Rules were always meant to be broken, sooner or later, by either the tyrants; the I-don't-give-a-flying-fuck, I-do-whatever-I-want-to, or the curious ones.
Will was curious.
The rule was stupid! Baseless, and without any reason. This was the twenty first century afterall, breaking barriers was what we were all about, right? That was what he had told his father two months ago and that had earned him a hard slap across the face.
"You will do as I have said and stay away from that attic!"
That was it. The unbroken rule was to stay away from the attic. But then rules were meant to be broken. Changed. Reformed. It had been put in place by great grandpa, the man was long dead anyway, Will thought. Not like he would mind or anything. So that early July morning he had snuck upstairs to the attic. He stood facing the door for a long time, contemplating.
'I'll just sneak in and out.' He opened the door.
Once in, he quietly closed the door, it took his eyes time to adjust to the dim light so he rested his back on the door and sighed, until he was jerked by a voice.
"So you're the curious one, eh?" An old man spoke casually.
Will snapped his head. There were three men in the room. Three old looking men, sitting round a small wooden table playing cards. One in particular was smirking at him, the familiarity in his face stunned Will.
"Great grandpa?" He called, too surprised to make sense of anything.
"In the flesh boy!" He sounded rather excited. Will was cautious. He stood still by the door, a hand still on the door knob.
"Now, I ain't gonna eat you Will. Come a bit closer let me see you face."
"How would you know my name? If you really are great grandpa then you're sup...."
"......supposed to be dead?" He slapped a palm on his knees in laughter, completing the young man's sentence. The two other men hadn't spoken a word. Finishing their game of cards was of more importance to them than being discovered.
Discovered alive.
Will did a quick calculation. He was twenty seven and his dad was in his seventies, which would mean that great grandpa here was....
"You shouldn't have come in here." He suddenly said soberly, looked at Will and stood up, walking towards him. "You curious little lab rat!" He flared and stomped his foot hard on the wooden floors. Will flinched, surprised at the old man's appearance and stamina. His voice boomed with a sort of youthful eagerness. This was in no way a great grandpa.
"How....how old are you supposed to be?"
"What? Isn't that obvious?" He opened both hands and raised an eyebrow. One of the other men coughed and the youthful old man, as if on cue mouthed an "oh". He didn't look his age. Being here had caused their bodies to grow younger.
"Well, last I was....say, sixty eight? Till I came here that is....so I....hmmm..." Pause. "I've never thought someone would be asking me that." He chuckled and placed both hands on his hips. "I didn't keep count, how old are you boy?"
Boy? "Twenty six." He paused before adding, "dad is in his seventies."
"Tommy boy is seventy? I was of the though that he had died. I don't hear his loud bossy voice anymore. Huh! Well boy," he stood straight and proud, "great grandpa here should be close to two hundred years."
Two hundred! Impossible!
"You said you could hear....no, didn't hear dad?"
"Ohh yes, all your laments and wails and all that." He rolled his eyes. "We could hear all of you arguing at the dinner table. Always." He replied with a scoff and took a seat
"But I like Kenzie though." He laughed. The other two laughed. Will frowned. They knew of his fiance.
"I love her voice, especially at night. She is quite a delicious screamer." The old man winked. Will felt disgusted. Damn perverts! The walls really do have ears.
"So you knew I was going to come in here?"
"Sadly yes. Your generation never listen anyway." He said running his temples like this back and forth questioning was giving him a headache.
"Why don't you come out? And how are you not dead?" Will didn't mean to wish him death but two hundred years? Really?
"Ohh that, yes, we just needed someone to open the door from that side. Yunno, we are frail old men with rickety and squeaky joints. Moving can be a pain, so we waited and viola! You came!"
Will caught no hint of sarcasm. The old man was mentally unbalanced he concluded, rolled his eyes. Great grandpa folded his hands, a smile on the corner of his lips as he watched will twist the door knob and pull. A strong blast of wind blew a handful of snow into Will's face, he stepped back, bringing an arm up to cover his face. What the hell?
"Hey! He got snow!" One of the men yelled in excitement, lifting both hands in the air. Great grandpa chuckled.
"What....?" Will looked at the old man.
"Lucky number two? Try again."
Will closed the door and opened, this time there was no snow, just an endless desert. He began to panic. This door. He had come in from this door.
"Maybe your mind is playing tricks? Again?" The old man said.
Close. Open. Jungle. Close. Open. Mountains. Close. Open. No. Close. Open. Close. Open. Close.
"Make yourself comfy boy, you'll be here for a short time. It will only be forever." The old man went back to the table and picked a card. Will began to hyperventilate. His heart was pounding in his chest, his eyes were swimming. What was happening??
"What's...I don't unde....."
"Next time you listen! Don't come to the attic! There was a reason I made that rule before I came in here, it was because I knew! Your stupid generation will drown in curiosity!"
Will was panicking, cold sweats broke out all over his body. He was breathing hard and fast, pacing, murmuring. The three men faced their game, totally ignoring him. He would calm down.
Eventually.
"What of.....have you tried......" Will was looking around the room, every corner, every wall, he noticed there were no windows in here. His eyes scanned the room, they landed on a door that blended well into the wall. His hope lit up. He ran for it.
"What of this door?" He grabbed the knob, twisted.
"What door...?" Great grandpa turned. His eyes widened in horror. "No! Don't....!"
Too late.
Will was thrown back from the open door with brute force. It was finally out...
Good article