Promptings from Valhalla - 4. O. Henry Prompt - The Green Door

Rudy pressed the down button on the wall panel repeatedly, scowling at the numbers above the elevator doors. The arrow was on the lit-up two. He was on the top floor. The twentieth. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his tattered jeans and paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

So much for his little ‘adventure’. He’d have to have a word with the behemoth outside. Rudy pulled the crumpled business card out of his pocket and stared at it. The Green Door were the only words imprinted on it. A large African-American man had given it to him just outside the building. He had given him five, in fact. Each one bearing the same three words. Curious, he’d checked the cards discarded by others who took them from the man. Those advertised an investment company. He’d have thrown them out, too.

The Green Door intrigued him. Rudy longed for adventure. Something…anything….to take his mind off the dull drudgery of daily life. He wondered if he was suffering a mid-life crisis. He was forty and had nothing to show for it. No family to speak of. He never had kids. Hell, he didn’t even have a partner. He had no hobbies or discernable talent. He lived alone and drifted from dead-end job to dead-end job, happy when he was able to keep one for more than a year without getting fired.

He stopped his pacing and looked up to check the elevator’s progress. The arrow was now on the number ten. Well, at least it was moving in the right direction, even if it was maddeningly slow. Rudy flung the business card to the side, not caring where it landed. He didn’t know what he’d expected when he entered the building, but he had expected something. What he didn’t anticipate was wasting half a day walking around twenty floors of an empty building and finding no reference to a green door.

The elevator bell dinged and the doors slid open. Rudy stepped inside and raised his hand to press the button for the lobby, only to freeze when he noticed an addition to the panel he was sure hadn’t been there before. Above the numbers nineteen and twenty was a plain green button. He pressed it shakily and the elevator lurched upwards, stopping after about ten seconds.

Rudy stepped into a hallway that was markedly different from the others in the building. The rest of the building contained plants and banal decorations along with numerous numbered rooms. This floor contained only plain wooden paneling that led to a single door. A green door.

Rudy’s heart beat faster. Finally, he was getting somewhere. He strode down the long hallway and contemplated the door in front of him. It was wooden and painted forest green. The metal handle looked the same as those attached to all the other doors in the building. For such a big build-up it was a rather ordinary thing.

Rudy inhaled, then exhaled as he turned the handle and pushed it open, crossing the threshold. He gasped and stared at the room he had just entered. He didn’t really know what he’d find when he finally found the green door, but a pristine, white room was not on his list.

The room was bare, save for a black desk right in the middle of it, with a lone occupant behind it. It was the behemoth from outside. He wore a crisp, white suit in stark contrast to his ebony skin. On the wall behind him were two more doors - one bright red and one deep blue. These were as ornate as the green one was plain. The red door was surrounded by carved flames and adorned with a painting that surely represented the circles of hell. The blue door was surrounded by carved waves and clouds and painted with an idyllic nature scene.

A deep rumble of laughter brought Rudy’s attention back to the ebony man seated at the desk. He gestured to the chair in front of the desk. “Please have a seat Mr. Steiner. I’ve been expecting you.”

Rudy raised an eyebrow. “How do you know my name?”

“Oh come now…you didn’t think you were offered that card by chance now, do you?”

“Uh…I guess not. Why am I here?”

“You’re being offered something afforded to very few. A second chance.”

“A second chance? What are you talking about? A second chance at what?” Rudy wondered if he was about to become involved in something illegal. With the amount of back rent he owed, he doubted he’d be able to say no.

“Life, Mr. Steiner. You’re being offered a second chance at life.”

The blood drained from Rudy’s face. Someone was threatening his life? He didn’t lead the most fulfilling existence, but he wasn’t ready for it to end.

“Wh…wha…what do you mean?”

“Think back on the events of today.”

Rudy had slept in ‘til nine, then walked to his favorite diner for breakfast. He was walking home when he had encountered the man he was currently sitting in front of and spent the rest of the day in search of the green door.

He looked at the man quizzically.

“What happened when you left the diner?”

“I started to walk home, but was curious about that card you gave me so decided to check it out.”

“Mr. Steiner…what happened when you tried to cross the street in front of the diner?”

Rudy frowned. “I stepped into the street and was almost flattened by some asshole who ran the light.”

The ebony man nodded.

Rudy’s eyes widened. “You haven’t told me your name,” he said quietly.

“You can call me Peter.”

Rudy sank against the back of the chair. “That asshole did flatten me, didn’t he?”

“Yes. Mr. Steiner, you have talents you didn’t make use of in this life. If you choose a second chance, we expect you to make use of those talents.”

“We?”

Peter didn’t respond, but Rudy got the message.

“What do I have to do?” Rudy asked, sitting straighter.

“Choose a door.” Peter angled his body and gestured behind him.

Rudy nodded. “Why me? I never amounted to much. Shouldn’t someone more deserving get a second chance?”

Peter smiled. “We happen to think you’re worth it. The choice is yours.”

Rudy walked over to the doors and stood in between them. There was writing on each that couldn’t be seen from a distance.

“Solve the riddle and choose your fate.” Peter’s deep voice sounded in his ear.

Rudy read each riddle and smiled. The choice seemed obvious, and it didn’t take long for him to decide. “Thank you. I’ll try not to disappoint you.”

Peter nodded. “Good luck, Mr. Steiner.” He bowed slightly. “Until we meet again.”

“Yeah.” Rudy took a deep breath, opened the red door, and walked through it.

He jumped backwards when he heard the squeal of tires, falling into the arms of the man behind him.

“Wow! That was a close one! Good thing you moved or that asshole would have flattened you!”

Rudy stood shakily, then looked at the man who still held onto his arms, steadying him. He blinked a few times. What the hell had just happened?

“Hey man, you ok?”

Rudy nodded. The bright green eyes of the man in front of him were mesmerizing. He grinned. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Hey, you wanna grab a cup of coffee or something? It’s on me. A thank you for saving my life.”

The man laughed. It sounded like music to Rudy’s ears. “Well you’re the one who fell into me. I just happened to catch you.” He winked. “Coffee sounds great.”

Rudy had no memory of his encounter with Peter, but had a feeling that his life was about to take a turn for the better.