Prompt: Write a short story about a man who discovers a magical portal
Response:
At thirty-seven years old, Barry had already outlived two wives and two children. So when the doctor told him he had just six months to live, Barry decided to do something he had never done before: he traveled.
His first stop was Hawaii, where he spent a week lying on the beach and swimming with the dolphins. Barry wasn’t sure what he hoped to gain from this trip, but he felt alive and optimistic for the first time in years.
Back in Colorado, Barry’s friends and family were overjoyed to see him looking so good. But Barry was determined to find out what had made him change so much in just a few short weeks.
One evening, Barry was lying in bed watching a movie when he had a sudden urge to get up. He got out of bed and walked to the front door, where he noticed that the door knob turned smoothly and effortlessly in his hand.
This couldn’t be real, Barry told himself. But the more he looked around, the more he realized that this was definitely his house—and he had never been here before.
Barry walked down the street and discovered a park that he had never been to before. As he was walking through the park, he started to feel dizzy and lightheaded, and he collapsed to the ground.
When he woke up, he was lying on the grass next to the park, and the sun was setting. Barry sat up and saw a portal of light opening in front of him.
He stepped through and found himself in a magical forest. The trees were so tall that they blotted out the sun, and the air was so cool and fresh that Barry felt like he was about to faint.
Suddenly, he heard a voice calling his name. He turned around and saw a beautiful woman standing in the shadows.
“My name is Luna,” the woman said. “Do you want to come with me?”
Barry hesitated for a moment, but then he decided that this must be the answer to his prayers. He stood up and followed Luna through the portal.
Once they arrived at her home, Luna said that she would take care of him for the rest of his life. She showed him to a beautiful bedroom with a view of the stars, and she told him that she would always be there for him.
From that day on, Barry was never the same again. He started to feel happy and fulfilled for the first time in his life, and he never wanted to leave Luna’s side.
Every day, he would walk down the street and marvel at the new portal that had opened up in front of him. It was as if the magic of the forest had rubbed off on him, and he could never stop being amazed by the beauty of life.