My surge of freedom came to a crashing halt when I stood on the other side of the door.

Only feet from me sat a little monster, at a boomerang shaped desk. Not looking up me, he was deep in his paper work.

I held my breath.

I mean, I knew I was going into a different world, but...

He was a coal black colored fellow, with scales like a crocodile and six arms and five eyes, sporting the most fabulous pink mustache. He wore a blue hard hat with a large letter "M" on it, with an eye in the center.

What the... Where am I?

Am I in a factory?

Surrounded by even more monsters?

I looked over my shoulder at the door I had just escaped from. On the left side was a small square panel with white and red buttons. On the other side was a monstrous yellow canister hooked up to the metal frame of the door.

I looked both ways. Doors similar to mine lined the floor.

How absurd! A factory! So that's how it works! But, why? How is this possible? And what purpose? Oh, who cares! It's real! It's really really real! I knew it was true! Monsters do exist! Monsters do exist! There is another dimension! I'm not mad after all! There ARE monsters in your closet. I wanted to leap about and scream with joy.

And then I realized how compromising my situation was. I was standing in the center of the long rectangular room, monsters of every shape and every size at every station at every door, going about their everyday work, talking of everyday things, sitting at their everyday desks...

There is a feeling that one might have in a dream, where one does not have any pants on. In this dream, you feel exposed, naked, and desperate to hide anywhere before anyone sees you and your shame.

And that is how I felt at that moment, in a pink kitty onesie, complete with a kitty head hoody, surrounded by mysterious creatures. Completely exposed.

If anyone looks in my direction...

Before the little coal monster could look up, I darted behind Jackson's closet door.

I wonder what would happen if I opened the door from this side...Could I get back? Was I trapped in this world?

I clamped my hand over my mouth, trying to quiet my panic.

What have I done?

* * *

Mark glanced up from his paperwork. He could have sworn he had seen something pink and stalky from the corner of his eye.

But before he could do any further investigation, Phil Lester stepped out of the door at the station.

"Hey, brother." Phil titled his head with a concerned expression on his face. "Mark, what's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, just thought I saw something." Mark coughed into the inside of his elbow.

"Oh chanksploon! You coming down with something, mate?" Phil said, ignoring his smaller head, Dan, as he thrashed at Phil once more for his attention.

"Aw no, I'll be fine." Mark sniffed, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. "Just a little sore throat I suppose." Mark began to cough. His wet and heavy cough drifted through the air, and sailed in the direction of the door station. The cough swirled around the brown door, and--

* * *

I inhaled deeply, trying to avoid panic.

Ok, ok, ok, just, just, just breathe. Just breathe.

This isn't Halloweentown. This isn't a dark cave in the darkest depths of an evil forest. This isn't scum under the bed. This is... They're... They're...

Civilized, I think.

Yes, yes they are. I do believe they are!

They're... They're...

This is dream, isn't it.

I laughed in relief. Yes! Yes of course, this is just a vivid dream! I'm asleep on Jackson's floor by his closet right now. Oh what a relief. Well I'm ready to wake up now so...

I slapped myself.

Nope, I was definitely awake.

"Aw no, I'll be fine. Just a little sore throat I suppose." Said a voice from the other side of the door.

It coughed.

HOLY CRAP THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING—

I took another silent gulp of air. Odd, it almost felt wet. Unclean.

I jumped up at the sound of scrapping metal coming just above my ear. I looked over my shoulder, and watched in dismay as the yellow canister was pried from the metal frame. When it was detached, Jackson's closet door began to rise.

My hiding place was no more.

If they saw me...

I actually didn't know what they would do. But I was gonna go out on a limb, and say they probably didn't want kids coming through from the other side.

Without thinking, I turned, and began somersaulting to the right, tucking in as tightly as possible, desperate to hide my face myself from all prying eyes.

I passed behind door after door, station after station, monster after monster, hoping I was somewhat inconspicuous, my human features hidden behind my tent like pink onesie. I was more conspicuous than just plain running, away...

Please don't notice me, please don't notice me.

Who knows, maybe I look like some weird ball-like monster?

I only stopped when I bumped into a wall.

I ignored the throbbing in my head. Keep going keep going.

I sprung to my feet and speed-walked away, pulling my kitty hood over my face.

But what if they don't care? What if they're cool? What if they could help me? What if they are totally chill about me coming into their world like this?

Yeah um, no.

I walked into a hallway under a gigantic billboard, past a receptionist's booth, and took a left.

Please don't notice me, please don't notice me.

I scurried down a never ending hallway, searching for an exit through all the entrances to corridors that were identical in design.

They all look the same. How am I supposed to get out of here—

As I passed a hallway, I crashed into someone walking out of one of the corridors.

"Ack!"

It wasn't one monster, but two. The first was tall, bulky, hairy, and midnight blue, with two horns where his ears should be. The other was a green clam shaped creature. He sprouted two eyes at the top of his head, and blue braces. Long, swooping, stringy, dreaded bangs dangled from his scalp. Both monsters wore hard hats similar to that of the coal and pink mustache monster at the desk. Blue, with an M logo. They were late teenagers, maybe young adults. I concluded they were janitors, as they were pushing a cart with mops, brooms, and garbage cans.

They sat on the floor, dazed and confused, recovering from the crash. I stood there, my feet now blocks of ice.

I had been caught.

It's the end of the line.

They stared at me, and got to their feet. Brushing off their knees, I waited for them to scream. To call for help. For sirens. Chaos. Panic. Anarchy. And everything in between. Or, I don't know, just a hug and a loopy pop. Really, just being optimistic at this point.

It was the end of the line.

Giving myself up, I was about to open my mouth when—

"Woah, dude! That is totally awesome!" the tall one said, adjusting his hard hat.

"Pardon me?"

"The newbie even has the voice down, too!" the green one remarked.

"I'm sorry—"

"Neat Halloween costume, newbie! Just like you said." The tall one punched me in the shoulder.

"Uh—?"

"It's so realistic! Didn't think you'd come through with it!"

"Yeah, I know, right?" The green clam-like one looked at his companion. "Dude, it's like a costume, IN a costume!" They slapped each other's hand-like limbs. "Psych!"

Who needs arms with legs like these?

I'm no idiot. At least that's what my files tell me.

Oh yeah, um, uh no, haha, um, thanks, but um.. No, I'm real?

Wonder what kind of reaction that would garner.

"Yeah, thanks bros!" I gave them a high five. "Human kids are the bomb dot com!"

They fist pumped. Oh how it pained me to witness such a cringe-worthy level of teenage behavior.

So this is how people see us.

Great. Juuust great.

"Yo dude." I died a little bit inside, as desperate as I was to survive. "Which way is the exit? I'm sorry, I just still don't know my way around here, ya know? It's SOOO big!"

"No problem, newbie. It's like, a MAZE in here! We'll take you to outside. Don't want to be late for those sick parties you'll be crashing tonight!"

"Thanks bros!" I exclaimed.

Why me.

WHY ME.

If I had to talk like this any longer being revealed and captured would almost seem a sweet release.

The two led me through the empty hallways, past a door labeled locker room (Monsters have those?), until from the hallway I could see beyond a domelike front lobby, built with a grand institutional design, with a big beautiful tile painting of the world covering the curving walls. Ahead of me lay two white glass doors, emitting pink sunlight through it. And not a second too soon. At that moment a bell rang, signifying what I could only guess to be quitting time. In minutes, this place would be swarming with monsters.

Quitting time.

It really began to hit me.

THIS IS THEIR JOB.

"There you are, newbie! Happy Halloween! See you at work tomorrow!" the deep blue colored one said.

"Thanks, guys! I'll see you later!" I finished off, making a bee-line to the door.

* * *

"Aw yeah, man." Johnson said as he walked away with the cart. "Sick costume. But nothing compared to ours, right Plesuski?"

"Oh, you know that's right!" Plesuski blew his hair out of his face. "Our cow costume is going to be off the hook." They then both bumped into another monster. He was as tall as Johnson, yet much rounder, and as red as blood, with his eyes sitting on top of his head. He wore a horridly shambled looking paper mache mask that which was supposed to resemble a human child, and a poorly sewn together pink cat costume with a hood to match.

"Hey, newbie! Just ran into you! Boy, that was fast. You must have partied hard! Your costume is all torn up!"

"What?" he grunted.