The Portals of Amaranth

Chapter Three - Secrets

Chapter Three

“Whoa!” Josh’s skin tingled as a blast of rushing air lifted his feet from the floor. Darkness pressed in, wrapping him up in thick layers of black. He struggled against the feeling, and against the torrent of noise surrounding him. But like a bad dream, the inkiness would not allow him to move. He blinked hard. Were his eyes open or closed?

Fighting it felt useless, so he gave in, took a deep breath and tried to let his body relax. It wasn’t long until a burst of brilliant light ripped the darkness from his body. His feet found ground beneath them. Disoriented and blinded, he stumbled forward, nearly toppling down the stone stairs in front of him.

Testing the ground, searching for the edge of each new step with the toe of his shoe, he succeeded in working his way to the bottom. A loud rushing sound still assaulted his eardrums, but it was different now, quieter. His eyes barely had time to adjust when another brilliant light flashed from the top of the stairs.

“What took you so long?”

“Wha . . . what?” Sara emerged from the tall stone archway and stumbled down the stairs towards Josh.

He saw her lips moving, but couldn’t hear the words. Grinning, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!”

Sara didn’t smile, or laugh, or even give him a dirty look. Instead, she ran towards him, flung her arms around his neck and held on tightly.

“I was so scared when you disappeared,” she said. “I couldn’t be in that room alone.”

Josh tried hugging her back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was going to happen.” He patted her on the shoulder. “I’m just glad you followed me,” he smiled. “I have to admit, in an odd way, things are starting to make a little sense.” Gently, he pulled away from Sara’s grip and pointed over her shoulder. A shimmering fall of blue and white cascaded over the mouth of the cave.

“The waterfall!” Sara’s face lit up. “We’re in the right place this time.”

“Good.” Josh pointed to the archway. “Should I even ask about that?”

Sara shook her head. “It wouldn’t do you any good. I don’t have any idea how that happened.”

“That’s what I thought.”

This cave was much smaller than the one they came from, but it had far more light. Plush green moss carpeted the walls and rocks. Patches of sunlight broke through the waterfall and reflected off the wet surfaces, making the whole cave shimmer and twinkle. Even the archway had a shiny wet blanket of moss clinging to its stones.

The archway itself was tall, at least three times Josh’s height. And the impressive brown stones sparkled in the light. Josh examined carved writing on the surface of the stone, but couldn’t make out any of the words—or even the language.

He circled it several times, like a puppy trying to decide what part of the newspaper to pee on. He didn’t dare get too close to the opening. There were no cables or power buttons. It didn't make sense. How could he see right through it? How was it possible to walk into it and come out somewhere else? Thinking about the archway and the paintings and the Vowerlings made Josh’s head spin.

“Sara,” he reached out and touched her on the shoulder. She jumped. “Sorry. How do we get out of here?”

“I’m not sure. Mr. Dunbourne brought me straight here from school, I never saw the outside of the cave.”

Josh climbed a couple of the archway stairs to get a better view. “There has to be a path behind that waterfall.”

With no better option in sight, he headed for the cave entrance and Sara followed close behind. After only a few feet, he stopped.