The sultry air in Anuradhapura hung heavy with the scent of ancient earth and jasmine. T’was the last day of summer before new sessions began. The sun dipped low in the sky, casting an illuminating, serene golden glow over the ancient city. Its ruins seemed to whisper secrets of civilizations gone by. Ranpalee, Manil and Rajin stood at the edge of the sacred pond near the Ranmasu-Uyana gardens, their curious eyes fixed on the weathered rock carvings that had captivated their attention.
The day had started ordinarily—a scrumptious breakfast, aimless chatter and future plans. But Rajin, always the thrill-seeker, had something extraordinary to suggest.
“I’ve heard about mystical carvings deep in the gardens,” he said, excitement dancing in his voice. “They say there’s a strange energy there, something unexplainable.”
“Energy?” Ranpalee raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “You sound like some environmental empath.”
But Manil, the techie of the group, was intrigued. “I’ve an EMF detector,” he said, patting his backpack. “We could test it. See if there’s any truth to the legends.”
So, they set off on this final summer adventure, winding their way through the sacred city’s ruins until they reached the ancient stone carvings. These weren’t just any carvings; they were said to hold the key to the Sakwala-Chakraya— a mystical gateway believed to be a portal between realms and constellations.
Now, standing before the massive circular rock inscription, Ranpalee couldn’t help but feel a shiver of anticipation. The carvings looked like an ancient starry map, a web of interconnected circles and symbols that seemed to shift in the fading light.
“This is it,” Manil said, eyes wide in excitement as he held up his EMF detector. The device beeped, its frequency rapidly increasing. “Something’s here.”
Rajin knelt down, his fingers tracing the grooves of the Sakwala-Chakraya. “It’s supposed to be a map of the universe, right? What if it’s more than that? What if it’s… a portal?”
“You’re serious?” Ranpalee asked, the skepticism in her voice wavering as she watched the device pulse rapidly in Manil’s hand.
The beeping became erratic, the light on the detector flashing a deep red.
“I’m telling you, there’s something here,” Manil said, his voice barely above a whisper.
The air around them seemed to thrum with energy, like the space between worlds was growing thinner.
“I’ve never seen such erratic readings.”
As the last rays of sunlight settled below the horizon, the Sakwala-Chakraya seemed to glow faintly, its ancient symbols lighting up one by one.
“Guys… what’s happening?” Ranpalee asked, her voice shaking.
Before anyone could respond, the ground beneath the carving thundered and split, revealing a hidden staircase spiraling downward into the earth. A gust of warm air emanated from the opening, carrying mystic scents of something ancient and forgotten.
“We’re going down there, aren’t we?” Rajin grinned, his eyes glowing with excitement.
Manil hesitated, his EMF detector still flashing wildly. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
But Ranpalee, her curiosity now fully piqued, stepped forward. “If we’re ever doing something unforgettable, this is it.”
They descended into the darkness, their footsteps echoing through the stone walls. The deeper they went, the stranger the air became—thick and charged with something unseen, as though the very atmosphere was alive with possibility. When they reached the bottom, they found themselves in a vast underground chamber, its walls covered in the same strange symbols as the Sakwala-Chakraya above.
In the center, stood a massive stone arch, its surface etched with constellations. It hummed vehemently that made the hairs on the back of Ranpalee’s neck stand on end.
“This… is it,” Manil breathed, stepping closer to the arch. “The portal.”
Suddenly, the EMF detector went haywire, emitting a high-pitched whine that caused Manil to drop it. The device shattered on the stone floor. At that moment, the arch began to pulse with a soft, blue light.
The room filled with a low, resonant hum, and the air seemed to ripple around them. The stone arch flickered, and for a brief moment, they saw something on the other side—stars, distant galaxies, and a vast, uncharted world shimmering in the void.
“We can’t actually… go through it, right?” Ranpalee quivered, her voice barely audible.
But Rajin was already reaching out, his hand inches from the glowing surface of the arch. “What if this is what we’ve been looking for?”
As his hand touched the arch, the light exploded outward, engulfing all three of them in a blinding flash. For a moment, there was nothing—no sound, no sight, just the sensation of being suspended in a vast, infinite space.
Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. They were back in the chamber, the arch now serenely silent. But something was different. The air felt lighter, and the chamber seemed… bigger, as though the world had shifted slightly.
“What… what just happened?” Manil asked, his voice hoarse.
“I think… we crossed over,” Ranpalee whispered, her eyes wide with awe.
As they looked around, they realized something even stranger. The chamber was no longer underground. They stood in the middle of a field under a sky full of stars, a new world glowing faintly in the distance. The portal, the carvings, everything was gone.
“Are… we back?” Rajin asked, confused.
Ranpalee shook her head. “No. Look.” She pointed to the sky, where a massive constellation shimmered brightly, one they had never seen before.
Manil stared at the stars, realization dawning on him. “We’re… somewhere else. Somewhere between worlds.”
The three friends stood in stunned silence, the weight of what had just happened sinking in. They’d opened a portal and crossed into a realm beyond their understanding.
“This… changes everything,” Ranpalee whispered.
The sky shone a metallic hue with a pattern full of unknown stars. As they wandered around, exploring this new realm, they knew their lives would never be the same again. The portal had transported them to a world far greater than themselves— and into a world of mystery that could never be revealed.
Word Count: 1000 words excluding the title
Cover Image Credits: Courtesy Google
