body weight against it ……. there has to be some kind of opening ……. maybe she should ram herself against another of the vertical walls… there must be at least three other walls as she had felt all around her……. her fingers touched some kind of lump and she fingered it gingerly, trying to feel if it could give way……. when suddenly, she fell forwards as it gave way……. no, the entire wall gave way for her to fall forwards ……. into bright light……. she squinted her eyes to get accustomed to the bright, shining walls ……. of a room, so bathed in light that her eyes hurt……. nobody was around……. she could see a doorway ahead……. she stumbled her way towards the opening, as her eyes hurt and she couldn’t open them fully……. she had walked into another room, still as bright and as empty as the first……. surely there has to be an end to these rooms……. she felt fear……. she knew these rooms……. they are the fearsome BACKROOMS ……. she had seen them in a movie called Backrooms …… they’re nested rooms in mazes and there’s no way out …….unless someone can figure out the secret.
Backrooms are real and they’ve trapped her…… help ……. she dug into her pocket for her cell phone …… Reelika, she’s got Reelika on her contact list …….
THE END for this episode.
Footnote – This series may be continued independently away from SSS and SSC&B prompts.
Related:
Denise’s latest prompt is “thunder”.
Dude!
Way to enjoy a fictional building in an imaginary location existing in the virtual world!*
*the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro (in the heart of the former industrial zone of a mid-sized city, several blocks of former mill buildings and factories. The civic spirit of renewing past glories failed to accomplish more than the mostly renovated building that houses the aforementioned SSC&B.) Most buildings in this area are between five to seven stories in height.
I’ll be back with a quick description of the main floor of our SSC&B
Description* of the main floor of the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro
From the sidewalk three granite steps down brings you to the entrance (a red painted heavy oak timber door with wrought iron hinges and handle).
Once in there is a vestibule formed with stainless steel and glass. On one side a wooden bench (for people to sit if the Cafe is exceptionally busy. Opposite is a cigarette machine and one of those fortune-telling games, like at a carnival (still only twenty-five cents!) On the top of the cigarette machine is a bracket holding real real estate advertisements, next to this is a pile of the most recent issues of ‘The Watchtower.’
Pushing on the interior door brings you into the Cafe & Bistro proper. Along the right wall is the bar. Mahogany the is always polished. Behind the bar are shelves of liquor illuminated by hidden neon lights. The bar extends all the way to where this is a hallway. To the left, the restrooms to the right the Manager’s Office and the hallway continues but the lighting gets…unreliable. Kinda scary.
If you stand with your back to the bar the Cafe consists of a small stage on the right-hand wall (about halfway down) the rest consists of round wood tables and spindle chairs. There are small combos, poetry readings and other entertainment, from time to time
*the key to what has made this an enduring story element is that the descriptions of the physical structure is consistent over time/different writers. By this constancy we can write knowing that we need not spend time describing the Cafe. It’s always the same (see above). Of course, the building is possessed of a certain magic, so as far as the other floors go… kinda a blank canvas, ya know?
Okay, Clark. Thanks. I guess I’ll stop contributing this type of fantasy.