Sleeping Beauty

I saw this door out of the corner of my eye as I was speedwalking out of Rosehill Cemetery.   The gates to the cemetery close at 5:00 pm sharp and at 4:59 I was cutting it close.  I had spent too much time trying to get pictures of a herd of deer having a lovely stroll amongst the headstones.  As I rushed toward the front gate, I desperately hoped that my watch had the same time as the sexton’s.

Initially I walked past the door.  I really didn’t want to get locked in the cemetery.  It was a frigid February evening, I wouldn’t survive the night in cold and I wasn’t sure that I had the physical prowess to climb over the wall.  But I knew I would regret not taking the picture so I doubled back.  I figured if I got locked in, it would make a good story.

I love seeing vines on walls in the winter.  Without their leaves you can see the beautiful and intricate lines they create, as if someone took a giant marker and drew on the side of a building.  It’s not often I see them covering doors.  This door made me think of fairy tales and Disney movies.  I imagined the vines snaking their way over the stone wall and the door, trapping a princess inside as an evil witch laughs maniacally in the background.   Perhaps Sleeping Beauty is behind that door, snoozing away, waiting for Prince Charming to wake her.  For her sake, I hope not.  I’ve been dating in Chicago for 20+ years.  Prince Charming is not in the area.

Thankfully my story, like any good fairy tale, had a happy ending.  I got my, picture, escaped the cemetery and lived happily ever after.

The End.