The elevator stopped, and its doors opened. Peter stepped out, followed by Adro. Then he scanned his surroundings. It was indeed a different place, even though it had a similar concept to the places Adro had visited inside this large building.
"Come with me, Mr. Groendez," Peter said, gesturing with his hand.
The hospital looked empty because it was late at night. However, there was a glass door that remained open, with several stalls selling food inside.
"So, this is the place they call a cafeteria?" Adro asked.
The boy nodded. "I'm going to get a burger over there," he said, pointing to a stall selling hotdogs and burgers.
When they reached the stall, Peter placed an order from the food items listed on the menu. Then he turned to the man beside him, who seemed busy studying various things in the stall. "Aren't you ordering?"
"No, I didn't bring any money," Adro replied, following Peter to sit at the nearest table.
"This is the first time I've heard of an adult not carrying money. That's weird," Peter remarked.
"I come from a far place, and my money was left at my home," Adro explained.
"Are you a poor person?"
Peter's question made Adro chuckle and shake his head. "I lead a comfortable life. But a tragedy stranded me in this place. It's a long story."
"Order number 83," The food stall merchant announced.
"Oh!" Peter immediately jumped out of his seat and ran to the stall.
"How did you end up here?" Peter asked as they walked back to the elevator.
"My friend injured her foot. She said the hospital was a place where all sick people receive treatment." Adro answered.
"It happens to my brother too. He had an accident and had to undergo several surgeries. I've been here for three days now." Peter said.
Adro nodded in understanding. It seemed that Grace's explanation about this place was true. He had never heard of a child witch before. They couldn't disguise themselves as children because children were considered pure beings, making it difficult to mimic their souls.
"I hope your brother recovers soon so you can return home," Adro said.
"Yeah, I'm starting to get bored in this hospital," Peter replied as he pressed the elevator button.
"Do we have to press that thing for the doors to open?" Adro asked.
Peter nodded. "Yep. Do they not have elevators in your hometown?"
"My place isn't as advanced as this place." Adro answered. "Can you explain a bit about this elevator door? Can it take us anywhere?"
"No. The elevator only goes up and down to each floor in this building. It's not a magical door that can take you anywhere. My mom said that doors like that only exist in movies." Peter explained.
"Movies?" Adro repeated.
Peter nodded. "Yep! In movies and fairy tales. My mom said none of them were real. My friends said the same too. In fact, I even know that Santa Claus isn't real!" He added, with a whisper at the end of his sentence.
Some of the words Peter mentioned did sound foreign to Adro, but he understood that the boy was saying that magic was not real in this world. Just like Grace had mentioned, it existed only in fairy tales—the world Adro came from, which they considered a made-up world.
The elevator door opened, and the two gentlemen from different generations stepped out. As before, the floor appeared to be empty.
Peter turned to Adro. "I'm going back to my brother's room."
Adro gave a slight smile and nodded once. "It looks like we have to part ways here, young man. Thank you for showing me around this place."
"You're welcome. I hope you sleep well. Goodbye!" Peter said, waving his hand as he walked away with a plastic bag of burgers, which he swung like a toy.
Adro remained standing on his spot, watching the young boy disappear in the corner of the corridor. The thin smile on his lips dimmed.
The elevator door was not magical. It was just something sophisticated, like many things Adro had seen in this world. Up to this point, he had received enough proof that Grace had not been lying to him, although deep in his heart, he hoped that she was a witch who was trying to deceive him. He hoped that he hadn't lost this far.
Adro's chance of returning was dwindling. With no magic in this world and its inhabitants not believing in magic, whom could Adro ask about the witch door that had brought him to this strange place?
***
Awakening from her slumber, Grace still couldn't feel her leg because the anesthesia was still in effect. However, she could see the lights moving above her, which made her feel somewhat disturbed.
When Grace felt the bed carrying her body come to a stop, she knew she was back in the recovery room.
Grace furrowed her brow because her vision was still a bit blurry. Her awareness had not fully gathered, making her feel as if she were half-dreaming.
Throughout her life, she had never experienced an accident or anything that required her to undergo such a major surgery. Honestly, it made her afraid. While losing consciousness, she didn't know what was happening and felt powerless. She felt as if she were isolated alone in a cold and enclosed room, describing the loneliness she had felt all this time.
Slowly, Grace's vision cleared up. However, it made her realize that Adro was not in the room. The man who had promised to wait for her had now vanished.
"Adro…" Grace tried to call his name in her still weak voice, but there was no response because she was all alone.
Grace pondered on her bed. Where had Adro gone? He had promised to wait for her here. Did he lie, just like the others? Did Adro leave her behind?
Adro's disappearances made Grace think that he had found his way back to his world. Or had he realized that Grace was of no use and decided to try to find his way back on his own?
But another thought crept into her mind: Was the man named Adro even real? Was Adro a hallucination created by her mind because she was too depressed?
"Am I going crazy?" Grace muttered.