This story is another bit of flash fiction writing.
Only a few months ago, her mother revealed the secret portal, yet the days had passed so quickly she wondered if it had been years. She walked inside and entered a world of intense color and light. Very much unlike the world she had grown up in, the sparkling light melted away her fears of the colony; she loved her mother even more.
The colony represented darkness, fear, and unease while the world on the other side of the portal felt warm, inviting, and peaceful. She longed to stay and feel warmth. And she would have stayed had it not been for the nagging notion she was in danger. How could a warm and beautiful place seem so perfect and wrong at the same time? It was too perfect.
She returned to her mother on the other side who greeted her with an immense hug and a kiss on the cheek. Something was wrong.
“You mustn’t go through the portal again,” her mother warned. “It is a false world mean’t to enslave you.”
“But you showed it to me.”
“I know, but that was before I understood. The portal is a means to fill you with hope. Once you give in, terrible things happen.”
“How do you know?”
“Monica Weber came back after many months. She had escaped,” said her mother. “She was wounded after a fierce battle and all she could say was ‘our children die.’ I can’t let you go back.”
“I too felt danger, but it is so beautiful.” the girl said.
“Sometimes beauty blocks our view from the evil surrounding us.”
“Still, I think I would like to go back. Maybe there is a way to defeat it.”
“You might think so, but we need to destroy the portal. There is no point in letting it remain.”
With a powerful spell, the mother and daughter aimed all their energy at the portal to destroy it. Yet, a little anger crept in and the portal grew larger until it overpowered the women and drew them in.
This time, there was no beautiful light and warm feelings. Only danger as evil took over their hearts and stamped out any hope.
© 2019, Michael Shawn Sommermeyer. All rights reserved.
