I have a new short story that is due out any day now. I am just going through some final edits and updates and then I plan on dropping it like a surprise Beyonce album (not much of a surprise anymore, granted). It's called The Elevator Game and, well, it's kind of, sort of, based on a real thing.
I am not going to post links here, you can do your Google thing and find what the game is on your own. The basic principal is that using an elevator and following a set of instructions that sends the thing up and down you can somehow transport yourself to another dimension or world. A mysterious woman may or may not end up coming with you along for the ride and she is not who she claims to be, but no one seems to claim who she really is.
It's creepy and weird and the thought of it is, of course, something that easily preyed upon my horror-writer's brain. I think the resulting story is a perfectly-sized nugget of creepiness and horror. There's just enough there to creep you out and maybe make you a little scared of elevators (I know I am, but that's due more to claustrophobia than fear I will end up in another world).
Do I suggest you play the game? That's up to you, but if you find some of the videos that show people trying to play it, you'll see how well it seems to work. However, I do have this belief that there may be more worlds and dimensions out there than we can see or experience. I have my doubts that an elevator can take us to such places, but who knows? Weird things happen. People vanish and are never found, and strange things just kind of turn up all the time.
That being said, I say, why play with fire? If you read the rules, you can see that the penalty for not following them appears to be quite dear. Do I really think there's a monster in the closet? No, but if I stay covered up beneath my blankets, I know that they'll never find me, just in case. I don't like to mess around with Ouija boards, either, just in case that really is something - even if it is produced and marketed by a board game company.
You see, I know that other worlds exist - because I tap into them almost daily. I do not create the stories that you see, they just come to me. I open up a door inside my mind and the stories, characters and tales come through. So far, the tap has been a strong one and I always find something interesting to come pouring out. It's part of why I cannot just force the story. It comes flowing like a river to me and when that happens, the story is best and I am most comfortable.
So, beware the elevator game - but enjoy the tale. It's why we have fiction. It's there to play the constant "what-if" game. I think it's better to play that one than to try and open up doors to other worlds.
BWA