It was the day of my Aunt's wedding, a horrendous day at that. I'd always hated these family occasions, so I had decided to wander away from the festivities before I died from utter boredom. Not that I didn't love my family. I continued my stroll over to a small oak tree, which I climbed, as would any 13 year old.
I looked towards a higher branch. As random as it may seem, there was a hand mirror just resting on the branch. I had always hated mirrors. Well, ever since I'd been bullied and pushed into one as a young child. The scars from the glass shards still littered my pale arms and back.
As I was extremely curious as to why the mirror was there, I decided to attempt to grasp the hand-mirror. I reached up. I managed to nudge the mirror towards myself and prepared myself to catch it. I had overestimated myself as usual. The mirror fell straight past me and I heard the awful shattering noise as it landed on the yellowing grass.
I turned and was about to begin my climb down the thick, oak branch I was perched upon. I took two steps before I began to feel an odd sensation in my feet. The feeling slithered up through my legs, torso, chest and then began to make its way to my arms and head. I could feel myself being pulled towards the ground. This was stronger than gravity. I couldn't stop myself being pulled anymore. I let go of the branch and fell to the ground with an epic thud. I stopped momentarily to brush myself off and think about what had just occurred.
I got up, slowly and cautiously. I began running back towards the main area of the wedding I was supposed to have been attending. My feet began to feel light and I had the same awful sensation as before. I was still running but my feet were no longer touching the ground. I felt myself being forcefully tossed backwards towards the smashed mirror on the ground. I fell helplessly again. This time my knees took the impact of the drop.
I stopped again and breathed in heavily. I slowly reached across and picked up the mirror. I sat cross-legged staring into the broken glass for merely a second before I felt the strange sensation once more. This time I felt my whole body began to shrink as I was slowly pulled towards the mirror. My arms pulled above my head were forced through the large hole in the mirror. Soon after my head, chest, torso and my entire body were forced through. I was so confused by this situation. I began to feel hot, salty tears running down my pure, pale face. I blinked rapidly before my eyes just stopped. My vision had completely gone black.
Some time later, I had finally awoken. I opened my eyes and rubbed them gently. Around me I saw thick, steel bars in the formation of a cage. I was trapped and terrified, but determined not to cry or show any of my fear.
I closed my eyes and opened them once more. I heard footsteps. Closer and closer and closer. I turned slowly, a tall, slender man was standing right behind me. He smirked and giggled evilly before questioning,
"Hello my dear child, what brings you here?"
"Well I should be asking you that. Why am I here?" I responded with a slightly repulsive tone.
"Well dear, you found the portal of fear." I stared back at him, I was absolutely petrified.
"Excuse me, what?" I asked. He repeated his previous statement.
He reached out his bony hand and passed me an old-looking piece of paper. It had a list of rules and instructions for a game written on it. I read them aloud.
"YOU have found the portal of fear. Now you must complete a series of difficult challenges. Fail to complete a challenge and you will receive a consequence. A list of consequences is written on the opposite side of this page. Read if you dare."
I slowly and carefully turned over the page and continued reading aloud.
"1. You will be able to hear the screaming of your family members whenever you're in this room. 2. Your family members will be transported into this cage while you complete the challenges and they will have to watch you complete all of them. 3. One of your limbs will be severely injured during any random moment of the next challenge. 4. Your family members will be tortured, one by one until eventually they die. 5. You will die." I trembled and the piece of paper slipped from my hands. I sat on the cold cement floor and crawled backwards.
"What is this!? Who are you?!" I questioned, my head spinning with pure terror.
"Oh yes, my apologies dear, I completely forgot to formally introduce myself. I am the Conductor of Fear. " He announced. He smirked and cackled as I felt shivers crawl down my spine.
