Excerpt: Haven

The front steps were marbled, and went I stepped up, I could feel the spot where decades of wear from people’s footsteps had worn away the stone. I knew in that moment that there was a lot of history to the building. I could feel it when I looked up at the great wooden door. It looked to me exactly as I would have imagined the door of a castle, complete with a great knocker in the shape of some sort of animal head. If I hadn’t been so nervous about what I might find on the other side of the door, I might have laughed at the stereotypical creepiness of the castle. I felt a little like I was walking into a Gothic novel.
I reached out to grab the knocker, thinking it was probably my best bet for announcing my presence. But then I noticed on the side of the doorway what looked like an everyday, modern doorbell. It certainly looked out of place, but I took it as a comforting sign that maybe a hunchback wouldn’t show up to answer the door. Feeling emboldened, I pressed the button.
I paused for a few seconds. To me they felt like forever. Time dragged on as I tried to decide if I should ring the bell again or not. My hand was hovering over the doorbell, about to sound the bell again. Then, so suddenly that I jumped again, the door creaked open.