Spirit of Hope

Chapter one-the portal

*Jayda*

So, this story may seem kinda crazy, but i'm telling you, it actually happened.

I live in a small village. We've got, well, not much. My house, about three dozen other houses, a bakery, a blacksmith, a small market, and a storehouse on the far side of town. The townspeople are quire boring around here. They don't believe in much. Magic, superstition, whatever, they pass it off as childish nonsense. After my adventure, I can safely say that magic is real.

One day, I was walking through the forest, minding my own business, when I heard a strange noise coming from the deepest part of the forest. So, I decided to investigate. If you've never been in that part of the forest, let me say it is the very definition of creepy. The trees are so thick that they block out all light from the sun. There are gnarled roots all over the ground, and birds flapping above, bursting out from above the leaves and landing on a high branch. This is the one place you are told to never go. Even I've never been there.

I was at the place where the trees thickened, and I hesitated. "Bad idea, Jayda," I told myself. But it was too late to turn back now. I plunged into the trees, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. I followed the noise to a towering oak. A faint green glow was coming from the other side of the tree. I slowly walked around the tree to find a portal embedded in the tree. I stared at the portal. It was green, and it looked like an upright pond, rippling slightly, and reflective. I saw my own reflection in the portal. My bright blue eyes were wide with wonder from my amazing discovery, and my jet-black hair was tangled and had a few leaves in it from my walk through the dense forest. I decided that it would be a bad idea to o through on my own, so I started my walk back to the village.