An Inn in the ForestBlog – Part 5For several moments, I stood motionless before the ancient door.The unseen voice had fallen silent, leaving only the distant murmur of the forest.My hand remained upon the key.I knew that once the lock turned, there might be no returning to the life I had known.Slowly, I took a deep breath.The key turned without resistance.There was no click.No grinding of rusty metal.Instead, the door opened by itself, silently, as though it had been waiting for that single moment through countless
An Inn in the Forest Blog – Part 5 For several moments, I stood motionless before the ancient door. The unseen voice had fallen silent, leaving only the distant murmur of the forest. My hand remained upon the key. I knew that once the lock turned, there might be no returning to the life I had known. Slowly, I took a deep breath. The key turned without resistance. There was no click. No grinding of rusty metal. Instead, the door opened by itself, silently, as though it had been waiting for that single moment through countless centuries. Beyond the doorway lay neither a room nor another forest. It was a vast hall illuminated by countless lanterns hanging in empty air. None of them had chains. None appeared to be held by anything visible. Yet they floated peacefully, filling the endless chamber with a warm golden light. Rows upon rows of empty chairs stretched into the distance. Every chair faced the same direction. At the far end of the hall stood a single figure dressed in a...