{"id":2766,"date":"2025-03-23T15:21:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-23T22:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2766"},"modified":"2025-03-23T15:21:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-23T22:21:24","slug":"portal-from-the-underworld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/23\/portal-from-the-underworld\/","title":{"rendered":"Portal From the Underworld"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Write about a portal or doorway that\u2019s hiding in plain sight.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angel watched the restroom door. A small, stout woman, barely taller than the doorknob\u2019s height, with lime-green hair and a bright, reflective safety vest had gone in several minutes earlier and still hadn\u2019t come out. She hadn\u2019t locked the door, so the green \u201cVacant\u201d still showed. Angel was so busy watching the door that she didn\u2019t see the woman with the squirming baby until she was already at the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angel opened her mouth to warn her that the room was occupied, but before she could say anything the young woman had gone in and locked the door. With the red \u201cOccupied\u201d showing, Angel wondered what was going on. Was the other woman still in there? Little person or no, she\u2019d be hard to miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the young mother re-emerged with her baby, Angel decided she couldn\u2019t wait any longer. If the green-haired lady was still in there, that was on her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was room for a toilet, a sink, a baby-changing station that folded down from the wall, a waste basket below the paper towel dispenser, and just enough room and handholds for wheelchair users to qualify it as \u201caccessible.\u201d What there wasn\u2019t, was a stout, little, green-haired woman in a yellow safety vest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angel looked at herself in the mirror above the sink while she washed her hands. I must\u2019ve not been looking when she came out<\/em>, she thought, or maybe she didn\u2019t go in and I didn\u2019t see it right<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a smaller voice that she ignored, trying to tell herself that maybe she didn\u2019t see the woman at all. Angel rubbed the stubble on her head as she walked out. Her coworkers had teased her about having a breakdown and \u201cgoing full Britney.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pretended their comments didn\u2019t bother her, but they did. They wormed their way into her brain like a parasite, infecting her with self-doubt. Her fingers touched the burn at the back of her head. It wasn\u2019t serious, but the pain reminded her that she\u2019d had a good reason to shave her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A kid at his birthday party with silly string, plus his auntie with her back turned was a predictable outcome, judging by the amount she\u2019d already had in her hair. The introduction of the birthday cake with lit candles, though, turned the next spray into a flaming projectile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She still felt awful that she\u2019d ruined his birthday party. There\u2019s something about a grown woman screaming with her hair on fire that puts a damper on the mood. The ER doctor that shaved the back of her head to get at the burn \u2014 mostly first degree with a patch of second degree \u2014 was kind enough to shave off everything else. It was that or leave the ER looking like a horror movie villain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angel returned to the bench to wait for the bus. She still had forty minutes to wait. It was the big downside to living in the boonies \u2014 spotty public transportation. She found herself watching the restroom without meaning to. A thin woman with ghostly pale skin and deep brown hair, wearing a safety vest like the one worn by the woman that had disappeared, stepped into the restroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the woman didn\u2019t immediately lock the door, Angel jumped up from the bench and burst into the restroom. She was ready to apologize but there was no one there she could apologize to. A faint odor of ozone hung in the air, as though an electrical appliance had shorted in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She ran her hands along the sink. When her fingers touched a spot of water on the edge of the basin, a shock ran up her arm, making her jump back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as she boarded the bus for the hour-long journey home, she was trying to rationalize what she\u2019d seen and felt. Maybe she\u2019d seen a man and he\u2019d gone into the men\u2019s restroom. That, combined with static, probably from sitting on the plastic bench, explained it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her sleep was fitful, and she woke unrefreshed. The oddity of the restroom bothered her. She didn\u2019t have to work that day, but she packed a lunch in her backpack and took the bus to the city anyway. Ignoring that it made her look suspicious, she watched everyone that came by in a yellow safety vest. The men\u2019s room had a conspicuous \u201cOut of Order\u201d sign hanging from the knob and police tape crossed over it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was halfway through a sandwich when a thin man in a yellow safety vest looked at the \u201cOut of Order\u201d sign and walked past to the women\u2019s room. Angel did her best to not look like she was watching. She saw him knock, then duck into the women\u2019s restroom from the corner of her eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The door hadn\u2019t had time to close completely by the time she got to it and burst in. The air crackled around the man as he sprinkled water from the sink at his feet. Angel grabbed for his arm and heard a crackle and pop as she was blinded by a blue flash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her vision returned, albeit with spots. The man was gone, as was the water he\u2019d sprinkled on the floor around him. She dropped the now-squashed half sandwich into the waste basket and looked at the sink. Feeling silly, she cupped a hand under the automatic faucet and let the collected water drip on her feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She felt the hair on her arms stand on end, then found herself standing on a flat stone at the edge of a spring. The air was warm and heavy with the scent of lilac. Hummingbirds drank from flowers on a vine that Angel couldn\u2019t identify. As her gaze shifted away from the immediate surroundings, she found herself facing unbroken wilderness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind her was a road, not of asphalt or concrete or cobbles, but appeared to be an unbroken, smooth slab of granite. She walked out to the center of the road and looked down it. Flanked by trees on both sides, it led straight into the hills where she could see a glimpse of a city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sound of wheels crunching over gravel came from behind and she spun around to see what had to be a car. All the parts were there, four wheels with inflated tires, windows, doors, and a driver and passenger. Beyond that, though, it was odd. There was no room front or rear for an engine, and with how quiet it was she guessed it was electric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mismatched pair got out. The short woman with green hair she\u2019d seen the previous day, and who she guessed was the thin, pale woman she\u2019d seen after. She hadn\u2019t noticed then, but the thin woman had ears with tall points on them. The shorter woman had her hair pulled up and had smaller points on her ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two approached Angel and the shorter one spoke. \u201cI\u2019m Arva, and she\u2019s Elynia. You\u2019re a human, ain\u2019tcha?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh, yeah, yes I am.\u201d Angel looked around her again. \u201cWhere are we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn the highway between the village of Ost and King City,\u201d Elynia said, \u201cby the Underworld Spring. Who are you, and how did you get here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, sorry. I\u2019m Angel, and you both disappeared in the bathroom yesterday, so today I followed a man in\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn elf, you mean,\u201d the thin one interjected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cElf?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike me. He\u2019s an elf, not a man. Man hasn\u2019t been here for centuries,\u201d Elynia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re an elf.\u201d Angel pointed at Arva. \u201cDoes that mean you\u2019re\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA dwarf, right.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh, okay, an elf, who was sprinkling water on his feet, and he popped away in a flash of blue light.\u201d Angel shrugged. \u201cI did what I saw him doing and then I was here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The small, stout woman said, \u201cYou shouldn\u2019ta\u2019 seen that. Ah well, what\u2019s done is done. You\u2019re the first human to cross in what \u2026 six, maybe seven-hundred years or thereabouts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm, cross? Cross what? You said the Underworld Spring. Is this the Underworld? Am I dead?\u201d Angel thought she should be fearful, but all she felt was curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. This is the Overworld. You\u2019re from the Underworld.\u201d Elynia pointed at the spring. \u201cThat spring is one of the \u2018matching places\u2019 between our worlds. Humans built a city near it and turned the spring into a \u2018Park and Ride\u2019 as you call it. Beneath that parking lot and bus stop is the spring, and that\u2019s where the water for your restrooms comes from. It\u2019s the water that ties the realms together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt least until it dries up on your side or ours,\u201d Arva said. \u201cYou said he went into the ladies? Why didn\u2019t he use the men\u2019s? It works just the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, it\u2019s out of order or something. But there\u2019s police tape, too, so\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNever mind, I don\u2019t wanna know. The Underworld\u2019s a mess.\u201d Arva let out an exaggerated sigh and snorted. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose we\u2019ll have time to make a crossing today, seeing how we got a human to take to the watch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can tell you\u2019re all sorts of sad about that,\u201d Elynia said. \u201cWell, Angel, would you like to join us in the car, and we can head to the city? If not, we\u2019ll call the watch to come get you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll just make us do it,\u201d Arva said, flashing a badge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if I just go back to the spring and sprinkle the water on my feet? Wouldn\u2019t I return home?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou might, but the watch\u2019ll still come after you.\u201d Arva opened the car. \u201cIf you go with us, we can get your promise to secrecy and let you go. Otherwise, we noticed that humans don\u2019t pay attention to people in safety vests. Especially when there\u2019s a group of them, say, lugging all your belongings out of your home. No one would see the watch take you, and your neighbors would assume you moved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay, so disappeared or go to the watch and promise to keep mum.\u201d Angel thought for a moment. \u201cIs it in the village, or the city?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe city, of course,\u201d Elynia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I guess I could take a look at your city, but I\u2019d really like to check out the village. The air\u2019s so clean here, is everything electric like your car?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not electric,\u201d Arva said. \u201cIt runs on magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight. Because that makes so much sense.\u201d Angel crossed her arms. \u201cI\u2019m not a gullible child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYet you activated an ancient portal with a sprinkle of water, popped up to the Overworld, and think that everything still needs to work as it does in the Underworld.\u201d Elynia laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, yeah, that.\u201d Angel got into the car and sat down, followed by the dwarf and elf. \u201cOkay, take me to the watch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doors closed and the car pulled onto the road and took off at speed. No one controlled it, and there were no controls to do so. \u201cMighty bold to just take command of my car,\u201d Arva said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake command? I was talking to you.\u201d Angel sighed. \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t take orders from anyone but me,\u201d Arva said, \u201cbut you shouldn\u2019t be able to activate the portal, either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told you I saw magic in a human yesterday.\u201d Elynia wore a smug expression. \u201cThis is the one I saw.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think it possible.\u201d The dwarf stared at Angel. \u201cI guess magic\u2019s not completely dead in the Underworld, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city rose up before them, spires instead of skyscrapers, parks and green spaces everywhere, and the soft murmur of conversations without the noise of machinery. The watch building was a two-story stone structure that was clearly equivalent to a police station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angel entered to gasps as uniformed dwarves, elves, and others she couldn\u2019t identify right off, turned to face her. She gave an awkward wave. \u201cHi. I\u2019m a human and I got here by, uh, following a guy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two hours of confused questioning, magical testing, and lots of ogling by the other officers, Angel signed a promise to not tell anyone else in the \u201cUnderworld\u201d how to cross. She also found a common sense of humor in the dwarf and joined her and Elynia for an early dinner in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angel checked the time. \u201cCrap. The last bus home is in ten minutes. I won\u2019t make it back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you stay at my place tonight? We\u2019ve got to put on the stupid vests and go back to the Underworld tomorrow anyway,\u201d Elynia said. \u201cYou\u2019ll get to see at least a little of the village.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, I could do that.\u201d Angel thought for a minute. \u201cWhat are you two doing at lunch tomorrow? I know this great place downtown. Little hole in the wall that does the best Mexican.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They discussed their plans for the following day as they filed out of the restaurant and piled into the car for the drive to the village.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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