Don't Touch

During the day cycle of a city, people expect constant noise and crowds but, even in the busiest streets of the most populated cities, you can find peace. Cities open up and swallow you whole, just like a forest except it feels unnatural to us. Finding yourself alone with trees is calming. Being alone with glass and concrete is alarming.

Surrounded and alone, he stood in a street he’d seen hundreds of times on tv, on posters, and in films, but now it was all his. Except for the onlookers casually glancing out of offices and shop windows, observing him. Looking up from his phone, he spotted the building, Number 248. “Unlimited EXP” read the cold blue LED sign perched above the door. It glitched back and forth between a stock image screensaver of a warm beach full of palm trees and shells, then back to the “Unlimted EXP”. The front of the building was composed of multiple opaque glass windows. Taking a deep breath before approaching the glass door, he pressed firmly on the touch plate.

The door didn’t budge. Pressing his forehead onto the glass, he attempted to look in, but to no avail. Suddenly a voice cracked out of an intercom speaker beside the door, “Do you have an appointment?“. “Hello? Yes! Although I’m a little early.” he sputtered back, searching for the source of the voice. “Press the silver button on the intercom to speak.” replied the receptionist in a monotone voice. Darting over to the box, he found the button and repeated: “Yes, I have an appointment”. “Reference number?” the voice questioned. The man frantically patted his pockets before reaching inside his trousers, producing a letter. “38792,” he responded. A few seconds passed before he heard a loud buzz which he assumed was an invite and pushed open the door.

The reception area was giant, with the ceiling settling at least one hundred metres high. Natural light invaded the space from all directions creating a rainbow prism of colours dancing like a wave high above the guest. An empty desk was on one side, with the rest of the reception occupied by visitors in the waiting area, all asleep. Except for a group of young children who played with a selection of toys in the corner.

In the middle of the atrium stood a statue staring out towards the man. His eyes instantly fixed on the marble silhouette, examining it, as it did him. The light stone modelled the features of a young woman with her arms spread out and face pointed towards the entrance. She was naked but covered in a silk robe, embroidered with an off-white pattern contrasting the pure white of the silk. The embroidery was of an infinity symbol duplicated endlessly in rows. The ends of the silk had lace material attached, again created with the infinity symbol woven in.

“38792, please follow the blue path.” echoed the voice reverberating around the mass space. The man looked down, noticing the paths painted below. A red path led left down a set of stairs, a purple path led to the children, a green path went to the waiting area, and a yellow path led past the statue and up a flight of stairs. The blue path also went past the statue but diverted behind the staircase.

Pausing for a while before obliging, the man walked past the marble statue, following the blue paint. He continued past the stairs and down a ramp into a tunnel. From the top he spotted a section that levelled out, seducing him deeper.

As he pushed on, the lights in the tunnel began to fade until only red emergency lights illuminated the route. He examined the walls looking for a light switch or sensor; before looking up and realising that there were no light fixtures in this section. Using the right-hand sidewall as a guide, he pressed on for a few minutes until the red lights began to fade too, leaving him in total darkness. He tried to peer down the corridor seeking light, a guide, some hope but, the tunnel was completely black. Using his phone’s torch, he attempted to continue but after a long stretch, the battery died.

He debated if he’d gone the wrong way or missed a turn. if he is completely lost? Was this some sort of sub-terrain section, uncompleted or abandoned? He thought about turning around but was scared of losing direction in a labyrinth of his design.

Gingerly he grasped onto the side of the tunnel and resumed. The tunnel was eerily quiet. So quiet that he could hear his heart beating in his chest and the blood crashing around his ears. Whistling, he tried to alleviate the annoyance but his major tune echoed back off the cold metal tube, mocking him. His voice twisted and mock back at him.

After what felt like hours, he finally spotted light further along the tunnel. Violently sprinting, he began swinging his arms haphazardly, crying out in glee. Upon reaching the source of the hope, he dropped to his knees. There was a crossroad where another path split the blue route horizontally. Fully lit, this corridor was decorated with ornate light fixtures and wallpapered walls with delicate golden patterns. The floor was red, the red path. A sign above him fixed to the roof read: “Continue for the blue path”. Past it, a dark corridor with a blue floor continued.

He sat thinking, waiting, perhaps meditating, staring up at the blue sign. What was this place? He booked it out of desperation, the final solution, the instrument that would fix his issues. Is this what he had bought? Maybe this was helping. Staring at the blazing blue, he thought of home. Of the streams near his childhood home. Of how they twirled and twisted across the landscape. How they flooded after rainfall and the days after scorched in the sun as they often do after a storm, he would go out and lay in the cool embrace of the water.

Stretching his fingers wide, letting the water flow past, caressing his skin. As a child, he always wondered where they flowed. Maybe there was a hole somewhere that dropped them into a chasm. Or a massive reservoir where the water eventually became drinking water. Now, as an adult, he knew, in the end, it escaped to the sea a few miles away.

After a few minutes, he heard footsteps echoing from his left. Glaring down the corridor, he searched for the oncoming person. A woman appeared from around the corner, briskly strolling toward him. He slowly stood as she approached, supporting his right knee as it creaked. She was a middle-aged woman wearing a grey suit with a pale red blouse. Long black hair behind her in a ponytail deceived the grey roots that protruded from her scalp. Walking tall and confidently she tried to avoid eye contact with the man standing at the crossroad.

“Erm, Hello? Are you here to help? I think I’m lost.” he cautiously spoke. “Sorry, I don’t work here,” she replied and attempted to walk past. “I think I’m lost. How long have you been walking?” he said, hoping she’d stop. She did a few metres right of him before slowly turning around. “I’ve been walking for maybe two minutes. Are you supposed to be here?” she assertively said, staring back at the man. “Yes! Of course! I’m just lost. I’ve been down here for hours!” he elated. “Are you ok? You look a mess. If you need help, go back to the reception.” She said, pointing back down the corridor she had just come out of. He looked down at his body, investigating her claim. He was wearing black labour-style trousers which were ripped and damaged. A black hoodie coated in blood stains and dirt decorated his torso.

He quickly began sprinting down the blue corridor in front of him. The woman chased after trying to grab him but slipped, tumbling to the ground. Looking back, he saw her in a bundle on the floor staring back at him. He pushed on.

Sprinting along the dark path for a further few minutes, he spotted another glimpse of light ahead. Up ahead, a set of large white double doors stood with “Knowledge Therapy Reception” written in pale blue cursive text on the right-hand side door. He frantically pressed against the doors pushing with all his might, but they did not budge. To the right, he spotted an intercom panel and quickly pressed the button on it. A few seconds later, a feminine voice said: “Reference Number?” from out of the speaker. Firmly pressing the button, he replied “38792” and the doors unlocked.