It Is Said (Mathias Bootmaker and the Keepers of the Sandbox) Read Free Page A

air. As he flew over the horse, out of the corner of his eye, he could see his last hope of fleeing this place vanish.  
    The wind violently deposited him several feet away. He rolled along Main Street never letting go of the reins of his once present companion. Miraculously, the Man in Black rolled up and onto his feet and in a defiant gesture he raised his fist into the air. He brandished the reins in his clutched hand to the sky like a trophy.
    “You can take everything away,” he screamed at the massive windstorm. “But I will not forget!”
    The reins disappeared along with his hat, guns, holsters, belt and boots. He was left standing in only his black pants, black shirt and bare feet.
    “I will not forget!” he screamed as the most devastating tornado ever seen in these parts arrived in Fears Corner.
    Building after building was simply blown apart. Annihilated in the tornado’s wake. It was traveling down Main Street and heading right at the Man in Black. He could see the end of the street. If he could just make it to the edge of town. He was running, but not fast enough.
    The twister was on the heels of the Man in Black when a door appeared at the end of the street. He threw his full weight against it, forcing the door open. The Man in Black stumbled inside and it slammed shut.
    The door stood alone against the oncoming onslaught. Its frame cracked, but held together. Its hinges squealed, but did not give. The doorknob, in the shape of a silver cowboy hat, rattled but did not turn.  
    The door wisely vanished before it could be destroyed.
     
     

2.
    Mathias Bootmaker
     
     

    The Man in Black found himself standing in a circular hallway full of doors. The all white walls and the all white doors left no room for darkness. In this shadowless place it was clear to see that he was not the cold and callous Man in Black. He had the same eyes, the same face, but the features were calmer, gentler.
    This was the face of a young man. A very confused young man.  
    “Mathias,” a woman’s voice whispered throughout the hall.
    The young man in black was surprised by the disembodied voice.  
    “Mathias,” she repeated, “find the doors.”
    He turned to the door closest to him. It was just like all the others, a simple white door in a simple white frame, but the doorknob was not like all the others. It was in the shape of a star. The knob on the door next to it was in the shape of a small tree. The one next to that was in the shape of a ribboned gift box. Every door was the same, but each knob was different.  
    Mathias reached for the star, grabbed it and turned the sparkling knob. The door was locked. Mathias reached for the small tree. Fruitless. He reached for the ribboned gift box. It would not open. He began trying door after door, knob after knob. The ship. The clown’s head. The question mark. None held the answer.
    The young man was now running down the circular hall frantically searching for something familiar. A knob he might recognize. But there were so many. With each turn of the hall, an entirely new set of doors presented themselves. He passed hundreds of doors, and no matter which one he tried he could not gain entrance.
    Mathias made one last turn and stopped. The circular hallway had come to its end.
    Before him stood a set of double doors. The doors were like all the other simple doors in simple frames. Except these doors were red and the knobs were sparkling gold, held in place by a set of crystal talons. The talons turned. All on their own. The lock clicked. The doors opened and Mathias stepped inside.  
    He found himself in the large entry hall of a grand house. Exotic artifacts, trinkets and mementos lined the walls. This was the home of a traveler and adventurer. But none of this mattered to the young man.   The only thing that mattered was the other door, on the opposite side of the room. He ran to it.
    Like the doors that granted him entrance to this palace, the door that led to the