I Discovered A Portal

After a cold long dark winter the best thing to do is explore. This year the winter wasn't overly cold or long but it was dark. I did not get out much or walk through the forest as much as I would've of liked to. I had just moved to the area prior to the first snow fall. The early April air had melted most of the snow and I was ready to explore the forest which was owned by the government so I would not be trespassing on any property and come across an unfriendly land owner with a firearm. 

I left my residence in the early afternoon expecting to be back before twilight. The snow was still present but it was mostly packed and ice at this point. I walked down my street and headed to the entrance to the forest path that looked well travelled at this point. The tall spruce trees lined the entrance and engulfed the path. I walked down the path. The sounds of the bird and the whistling of the wind was calming. The trees were not spread out evenly and had almost completely blocked out the natural light from the sun. 

The path was beautiful and full of life and the further I went the more dense and dark it got. I came across a fork in the road. Of course one side looked travelled and one side looked like two or three explorers went down it. You know I had to go down the more travelled path as why would I risk it on my first hike in the area. The path looked fine and I had no worries or concerns about my choice. I did however think about going down the path less travelled on my next expedition into the forest.

I continued down the path for quite some time. I never encountered anyone or anything other than the occasional bird or squirrel. The path seemed to go on without any sign of turning or ending. I had packed a small lunch and was getting hungry. I kept on the trail until I came across a little opening that had a makeshift bench. I decided to sit down on the bench and eat my lunch. As I approached the bench I noticed an inscription on the bench.

The inscription was written in what appeared to be burnt charcoal. The inscription stated, "nature opens your mind and soul to places doors cannot reach." I looked at it and thought about it for awhile. I sat down and opened up my packed lunch. I ate my lunch and enjoyed the sounds and essence of the forest. I finished my lunch and packed it away. While I was getting up I noticed a path behind the bench. The path actually looked like multiple people had been on it. There was still a few hours before twilight so I decided to go down the path and see if I could find anything or see if the path doubled back.

I went down the path and it seemed to widen out as I got further from the bench. The path was I guess over five meters wide compared to the two or so meters wide path I had travelled down prior. The path seemed to not get any wider than this. The trees in the area were more sparse and seemed to be growing not as well. The area may be a bog and may have open water in the summer. I kept going down the path. I could see down the path a few standing trees. I thought this was the end of the path. I walked up to the trees and noticed footprints walked around trees. 

There was a single path behind the trees which was approximately 1 meter wide and the trees were very densely packed together. At this point I was going to turn back but I could hear talking from the path I had just come down. It sounded like there was at least more than one person. Since I was new to the area and did not know many people I decided to go down the single path as at this point it would be the safest bet. I walked down the path. The path turned from snow to gravel. The gravel was dry for this time of year and did not leave foot prints. 

I continued down the path to what seemed like a lantern. As I approached the lantern I noticed it was a lit torch which must have been lit earlier in the day as it looked like it was half burnt or so. The path disappeared behind it. I could hear people coming down the path behind me. The area was all gravel at this point and my foot prints were not visible in the gravel. I went off the path about ten meter and crouched down.

I counted five people come to the torch. They were talking normally and did not have any suspicions. This meant they most likely did not see me. One person pulled a necklace and said something that I could not hear. The other four people knelt down and held hands around the torch with the one person being in the circle saying something. I heard a loud screeching and seen a blast of light. The torch flame shot up into the air instantly. 

The screeching continued and the flame started to widen. There seemed to be something speaking a language loudly that I could not understand. I seen a leg, then a body and a head emerge from the light. The emerged thing appeared to be human. I looked at it and suddenly it was right in front of me. It grabbed me with all its might. I could not move or escape or even scream. In an instant I was back at the light.

The thing held me and walked me through the light. Once I was through it turned me around. I could see the four people kneeling and the one person standing. They were smiling and looked to be mocking me. I tried to get help but could not get out a word. I could hear what the man was saying, "nature opens your mind and soul to places doors cannot reach."

THE END!!!