along the coast. As far as I could see, there were no traces of civilization anywhere.
After we walked about a mile and a quarter down the winding path, we finally reached the edge of the grove. About fifty yards away from that corridor of trees, we found a weird welcome sign. Our jaws dropped when we saw a square green sign with a male and a female silhouette. The images were drawn side by side and had one hand up, as if they were saying hello to us. That reminded me of the messages we sent to space last century…
“What does this mean?” Angelica had stopped suddenly and her muscles were tense. “Is someone waiting for us? Dammit, what's going on?”
We had to keep going to find out. We took a few more steps out of the grove. That's when we were able to admire the futuristic, majestic building erected at the bottom of a hill. It was a very large farmhouse with an exuberant garden and bushes. I started walking faster, pulling Angelica by the hand.
Once we approached the farmhouse, we stopped to admire it. The house was white and had a post-modern look with large stained-glass windows all over the place. It looked like a “V” with a flat base. There was a terrace on the concave part of it, with a splendid wooden porch. Next to it, there was a trapeze-shaped pool and everything was surrounded by orchids arranged in a complex design.
The construction material had actually called my attention. It wasn't cement or metal, and it reflected light in a weird way―at least a way I had never seen before, because it was luminescent. Does anyone live there?―I wondered.
We followed a path around the pool, crossed the terrace, and approached the entrance, where there were two openings. They were two common doors with a knob, one on the right and another one on the left, each displaying the corresponding silhouette of a man or a woman.
“Wrong door… It must be the bathroom,” I said.
“It's true…” Angelica couldn't help but laugh, and her face lit up to highlight her beauty. “I needed to go anyway. Excuse me.”
Unbelievable! She's about to go in through that door by herself. She's either going nuts, or she's under the influence of a mysterious force―I thought as I watched her acting so recklessly.
Angelica opened the door as naturally as possible and went in. After being shocked for a moment, I tried to follow her, but something unexpected happened: I wasn't able to go in. I tried to cross the threshold of that weird door, but it just didn't happen. A mysterious force did not allow me to take a step further. It was a repelling force, just like the one that occurs between two magnets when the polarities are charged the same. The more effort I made to go in, the stronger the force repelling me was.
I walked about fifteen feet backwards and ran towards the door with as much force as my body mass and speed could generate. Then I was thrown some six feet away from the door, which finally closed to separate me from Angelica. I pushed against the door with my shoulder, I kicked it, I pounded on it, but it was all in vain. What a strange material… It’s similar to wood, but much stronger—I thought as I saw I couldn’t really damage it. I wasn’t able to leave a single scratch on it.
“Angelica! Angelica!” I yelled her name to no avail. I was unable to communicate with my friend.
Then I tried the other door, the one displaying the male silhouette. I placed my shaky hand on the knob, turned it and crossed the threshold without any issues.
The wonders of that day never ceased to amaze me. I just stood there, admiring the beauty of that luxurious place. It was as if I had entered a castle of one thousand and one nights owned by an oil tycoon from Russia.
It had one gigantic, open room with designated areas. It was well furnished and practical, like those houses in the decoration magazines my wife likes so much. I was impressed by the large, relaxing Jacuzzi, the sauna, and complete gym with a stationary bike, treadmill and other multipurpose machines—all of them equipped with state-of-the-art holographic technology. There was an island in the kitchen, which seemed to have all modern appliances known to man, including self-cleaning technology—which I had never seen with my own eyes because I’ve always assumed it was something only rich people could afford. Then there was the multimedia center with the usual TVC system (TV + computer), in addition to some devices that, as an IT Consultant, I was ashamed to say I could not recognize. Apparently, that house had one single floor and high ceiling—160 feet high, actually. The walls inside and around the perimeter were transparent, made of a glass-like material that was abundant throughout the house.
I saw Angelica out of the corner of my eye and started to yell and jump up and down to get her attention, but she was too busy admiring the house, or maybe looking for something to wear. In such a well-decorated house, I’m sure you’ll find some fabric that suits your style. It would be nice to finally cover our naked bodies—I thought, looking for something as well.
The decoration followed a western style, so I knew I had to look through closets and drawers. Angelica went on in her pursuit on the other side of the wall and I decided to look through the furniture. Nothing… All closets and drawers were completely empty.
I went into a room that had a king-size bed, confirming that it was meant to be a bedroom. The closets were also empty and there weren’t even sheets or blankets to improvise a toga. Nothing at all… It was as if someone was conspiring against us, so that we would keep our Adam and Eve costumes.
The bed was made of wood boards and, on top of it, there was a mattress covered with a silky fabric, and two classic pillows made of synthetic rubber. There was another door in the room, and I saw Angelica suddenly coming in.
“Man! There’s only one bedroom with a double bed!”
“I’m glad you’re happy to see me, too. No need to throw a party, though,” I said ironically, after confirming that I wasn’t among her priorities.
None of us needed to be a brain surgeon in order to understand that nobody lived in that house. Angelica had searched all rooms and knew there was only one bedroom, which we’d have to share.
“So, it looks like nobody lives here…”
“Do you really think this house is completely empty and was put together specially for us?” I asked, flabbergasted.
Angelica turned her back to me, hiding her breasts and pubic area, but exposing other important physical attributes.
“Did you see the signs? I’ve started to suspect that’s the case, exactly.”
I hadn’t seen any signs, but maybe it had been my oversight, because I was too distracted looking for other things.
“Look at the walls. There are some drawings leading to the bedroom.”
“Say it, Angelica… What’s on your mind?”
She hesitated for a second before trying to express her thoughts in a confused, disorganized way, as if she herself were unsure of what she was saying, as if it were all a figment of her arbitrary female intuition.
“You know… This house… We’re both naked… There is only one path leading us here and nobody else around. Where are the owners? And, most importantly, where are we? These signs on the walls are everywhere…”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m not trying to say anything; it’s just a feeling. Maybe I’m wrong,” she shook her head.
Those half-formed sentences brought to mind the picture of a
