Welcome back, friends! I usually post a short story on Fridays, but I do not seem to be getting a lot of traction so I am going to try different days, to see what days work best for short stories. This week we will try Saturday, to see what kind of readers I get.

As a reminder, the writing challenge is where I take one writing prompt and try to write 4 different stories with it, one story a week. I feel like it gets the creative juices flowing and I do love a good challenge. Though…just sitting down to write seem to be a challenge for most of us these days.

Let me not waste your time, here is this week’s short story!

“Good morning,” Stacy said to Robert. He was standing at the door to the warehouse waiting for her. His black hair slicked back, and his smile was wide, reaching his bright green eyes. He always seemed so happy despite the childhood he had.

After months of looking for a job, Stacy was given a break. She had lost so much in between jobs. Not only did she have to leave her beautiful apartment behind, but she had to leave the town she had grown to love and the friends that she had called family. Nothing was wrong with living with her sister, in fact, she had a rent-free apartment above her sister’s garage. Emmy was just overbearing and one of the reasons Stacy had left town, to begin with.

“It is so good to see you fresh and ready to go this morning,” Robert said to Stacy. He reached out his arm and guided her into the building.

Stacy had only been back in her hometown for two weeks when a friend from school found her. It was odd because no one had heard or seen Robert since graduation. Stacy knew Robert from the foster home they had lived in together. Stacy was only there for a year until Emmy turned 18 and could prove she was mature enough to take care of a 13-year-old child. Stacy and Robert were okay friends, but high school pulled them apart like it does with most friendships. Robert never escaped the foster home and when the government checks stopped when he turned 18 the foster family kicked him to the curb. Emmy took him in and let him stay in the same apartment Stacy was now living in.

“I still can not believe you own this building.” Stacy laughed.

After graduation, Robert packed up his few belongings and thanked Emmy and Stacy for helping him, promising to repay them one day. Now was that day as he offered Stacy a job at his company. Stacy didn’t know what the company did, just that Robert owned it and he just built a new location outside of town. A warehouse with no name on it and dark windows. A tall fence went around the property of the building with razor wire around the top. It could have passed for a prison if there had not been obvious loading docks.

“It’s not the only one either. I have done well for myself since leaving.” Robert led Stacy through a labyrinth of halls, doors, and rooms. Her head was spinning trying to remember the way out. She was already lost.

“I’m never going to find my way out of here.” She laughed, trying to hide how nervous she was.

“Don’t worry, you are going to be working right alongside me. I will show you the way out until you can get in and out on your own.” He opened another door leading into an office. There were two desks in the office, each one sitting in a corner with cubicle walls around it. “This is where we will do most of our work.” Robert said. He walked to the large window that took up one wall, but it was not a window outside, it was a window into the warehouse floor.

“What is this?” Stacy asked. There were rows and rows of doors. Doors of different sizes, shapes, and colors. People were running back and forth between doors. She watched as one person opened a door and stepped in, disappearing. “What is this?” Stacy asked again. The person should have stepped through to the other side of the door. There was nothing connected to the door, nothing connected to any of the doors. They were all free-standing doors.

“This is one of many parallel sites.” Robert looked at Stacy who watched the floor wide-eyed as people opened doors and disappeared. Some doors seemed to open on their own until someone steps through. “Those are all portals to different parallel universes. Other dimensions. Other worlds. A door for every planet known to our solar system, as well as planets in other solar systems. You could travel anywhere in the world. Anywhere in time. Anywhere in space. There are no limits.”

“I…” Stacy stared, the proof before her eyes. No, her eyes could be deceived. “This is a TV screen or some kind of joke.”

“Nope, I can prove it to you. Where would you like to go?” Robert asked.

“Scotland.” Stacy laughed. Robert nodded, leading Stacy through a door to a stairwell. They walked down two flights of stairs and the next door opened to the warehouse floor. A short man ran to Robert and bowed.

“Stacy,” Robert looked at her. “This is Stephen. He is the floor supervisor for the realms.” Robert nodded at Stephen. “By realms I mean, anything you have read in a fairy tale, there is a door to it. Stephen and his team keep those doors in check.”

“Boss,” Stephen said, his eyes wide. “One of the doors is locked again.”

“Wonderland?” Robert asked.

“Neverland.” Stephen said shaking his head. “The boy is angry again.”

“Boy?” Stacy asked.

“You know the boy.” Robert laughed. “Peter. He always gets so annoyed with us.” Robert looked back at Stephen and smiled. “Leave it locked for today. If we are lucky he will get mad and feel ignored and come find me himself.”

“Robert?” Stacy said.

“This way.” Robert said, dismissing the question in her voice. As they walked by the doors Stacy could see the labels on the doors. Places she had never heard of and places she had only dreamed of. “Scotland.” Robert said as they came to a door with the Scotland flag painted on it. Robert opened the door to a view of the Edinburgh castle.

“No way.” Stacy said. She walked around the door to see nothing on the other side. She walked through the door and looked back. When she looked back there was no sign of the door, just a door-shaped hole leading back to the warehouse. “What happens if you close the door?” She asked. Stephen walked through the door, standing beside Stacy, and shut the door. The door disappeared. Stacy reached where the door was, touching nothing but air. “How do we get back?” She asked, trying not to panic. At least Robert was standing beside her.

“Like this.” Robert said, holding up a key. He placed it into the air in front of them and turned it as if unlocking something. Stacy heard a click and watched as the door opened again. “I can see the doors.” Robert smiled. “I have been able to see them since I was a kid. When I disappeared after high school it was because I had walked through a door to a different world. I learned some things about myself and found out I could not only see the doors but could also create new ones. Now I run a business, trading between worlds.”

“Are there others like you?” Stacy asked.

“There are a few, but they stay hidden. Some are in asylums because they told the wrong people.”

“You turned it into a business.” Stacy laughed. “Is this even legal?”

“It’s not illegal.” Robert shrugged. “So, will you stay on payroll and help me out?” Robert asked.

“What if I said no?” Stacy asked.

“I would show you the way out and find someone else to help me.” He shrugged. “I don’t worry about you telling anyone. You are not that kind of person and, no one would believe you.” Robert huffed.

“True. This is too good to pass up though. I will help you.” Stacy giggled. Losing her job all those months ago seemed like a dream now. “Do I get vacation time? Can I use the doors to take a vacation?”

“You will have access to everything.” Robert shook his head, smiling. “I didn’t think you would be so quick to jump on board.”

“I have been waiting my whole life for adventure.”