The grass was damp from the morning dew, softening his steps so that they made no sound under his feet. He paused in a small clearing, turned his face up with his eyes closed and listened. The birdsong, a melodic sound high up above him. He let that few strays of sunlight that broke through the canopy cover bath in his face for a while and breathed in the sweet air. Early morning walks like this help clear his mind, especially when something is weighing heavy on it.

He wandered further in along the trail. It was a new one that he had not explored before. Tall redwood trees lined all around him. To his right off the trail, he noticed a stone structure that seemed out of place. As he approached it, he realised the stone structure seemed to be rather extensive. He followed it to the other end, and saw that it led to an overgrown hedge.

And then a door.

He went up so that he could take a closer look at the door. It was made of wood, hard wood, by the looks of it. It had a weathered look, framed by encroaching ivy with a blue door knob. He bent down to examine the keyhole. It looked like the key would be an old-fashioned, heavy one. He took a few steps back and looked.