Pandora's Portal Recordings: Aridin: Prompt #1 - Woven Cities

Pandora was bored out of her mind. She sat on the armchair before the television, hoping to catch something interesting. Audio wasn't amazing, she had no idea what was going on at most times. But then, the television buffered, emitting a sort of white noise. Wonderful. She didn't even know how to fix it, so she would have to deal with this annoying sound until Kylea got back from work. Suddenly, however she heard something else. It wasn't the monotone voice of the news anchor, or the gunshots in a show. Instead, it was the sound of a crowd. Over the chatter, she could hear voices that rang louder than others.

"How much for this? Oh that's much too expensive." "Hey, nice to see you again! It's been a while, how are the kids?" "Oh, just fine, how's the new job?" 

It seemed so.. normal. Not something that anyone would bother airing on tv. Maybe it was a new show, designed to show people city life? It wasn't impossible, but she was pretty sure televisions weren't supposed to produce wind. Maybe heat, if it was on for a while. But not heat that could travel. It was a soft, gentle thing, reaching out to her, as if it were pulling her in. And she knew. It was a portal. To where, she didn't know.

So she went in. And then she knew where it was. Most definitely, it was Aridin. The city her father had once told her stories about. It certainly matched the warm, jungly vibes. And she could smell some sort of fruit on the breeze, even if it seemed to be rotting. Or maybe it was just mold. Reaching out, she reached forward.

Her hand immediately caught on some vines, and she hurriedly untangled them. Perhaps it was rash, adventuring into a portal. At least it was stable. She'd heard of portals closing while people were in them, and although the warm, jungle breeze tempted her, it wasn't what she wanted for the rest of her life. After all, she had her sister, her village, and her entire life outside the portal. The dimension was merely a way to pass time, she told herself.

Relaxing in the warm wind, she felt around her. She was surrounded by trees. Although she couldn't see them, she knew they were all different colors. She had heard about swirling, crimson hues that were embedded in the wood. The tangerine that would come in stripes, up and down the branches of the trees. Golden leaves and vines would decorate the structures, giving a sense of luxury. Even green, which was the regular color for trees, would seem vibrant and refreshing, along with bright aqua splatters that would dot the trunk. A soft lavender would pull it all together, making the place seem soft and gentle. Not for the first time in her life, she wished she had her vision back. Perhaps she could find someone to point out all the different shades that painted the trees.

For now, she would continue exploring. Stepping carefully on the soft carpet of moss that covered the area, she hoped she could find a building of some sort. With each step, there was a squelch, and she assumed that it had rained recently. Eventually, feeling the wall of trees, she found a structure of some sort. The walls slanted into each other, making what she assumed was a pyramid. Running her hand along the rough, scratchy surface of the wood (she liked to imagine it was red), she found an entrance.

She walked in cautiously-- shuffling her feet along the floor to avoid any injuries --and eventually bumped into a step. Slowly making her way up it (she'd fallen off the stairs too many times to count), and reached the top. Finding it strange that there was noone there, she was a little suspicious. She didn't know if Aridin had monsters or any dangerous creatures. And if it did, she would be prepared. She had her newfound, albeit dangerous, fire abilities. She could totally smite anything that came in her way.

Walking around the roof, she debated getting on her hands and knees and crawling. She definitely did not want to fall off, it had taken a while to get up those stairs, no doubt she was pretty high up. Her instincts won in the end, and she got down onto the floor, scooting along while feeling the surface. It was smooth and comfortable, but a little moist, and it felt a little worn out, as if scuffed by thousands of steps. It probably was, this felt like a gathering spot. Soon, she reached the edge. It didn't drop right down, thankfully, it was guarded by a fence. 

Standing up again, she sighed in relief, cringing from the ache in her knees. This building was seemingly abandoned today. What fun was a new dimension if there weren't any new people to talk with? She paced around a bit, thinking about what she should do. How would she get back to the portal anyway? She vaguely remembered the steps she took to get here, and could probably make it back.

She was just heading back to the stairs, when her leg plunged into icy cold water. Shivering, she jumped up in surprise, only splashing more water onto herself. Her clothes were sopping wet and she remembered the rain. Oh well, perhaps it was a sign that she should head on home. She sighed, wringing out the edge of her tshirt. She could hear the water splash onto the ground, with rhythmic drip, drip, drips. It calmed her, in a way.

Stumbling down the stairs, she walked out the entrance and grimaced. The warm air blasted her in the face again, but now it felt uncomfortable, since she was wet. Finding the original path to the portal, she smiled at the sounds of the realm again. The chirping of birds, the soft, rustling of the leaves in the wind... it would be a nice place to live.

After she was back in her humble hut, which seemed pale in comparison to the temples in the city, she collapsed into her bed. She was exhausted... and it was fun. Maybe she could do it again sometime, if another portal happened to appear. Although Kylea would never allow her to.