Riddle Doors Novels & Stories

Finish what Eloise started? Clara opened the door. “You should rest now, Ma.” I stood up. “No, Clara. I’m just getting started” The silence that followed was heavy. Then Clara added, “You remind people of her. That’s why they’re afraid.” “Was she part of the riddles?” I asked. Clara looked confused. “Riddles?” “George’s riddles. The letters. The keys. The secret doors.” Clara stepped back. “I didn’t know about that.”

There were three doors before me, and I frowned. “Why am I here? Am I to choose where to go?” I asked myself as the symbol I noticed on the door glowed. I didn't know a lot about riddles. Most times, in openings like this, in books I read, the doorkeepers would ask riddles before an entrance. But gazing at the symbols again, I realized they were the zodiac signs of the scale, water bearer, and a crescent moon. As I continued to gaze at the door, I stepped towards the one that had the scale sign on it. Since it was my sign as well, and I didn't think I walked to it on my own. It was as if something propelled me towards it.

One unlocked door. I wonder which one will walk in first.

“Since you both don’t have an answer, we’ll skip the question. Just for the case of learning, the answer is: 365 days. 365.25 if you count the leap year.” Shit! I definitely knew that. “What has keys, but no locks; space, but no room; and you can enter, but never leave?” A riddle? I used to be so good at riddles, and I swear… I know this one. “A keyboard. Phone, laptop, or computer keyboard.” My opponent blunts out. I snap my head towards the digital LED screen, freezing in suspense, and for a moment, I hold my breath. “Correct! Congratulation Mr. Bald Man. You can now choose a weapon.”

“Factories don’t leave their doors wide open. They bury themselves in paperwork, cover stories, whispers only fools chase.” Shiloh narrowed her eyes. “And you know something?” “Maybe,” Ryder said, his smile sly. “Maybe I know the kind of place that hides in plain sight. Maybe I don’t.” Kofi groaned. “Here we go with the riddles.” But Shiloh stepped closer, her voice hard. “You in or not?” Ryder tilted his head, as if weighing the danger, then grinned. “I’ll come. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Some doors, once opened, don’t close again.”

Emily stopped talking as she heard the door close. “No!” she screamed, running to the door as it closed. She let her hand form a fist and hit the door miserably. “What?” Aaron asked, seeing her reaction to the door closing. “JJ went all out with this stupid game of his. The door won’t open until you find the clue, solve the riddle, and then enter the code.” “Okay, so what was the code?” “I don’t know.” “Okay, what was the riddle?” “Don’t know.”

“Okay. Let’s go down another floor.” Taking the stairs again, we continue down the floors until we reach a set of metal doors. Rowan runs his hands across the doors. “This one has no card reader.” Stopping beside him, I run my gaze across the door. There are no windows on the door, only a large symbol. “How are we going to get in?” I think out loud. Rowan presses his ear against the door for a moment. “I hear something.” Mimicking his move, I press my ear against the door and listen. Several seconds pass before a muffled cry reaches my ears. Flinching back, I look at Rowan. “Do you think it’s human?”

They were all written in capital letters. ‘OPEN THAT DOOR AND YOU WILL FIND ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO YOUR DOUBT’ What was this? A riddle or what? I frowned and placed the paper back into my jeans. “What a waste of time?” I frowned very hard. I turned to the right and my eyes caught that door. I widened my eyes, took the paper again. Oh fuck! This door, I never thought of it. I looked into the room quickly and saw that he was still sleeping. My legs and hands started vibrating as I walked closer to the room. My chest region was moving up and down and tension filled my whole body.

Together, we begin deciphering the cryptic symbols etched into the door, our minds intertwin in a dance of ancient knowledge and intuition. Piece by piece, we unravel the hidden meaning behind the symbols, piecing together fragments of forgotten history and long-lost prophecies. The door trembles under our touch, resonating with the power of our combined efforts. And finally, as I trace the last line of text, the door begins to emit a soft, radiant light.

As I crossed the threshold, the symbols on the walls flared, and a new challenge emerged—a glowing riddle scrawled across the corridor ahead: “What flows without form, yet shapes mountains with time? Choose its vessel wisely.” Before me were five doors, each marked with a symbol: a flame, a stream, a gust, a stone, and a tree. "Water flows," I whispered, stepping toward the door marked by the stream. But something stopped me. The air around the door felt wrong, heavy with an unspoken warning. ‘The answer isn’t just water,’ Naila said. ‘It’s patience.’ I turned to the door marked by the tree, its roots etched into the wood like veins.