A Walk Home From Work

When I was a child, I used to spend a lot of time in the hospital. I'm not sure what was wrong with me, I was so young at the time. My parents just told me I was very sick, so they took me to the doctor often. As a kid, the hospital was terrifying, so I found ways to distract myself. There was this one stretch of hallway that always stuck out in my head. The lights in the ceiling were so much brighter than in the rest of the hospital, and I couldn't figure out why. There was just this one weird part of the hall that was brighter than everywhere else. I found it fascinating, and in my childish logic, I decided the hallway must be magical. <br><br>Every time I went to the hospital, I insisted on walking down this hallway. It makes me chuckle now, but at the time, I was so serious whenever my parents took me to the hospital. They'd always say "Oh, we're not going on the magic road today" or "Yeah, we won't be walking past the magic road, sweetie". It became my one small comfort whenever I was dragged to the clinic. <br><br>Years have passed, and I'm not the tiny sick kid I used to be. I'm working at a restaurant to get myself through college, which is just a short walk from my apartment so I can save some money on gas. My life is busy. Work, study, repeat. My days are filled with the restaurant and my nights are filled with review and study. I barely have time for anything else. Still, it's worth it. If this means I can become a doctor one day, it'll be worth it. <br><br>Last night, though, was different. It had been a slow day at the restaurant, so we closed about an hour earlier than usual. I clocked out and headed out to my usual route home. I was deep in thought, deciding which books I needed to read for my upcoming exam when everything around me began to blur. I stumbled, almost fell, and everything went black. <br><br>I don't know how long I was out, but I woke up to the sound of footsteps and jingling keys. It was so dark. I couldn't see anything, but I could tell someone was approaching me. I sat up slowly, trying not to scare whoever it was. That's when I saw the woman. There just happened to be a streetlight about 10 feet away from me, and it cast an orange glow over her entire figure. She smiled and crouched down beside me, helping me sit up <br><br>"Hey, sweetie, are you ok? You passed out pretty fast. No blood or anything, I think you just need to go home and rest" she said calmly. <br><br>I nodded, still trying to see where I was. The street looked vaguely familiar, but I had no idea where my restaurant was from where I sat. <br><br>"Where am I?" I asked, trying to keep my breathing steady. <br><br>"You're less than a block away from my house. I think it's best if you go there, though, rest for a bit before you try walking again. I have a daughter about your age, I know she would want me to help you"<br><br>I nodded, slowly coming to my senses. She helped me stand up and we both walked down the street. The houses were big and fancy, and each yard had a small white fence around it. It reminded me of a fairy tale, and I smiled slightly, not realizing how long I stared at the houses. <br><br>"Oh, my gosh," the woman said, breaking my daze. "I'm so sorry, what's your name?" <br><br>"It's Tanya," I answered her. <br><br>"Well, Tanya, this is where I live. Let's go inside. I'll help you sit down and I'll go make some tea, then I'll call you a taxi so you can go home"<br><br>I smiled and followed her into her house. Inside, everything was decorated in white, cream, and a pale pink. There was a hallway that ran through the center of the house, leading to the backyard. The hallway gave me a strange sense of familiarity. I couldn't place where, but I knew I'd seen it before. It was so familiar. <br><br>The woman smiled and gestured to a room behind her. "You can go sit in the living room, I'll be back with your tea. My daughter will be down in a minute. She's just getting dressed"<br><br>I nodded and walked into the living room. It was decorated in more white and pink, and I sat on the couch, looking around at the various photos and decorations. I noticed pictures of the woman and two girls, a toddler and an older girl. I noticed the older girl wasn't smiling in any of the photos, and I couldn't help but wonder why. There were also various hospital photos, and it made me smile. Maybe she was a doctor. Maybe her daughter was a doctor. Maybe this was a sign I should be a doctor. <br><br>No, Tanya, I thought to myself. *You should be a doctor*. <br><br>I sat on the couch for a long time, sitting in silence. There was a TV, but I didn't see a remote. I was about to stand up and look for it when I heard a voice. <br><br>"Tanya, the tea is made. Come and get it"<br><br>I stood up and walked into the hallway. I looked around, trying to find the woman, and that's when I saw it. The hallway was brighter than the rest of the house, and I realized that the lights in the ceiling were much brighter than anywhere else. It was the magic road. <br><br>"Huh?" I mumbled. <br><br>"I'm in the kitchen. Come and get the tea, I think my daughter is awake now"<br><br>I ignored her, instead walking toward the magic road. It looked exactly how I remembered it, and I couldn't believe I'd forgotten. The woman talked behind me, but I ignored her. I was on the magic road, and nothing else mattered. <br><br>I walked and walked, but I never found the end. Finally, I turned back. I made my way back to the kitchen, and when I walked in, it was empty. There was a cup on the table. Teabag still in it. Steam still rising from it. I picked it up and took a sip, and when I did, everything went black again. <br><br>I woke up in my apartment, on my bathroom floor. My head pounded and my stomach roiled. There was blood all over my face, and as I sat up, I noticed I had a black eye. I struggled to my feet and hobbled to my phone to call my mom. <br><br>"Hey Tanya, how are you doing?" she asked sweetly. <br><br>I talked slowly, trying to figure out what had happened. "I-I don't know. I woke up on my floor, and I have a black eye and everything. Did I- did I come home drunk?"<br><br>"No, you went to work, but you texted your father and me saying you weren't feeling good. We came and picked you up and brought you home. You were asleep, so we didn't wake you up. Maybe you slept on the wrong side or something"<br><br>I rubbed my eye, trying to remember if I had gone to work. I didn't remember anything from the day before. <br><br>"Ma, did I go to work?"<br><br>"Oh, yeah, you went to the restaurant for a few hours. It was slow, and they let you go early, butthey said you were acting strange"<br><br>I frowned. I didn't remember working. I didn't remember leaving work. I didn't remember anything until I was on the road, and then the magic road, and now I'm here, on my floor, with a black eye. <br><br>"Mom, can you bring me some tea?"<br><br>"Oh, yeah, of course. Did you hit your head or something, sweetie?"<br><br>"Huh?"<br><br>"You asked me for tea. You haven't had tea since you were little, ever since you...you know"<br><br>I frowned, trying to remember. It'd been years since I'd had tea. I didn't like tea. Still, it sounded so...familiar. <br><br>"No, mom, I don't think so. Just bring me tea. I'm going to-"<br><br>"Okay, we'll be there in about 20 minutes"<br><br>"No, mom, I'm going to go to sleep now. I'll call you when I wake up, and-"<br><br>"Tanya, I'm on my way. I'll see you soon, sweetie. Don't call me. We'll be there soon. Don't fall asleep" <br><br>She hung up, and I set my phone on the counter. Tea sounded so nice all of a sudden. I crawled into my bed and closed my eyes, dreaming of tea, and the magic road. I could just see it, down that bright hallway. If only I could find the end one day.