Kelvin awoke in an empty hallway. The lights were warm and the sunshine outside was stunning. When he got to his feet he found plush carpets beneath his feet and rich drapes on the windows. The sconces on the walls were made of gold and the wallpaper was a web of complex patterns. Where am I? Taking stock, he found an empty scabbard at his hip and a rock in his boot. He felt something wet dripping down his torso. Looking down he saw it was his own blood. Why am I bleeding? Kelvin tried to remember why he was there and who had injured him to no avail. Something skittered around the corner to his right. Making his way slowly down the hallway, he almost tripped when he rounded the corner. 

This new hallway was dark and musty. The air smelled of blood and the insides of monsters, but the strangest difference to Kelvin’s eyes was the windows. Though they were framed by tatters of fabric that resembled the drapes in the first hallway, the broken glass showed a very dismal exterior in comparison to the first hallway’s windows. He took another glance at the deep forest beyond and then turned back to the first hallway. Outside the nearest window stood a beautiful luxurious garden, bursting with flowers and lined with expensive bricks. Each plot of land bobbed in a different color, while clouds overhead blocked out the sun in dark patches. 

Is this place real? I can’t imagine that they are just two separate places cleaved together to make travel from one space easy into another. Remembering his injury, Kelvin tugged off his heavy cloak and shirt. Above his lowest left rib was a shallow cut, just starting to coagulate into a scab. After tearing a strip from the rim of his cloak, he bound his wound and redressed. Whether he was in the dismal dungeon or in the spot free corridor, he didn’t want to be underdressed. 

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Overhead he heard a great boom, followed by the soft roar of rain. The scene outside the window now showed the garden slick with water, every drop a brilliant crystal reflecting the world around it. Kevin wouldn’t be surprised if the combination of sunshine and seeming thunderstorm created a rainbow. The second hallway also displayed a storm outside, though this side wasn’t so beautiful. When he stood before the window, the wind carried just enough mist to wet his face. One building, two hallways. Got it. 

So now what? Waking up in an unknown house without knowing how I got here doesn’t happen every day. In fact, I don’t think this has happened to me ever. He pinched himself just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. After deciding that he would rather be on the more beautiful side of wherever he found himself, Kevin paced back along the first corridor. Though the carpet easily covered the sound of his footsteps, he still made an effort to stay as quiet as possible. He didn’t want the skittering thing to come back and he definitely didn’t want to attract the attention of whatever had given him his scratch. 

At the other end of the corridor stood a door. Impressively sized and a deep chestnut color, the door was covered in fanciful carvings of flowers and fauns dancing. Just as Kelvin reached for the handle, it burst open. On the other side a confused young girl halted in her steps.