The purple portal (part 2)
Shawn Dearn via Unsplash
Will Mirrin’s heroine make it back through the purple portal in time for Christmas?
In Santa’s workshop, it was time to get to work and reopen the portal. But if I am being honest, at the time I was a bit distracted. All of this was quite exciting. I mean, let’s recap what has happened: I went out for the first time in a long time, I got sucked into a portal that takes you to random dimensions, and last but not least I MET THE REAL FATHER CHRISTMAS!
But I really had to get home for Christmas, even if I didn’t want to leave. Everyone would be worried.
While Santa was trying to figure out how to get the portal opened, I decided to look around. It’s not every day you see the North Pole AND visit a toy workshop.
Out of nowhere I saw a very tall door. I mean, yeah, all the doors were really big in the workshop. The walls were very over-sized. But this one looked different. It gave me bad vibes, and I’m pretty sure you normally don’t get bad vibes in Santa’s house. Not to mention the sign on it, which said: ENTER WITH CAUTION. It was a bright yellow, making sure everyone could see. From under the door there came a strange red light.
Maybe if I didn’t find that door the world would be different right now – who knows?
I was about to enter when I heard a loud “Ho! Ho! Ho!” coming from down the hall, so I quickly moved my hand away from the door, hoping that I hadn’t got caught.
“I HAVE DONE IT!” said Father Christmas in a proud voice as he came around the corner. Excited, I jumped up and down. With a click of his fingers, we were suddenly in a bright red room. Just as we got there, Santa clicked his fingers again and disappeared – but this time I did not go with him. I thought maybe he wanted me to get something, but I was very wrong.
“Maybe if I didn’t find that door the world would be different right now – who knows?”
I didn’t know it at the time, but something had interfered with his magic, like a border was stopping him from using all the power he had.
The red light went off. In the darkness, I saw a glowing crystal. It was like the purple portal I fell through but trapped in a glass ball.
Somehow, it was whispering to me. Its voice didn’t sound normal if I’m being honest – it didn’t really sound like a voice at all. “Come, come, come,” the crystal was saying. It sounded almost like hissing. Maybe I should have noticed that this was not normal – but everything that was happening was not normal!
I was drawn towards it. The purple light was hitting closer to my face. I stretched out my hand.
When my fingers touched the glass, a big blast came soaring out of it. I remember hearing the obnoxious bang. It rang through my head like a stampede.
“No – wait! It’s tricking you!” I heard a worried voice say. It was none other than Father Christmas. I pulled back my hand but it was too late. I squeezed my eyes closed, wondering what would happen.
After my eyes were closed for a while, I reopened them, and... I was back at the Post Office.
“Did that even happen?” I thought to myself.
I quickly looked at the Post Office and nothing seemed off. There was no sign of the purple portal. The street was quiet. I ran home as fast as I could.
As soon as I stepped in, I noticed how sad and broken everyone looked and felt. I suddenly knew why: by touching the crystal, I had messed up Santa’s magic and caused a Christmas curse.
To this day, every December, everyone forgets who they are. They lose all their happy feelings, but then as soon as the month is over, everyone acts like nothing happened. And I am the only one who knows why.
