Prompt: Write a short story about a man who discovers a magical portal
Response:
Suddenly, a dizzying, kaleidoscopic light filled the small room and a gust of wind whipped through it, sending the man’s clothes flying. He tumbled to the ground, landing on his back with a thud. The portal had just opened and he had been sucked in. As he scrambled to his feet, he became aware of the glowing runes inscribed all around the portal. They were like the sigils he had seen in the old book his granddad had left him. He was about to cross the threshold when he heard a voice from behind him. “Don’t go through there.” The man turned to see a young man, maybe his age, with shaggy blond hair and strained eyes. “It’s dangerous,” the boy insisted. “There’s no telling what’ll happen.” The man thought for a second, then shook his head. “I have to go through,” he said. “This is my destiny.” The boy didn’t look convinced, but the portal was drawing him in like a magnet. With a last plead from the young man, the man stepped through the portal. Immediately, everything went black.