This piece was inspired by a photograph taken in 2006 of a storefront that had two different doors with the same address. It’s located on Tompkins Avenue between Jefferson Avenue and Hancock Street in New York City.
While his mom went in red door 406 she said he could go into black door 406. That was ok with him because that’s where the toys were. Also stationery, but who would be interested in that? You could tell it was a good toy store because there were no dolls in the window – just cars and model airplane kits and Star Wars action figures. The place was a storefront in the City. Curiously, both doors were numbered the same, but it was unclear where the red door led – up some stairs maybe.
They knew him pretty well at black door 406 because his mom went in red door 406 fairly often. Sometimes she gave him money to buy something. “What’ll it be today?” asked Jerry behind the cash register. He had bushy eyebrows and black beard stubble. He and his brother Larry ran the store.
“I don’t know, I have to look.” Hands in his pockets he walked slowly down the toy side of the store, eyes roving slowly and judiciously over kits of model airplanes, trains, and ships. He stopped and turned a revolving display of die-cast old cars: Thunderbirds, Mustangs, Corvettes, race cars.
He felt the sweat drip down his cheeks underneath his driver’s helmet. The motor throbbed beneath him. The dirt track was clear through his goggles. Just up ahead he could see the green fenders of the last car he had to pass before he was ahead. Then it was a clear straight run to the checkered flag. A hundred thousand dollars would be his! His mom could quit going to red door 406 and his dad could quit his second job. He couldn’t hear it because the engine noise was too loud, but the crowd was roaring. They were on their feet, waving pennants and cheering!
“Aren’t you going to visit me today?” The whisper in the back corner of the store broke through his day dream. More a hiss than a whisper. He opened his eyes, and turned toward the bookshelf in the corner. The book stood upright and slightly open on the shelf. “Psst,” it said. He looked around. Jerry was talking to a customer at the front of the store.
The book ruffled its pages. He walked slowly toward it. “I’ve got information for you,” it said. “What?” he said. “I think you should know what your mother does at red door 406,” it said. “Why?” he said. “I think you’re old enough now,” it said. “What does she do?” he said. “Before you do anything about it, you have to tell me what you’re going to do,” it said. “Why?” he said. “So I can talk to you about it,” it said. “Why?” he said. “Look at my title,” it said. “Grimms’ Fairy Tales,” he read aloud. “Yes,” it said. “Because we aim for as many people as we can to live happily ever after,” it said.
