“Hey Kimber, I dare you to go knock on the door!,” Ryker shouted in my ear. My real name of course, is Kimberlynn, but all the guys just call me Kimber instead. I didn’t really mind, in fact being named after pistons and rifles felt kind of cool.

We were all walking through the old, abandoned park field. Weeds had taken over during the past few years. They were pretty weeds, though.

“Really Ryker? Really?,” Wren called from partway across the field. She came back over to join us.

“What? Why not?,” Axel chuckled.

I shrugged and we all bolted to the front door of the weathered, gray, wooden house. I shivered at the bite of the autumn breeze, and I huddled deeper in my dark leather jacket, the one identical to all the others’. My footsteps felt surprisingly heavy as we cluncked up the stairs. My arm swung up to hit the door, but somebody else was already banging. Whoever it was, they didn’t stop. I looked back at the rest of the gang and realized it wasn’t them. The door swung open, breaking away the fencepost, and sucking us in with mysterious force.

The voice was rough, coming from all around the lavender swirls. It screamed only one word, “Stop!” The ear-piercing shrieks finally ended as we were thrown onto the dirt covered floor. This particular room had no windows, only one tiny door the size of my bare palm. Wren and Axel laid down on a pile of hay in the corner of the room, figuring Ryker and I would take care of it. Of course I had no ideas, so I sat down to.
Wren sprang up, “WHAT?”
I let out a heavy, airy, “huh?,” slowly looking up at her long, black and red hair covering her soft, vampire-like face.
“Why are you just giving up?,” she yelled in my face.
I shrugged. “Why not? I’m no better than either of you.”
“Ryker? Do you know how to get us out?,” There was no reply. “Ryker?”
“Guys! Check it out!” He started walking towards the miniature door, and he seemed to be shrinking. “It must be an optical illusion!”
We all ran towards the door and slowly turned the knob. Or, at least we tried to. Axel’s gigantic monster hands tore it right off. Wren started yelling violently, punching the door with the side of her fist. One strong blow caused the door to rip down in pieces.
The next room had a long, narrow window, but there was a sturdy metal screen screwed in front. I immediately noticed a small hole in the ground.
“Aw, great!”, Axel and Wren called in unison. Sometimes I feel like they can read each others’ minds. Being the braggart he is, Ryker boasted he knew a way to get us out. He started punching the wall, and the others followed. I knelt down at the hole, and noticed a small cylinder wedged inside. It was a weird, futuristic bottle, but I could tell it was very old. I screwed off the top and pulled out a small piece of paper. It read:
Dear Reader,

I see you have been snooping around my house. I hate unwanted visitors! Too bad you don’t have a way out! Next time you’ll have to remember the key to escape. Find it now, or your stay here will never end. Flying solo is the easiest way to go. Try it out and you might be surprised.


Sincerely, Granny Hartley

Should I tell the others, or should I try “flying solo”? I realized there must be a key, so I started searching the cracks between every wood panel. I couldn’t find anything, but then I saw a shimmer by the window. I crept over, reached up, and felt around for the old piece of metal. I brought it down only to realize that it wasn’t a key at all! It was a tiny pocket knife equipped with everything from a miniature axe to a toothpick. I turned the antique over in my hands a couple times, and noticed a colorful strip of tape marking the screwdriver. Of course! I stretched my arms out to their full extent, hoping to reach the window. Ugh. I was too short. I guess I would have to share with the gang. I handed the knife to Axel, the tallest of us all. He twisted out the screws with ease, and punched right through the glass. He heaved himself through the opening, and a crazy alarm sounded. It sounded weird, like we had just won a game show. Ryker helped me up, and the first thing I saw was Axel receiving a check for $100 dollars from a sweet-looking old lady. Wren came through after me, followed by Ryker. Our jaws dropped as the woman congratulated Axel on finding the way out.

“Wait! He didn’t solve it! I did!” I yelled. I felt like Mario with a fire-flower power up that was about to overheat.

“Too bad! You don’t follow the instructions, you don’t get the prize,” the woman claimed.

There was so much frustration building up inside of me, and I knew I should have done it myself. I just had to be so short. Finally the anger was released and I shot accross the field screaming and cursing as I ran. Ryker followed me and tried to calm me down. I felt a lot better, but I never wanted to see Axel’s face ever again.

Since then, Axel turned into a super mega jerk. Of course I still regret the decision I made that cost me 100 bucks. Ryker, Wren, and I are still great friends, but it just feels different now. It isn’t a bad thing, it just somehow opened my eyes and now I see everything a bit more clear.