Ethan walked beside Marcus down the very long hallway. He tapped each wooden doorframe with his finger. 'One… two… three…' he whispered.
Ethan tapped faster, his fingers drumming a steady rhythm. Marcus grinned and started counting out loud, slapping his palms on every third door.
They rounded a corner and the hallway changed. Bright green lockers replaced the doors, and Ethan's finger hit empty metal. 'Seven… eight… nine…' he said.
Ethan stopped and listened past the humming lights. A familiar squeak-squeak echoed nearby, and he spotted a small dark scratch on the floor by a blue trash can.
That's from my shoe, Ethan thought. He crouched down and traced the groove with his fingertip.
Ethan and Marcus followed the scratch marks back the way they came. They tapped the doors they recognized, and the hallway seemed to close in with every number.
The hallway kept shrinking, door by door, number by number. Ethan's tapping grew quicker as they approached the familiar classroom doorway.
Ethan didn't count at all. He just pushed the door open, and the smell of crayons greeted him.
Inside, the classroom was exactly where he remembered it. Ethan took a step forward and smiled.
He found his usual spot by the window and sat down. The hallway was far behind now.