closeddoorsopenmind

[closeddoorsopenmind]

www.Xscaperoomsbooknow.ca

Are you looking for a mind-bending experience that puts your puzzle-solving skills and intelligence to the test? Try one of our 8 escape rooms!

Grab a group of friends and book now! Slots fill up fast!

*Slots will be on a first come first serve basis unless reserved*

Phone: 604-889-9003

Email: booknow@xscaperooms.ca

Violet picked up her phone and dialled the number displayed on her laptop screen. “This should be fun” she mumbled under her breath as the dialling tone began to go off.

“Xscape Rooms Vancouver, what can I do for you today?”

“Hi, I’m interested to book a slot to try one of your escape rooms but I just had a few questions,” Violet declared. 

“Sure, what would you like to ask?” the clerk replied in a friendly manner.

“I was wondering how much time you get in one of those rooms to escape?”

“50 minutes. You can, however, pay for extra time.”

“Okay okay…Are the rooms ranked in difficulty? I know other places are.”

“So they are not ranked... well, actually each tackles a different kind of intelligence” the clerk stated confidently.

“Oh what? How would we know which one to choose then?” Violet bellowed, a little too loudly. The clerk was silent for a moment. “Hello…?”

“Yes! Sorry I’m still here.. Umm..so each escape room has multiple puzzles which help you unlock doors you have to get through. Each door leads to another one and eventually to your escape door.” The clerk replied optimistically.

“Okay but you still didn’t answer my question,” Violet mentioned, with a trace of irritation in her voice. 

“Yes, each room requires a different kind of intelligence as mentioned before and has a different theme and backstory. You can choose it based on that.”

“Well what if we try a room and we’re super stuck and can’t unlock even the first door?”

“So each 50 minutes you spend in a room, you are allowed 3 hints from me.”

“Would you say they are very difficult to get out of?”

“Again, it really depends on if you click with the kinds of puzzles and problems that are presented right? Think of it this way, obviously getting past all the doors and out of the room is the ultimate goal. But the whole point of this experience is to allow you and your friends to cooperate and discover your strengths, weaknesses, and have fun during the time allotted. Some doors will be easier to open than others and that could be because of how you approach it. They’re not made to be easy to open or else everyone would be able to open them and it wouldn’t be challenging now would it?”

“I see. Thank you for the information. One more thing. Are there doors that are just red herrings? As in they are never meant to be open in the first place?”

“Ahhh terrific question…You will have to see for yourself...the journey will make it apparent,” The clerk replied in a tone where Violet could sense him smirking.

[closeddoorsopenmind]

3rd and 4th Year

9/7/20 - “ACE”

Started volunteering at a facility for people with spinal cord injuries…exciting!

2/22/21 - “Into the Deep @ACE”

Last week’s shift at ACE was intense..I got into a pretty deep talk with one of the clients and he asked me what was on my mind. I spilled everything to him, including my regret on not going to art school, what it would’ve been like, and how happy I felt doing it. I cried in front of him. I think at that moment I didn’t really want to talk to him just because I needed space, but thinking back now, I’m glad I got that off my chest. He’s a great listener and he provides such reasonable advice, I’m actually very relieved and thankful that I got to meet him here. 

4/30/21 - “Research Assistant Application Part 4”

SO I GOT A CALL… and then an email from the research assistant job I applied for. The investigator mentioned they needed someone to fill the role and to call her immediately. I WAS ECSTATIC, I MEAN JUMPING UP AND DOWN. All those previous resumes and cover letters I’ve written have finally paid off.

I emailed back within 5 minutes and called her but she didn’t pick up. Minutes later she sent back an email saying she had already found someone else within that short time frame. Honestly, it felt like a stab in the heart. My mom calmed me down letting me know it’s not personal and these things happen. Actually it felt more like someone opened the door and then slammed it in my face before I had a chance to introduce myself. 

5/4/21 - “Shadowing” 

Shadowing at a physio clinic starts off interesting but I was kind of dozing off today, probably because I didn’t get enough sleep last night.

10/11/21 - “Safety Person”

I wanted to shadow a junior lacrosse team’s trainer but they didn’t have one so the manager asked if I wanted to help out. This actually seems like such an exciting opportunity, I think it’ll be a great way to apply what I’ve learned in a practical setting.

11/14/21 - “Call from the coach”

Got a call from the team’s coach because I put an athlete into a return-to-play protocol that involved external people. Now I’m in deep trouble. He sounded frustrated that his player can’t practice this week because of my actions. I can’t believe I did this. I feel like I’m not fit for this role at all. 

12/26/21 - “Reference request 1”

I was confident I’d be able to request a reference from this prof. Better luck next time. A locked door I guess.

2/15/22 - “Reference request 2”

Maybe I should stop being confident about these profs that I thought could write me a reference for grad school. This was the anatomy prof from 2nd year who I chatted with in office hours. Apparently it would be a conflict of interest if he wrote me a letter for my application. Another locked door?

3/7/22 - “Follow your passion @ACE”

The same client I was always talk to brought up passion today and how he had a friend who quit his higher paying job for a considerably lower paying job that he enjoyed more. 

3/13/22 - “Supervisor @ACE”

I applied for a supervisor position here which I am pretty confident I can obtain, I’ve been volunteering here for a while and the other supervisors like me. Just had my interview today and some questions could’ve been answered better but all in all I think I did alright.

3/31/22 - “Supervisor @ACE Part 2”

I didn’t think I’d be this upset about not getting this position but I am. I feel like I’ve been getting nowhere. Sometimes I’m not sure if I should have never been here in the first place or if this is just another bump in the road.

[closeddoorsopenmind]

[closeddoorsopenmind]

[closeddoorsopenmind]

For you I’m closed

A fist firmly knocks on my overdue-for-a-paint-job wooden exterior. I hear some shuffling and my owners make their way towards my not-as-worn-out interior.

“Ed! I think someone’s at the door, can you get it?”

“Yes can’t you see I’m walking there?” the old grumpy man whispers under his breath as he shuffles towards me. His face comes up to my peep hole, definitely too close for comfort. “Ahh darn it Gia!”

“What is it, Ed? Is it one of those neighborhood kids who knocked and ran away?”

“No no! It’s even worse! It’s a little girl out there. She has a wagon carrying boxes behind her,” Ed murmured in an irritated tone.

“Oh? Maybe she’s trying to fundraise for something?” Gia replied with optimism in her voice.

Ed starts to hobble away from me, waving his hand backwards as he proclaims with stubbornness, “ahh she’ll leave eventually, there’s no way I’m opening that door. She’s selling chocolate, we don’t need it. She needs to find other houses to sell it.” Gia makes her way over towards me and peeps through my hole to see the girl on the other side.

The girl is soaked from head-to-toe in rainwater. The cardboard boxes of chocolate are luckily shielded by a transparent plastic sheet. She sighs - I sense a mixture of hopefulness and misery. She gently clenches her hand in a fist again and brings it up to me to knock once more.

“AHH is she still at it?!” Ed yelled as he turns around furiously and struts faster than ever towards me. Gia turns her back towards me to stop Ed. She grabs his hands and looks him in the eyes.

“Calm down Ed, she’s not trying to murder us for crying out loud. Why don’t we just open the door and see what she wants?” Gia spoke quietly as she gently places her hand on his shoulder, looking into eyes with her soft gaze that always seemed to alleviate his feelings of stress. She reaches for my handle and turns it down.

The sound of my handle being twisted immediately brings attention to the girl opposed on my other side. It’s as if suddenly her body is filled with sunshine; her eyes light up and she faces me with a look of optimism. She clenches the handle of her wagon tightly and takes a deep breath in.

Before Gia could pull me open, Ed puts has palm on me, pushing me shut. Gia looks up at me and then at Ed. “Gia, you know what’s worse than not opening a door? Opening it and then rejecting her offer. We can’t help her.”

“So you think it’s better to just not even answer? The least we could do is give her a response” Gia stated.

“Gia, she’s selling CHOCOLATE.” Ed emphasized the last word.

“I know but...” Gia started.

“It’ll waste more of her precious time. Any person with common sense would only knock twice before leaving. If we open it now, we’d give her hope and the energy she puts into explaining her fundraiser could be distributed elsewhere.” Ed reasons.

“But I want to help her.”

“I know.”

Gia sighs in grief.

“Maybe in another lifetime when sugar isn’t our worst enemy in our last years. Another house will open their door for her. I’m sure,” Ed replied softly, feeling empathetic now.

Just like that, my owners depart me on my interior and the girl departs me on my exterior.

[closeddoorsopenmind]

Kelly Sikkema

[closeddoorsopenmind]

Zach Vessels

[closeddoorsopenmind]

Don't just pray for God to open doors, pray for God to close doors in your life that need to be closed.

Joyce Meyers