Sitting in class, staring out the window at the woods behind the parking lot; Zella was uninterested in the lesson the teacher was trying to explain. She had a passing grade and was in college. The Liosa Community College offered grants to their students, so that technically college was free as long as you stayed in college and passed your classes. It was the end of the semester and her teacher was focusing on bonus credits for the people who still needed an extra boost.

Only 2 days left, she thought. Then, the bell rang and the class was over.

Zella walked down the aisles of the college and out to the parking lot where her car was located. The building she was in was next to her parking space. She glanced over at the woods one more time before getting in her car.

Zella made it to her apartment in just a few minutes. She walked up to the second floor and unlocked the door to find a quiet space. She put her keys down on the counter and then poured herself a glass of water. The house was always empty and quiet, the way she liked it. The walls were the original off-white color, the couch was a light blue with soft fabric but not very comfortable. She had a table in the living room in front of the television. There was only one bedroom and one bathroom.

Maybe I could go for a walk today, she thought as she got her keys and walked back out and down the stairs. She smiled a little as she walked past some of her neighbors. Her apartment complex had a playground in the middle, next to the office. She didn't want to go there. She walked out to the side of the road past the other apartment complexes. It was about a half mile walk until she got to the woods.

There were no trails, just enough space between trees that you could find a way through. It was a sunny day and she was tired of the usual, stay-at-home-watching-television routine. She could hear the sound of birds and squirrels running around. A couple of trees were knocked down, so she stepped over them. The trees were only about 6 inches wide and very tall. She looked up at the sun coming through the treetops. She had a weird feeling that something was about to happen.

Zella kept going further and further into the woods, until she saw an clearing, with an old tree stump that had mold growing on half of it and a mysterious door placed in front of the tree stump. The door was not touching anything, just floating on mist. There were little particles floating in the air around it that made it look sparkly.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look inside, see if this goes to somewhere, she thought as she turned the door knob and stepped up onto a wooden floor.