On the first day I moved in, I noticed that door.
It’s like a silent shadow standing next door to my house. The door panel is old dark brown with no markings on it. Even the cat’s eyes seem to be blocked by something from the inside, black and endless.
I have lived here for three months.
In the morning, I will encounter office workers hurrying in the hallway; In the evening, you can smell the fragrance of food wafting from your neighbor’s house; Late at night, occasionally you can hear the sound of piano coming from upstairs. But only next door, that door, remained tightly closed and silent.
It is too quiet, as if it is a forgotten corner of this floor.
I started unconsciously paying attention to it.
For example, I found that the dust on the door was evenly distributed, unlike the messy feeling of someone regularly cleaning but not completely ignoring it.
For example, once when I came back from overtime late at night, under the voice controlled lights in the hallway, I seemed to see a very faint light shining through the crack of the door. But when I rubbed my eyes and looked closely, there was nothing left.
Also, the cat I keep named ‘Luna’ suddenly stops every time it passes by that door, arches its back, and emits a low ‘whimper’ sound. Its eyes are filled with fear and vigilance, and no matter how I pull it, it refuses to take another step forward.
These delicate clues, like invisible threads, weave a web in my heart, trapping my curiosity and making me feel a sense of inexplicable unease.
I started to guess, who exactly lives behind the door?
Is he a reclusive weirdo? Or… someone who doesn’t even exist?
This question is like a thorn, stuck in my throat, neither up nor down.
Finally, on a weekend afternoon, I couldn’t bear it anymore. I walked up to the door, took a deep breath, reached out my hand, and gently tapped.
Dong dong dong
The knocking on the door sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet corridor, and the lingering sound lingered for a long time.
I held my breath, waiting for a response from behind the door.
One second, two seconds, three seconds
Time passed by minute by minute, but there was still no movement behind the door.
Just as I thought there would be no response and was about to turn around and leave, the door slowly opened a crack without my defense.
I was startled and quickly took a step back, my heart pounding in my chest.
In the crack of the door, there was no monster or weirdo as I had imagined, only a furry paw that stretched out and gently rested on my hand.
That paw is very warm, with a familiar touch.
I was stunned, lowered my head, and looked at that paw.
Then, I saw a pair of round, expectant eyes peeking through the crack in the door.
It’s a cat.
A cat just like Luna at home.
Just as I was so surprised that I couldn’t speak, the cat behind the door meowed softly, and then I heard an old voice coming from behind the door:
Luna, is that you? I knew you wouldn’t forget me
I suddenly realized.
Originally, this door was never opened for me.
It has been waiting for the return of another ‘Luna’.
And the cat that was looking at me with hopeful eyes through the crack in the door, it was it that crossed the boundaries of time and space, opening this door to the past that had never been opened before for me.
