Prompt: Write a short story about a man who discovers a magical portal
Response:
As he walked through the door of his store, John noticed something odd. For the past few days, a portal had been appearing sporadically throughout the shop, leading to different parts of the world. John had theories about what might be causing the portal, but he wasn’t sure. He was curious, so he decided to investigate.
As he walked through the first portal, he found himself in China. He explored the city, experiencing the smells, sounds, and sights of the strange place. He even met a few of the locals and had a fun conversation. When he walked through the next portal, he found himself in feudal Japan. There he met a samurai who insisted on teaching him about his art. The next portal took him to ancient Greece, where he spent a day exploring the ruins.
As he continued exploring, John realized that the portals were leading to interesting places, but they were all closed off. He wasn’t sure why, but he was drawn to the portals and wanted to find out more. He decided to keep exploring, and the further he got, the more curious he became.
One day, he arrived in Rome. He wandered through the city, amazed by the architecture and the history. When he arrived at the Colosseum, he saw something that made his heart beat faster. There, in the center of the arena, was a portal. He walked through it, and found himself in a different world.
He was in a jungle, observing an animal hunt. He was so fascinated by the scene that he didn’t notice the other man until he spoke. “Excuse me,” the man said. “But shouldn’t you be in some other part of the world?”
John turned to see that he was in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, looking at a river. “I’m not sure,” John replied. “I just walked through a portal and found myself here.”
The man looked at John for a moment before sighing. “I see. Well, I hope you enjoy your visit. But you should probably head back through the portal now. It won’t stay open for long.”
John was curious, so he decided to stay. The more he explored, the more fascinated he became. He learned about the customs and beliefs of the people in the different worlds, and he even made a few friends. He would always remember his trip to the portals, and he was grateful that the man had warned him before the portal closed.
Because of John, the portals became a popular tourist attraction, and the people of the different worlds were able to share their cultures with the rest of the world. John was happy to have been a part of it all, and he would always remember the magical portal that had led him to all of these amazing places.