Jaxson and the Magic Portal

Sitting on the front porch, my eyes followed a sleek moving object. I let out a sigh. If only my mother owned a sports car. Instead, all she does is work all day long only to barely feed us and pay for the bills. 

“Jaxson,” my mom called from inside, “it’s time to take my car in for an oil change. The keys are on the table.”

“Yes, Mom,” I grumbled. Once I turned sixteen and passed my driving test, I was the dedicated errand runner. Don’t get me wrong, I loved driving. But the old car she owned was barely passable as a car. 

I snatched the keys off the table, turned the ignition a couple of times before it started, and then drove off. The entire way, my foot yearned to step fully on the pedal. Alas, my mom warned me the engine would fail if too much pressure was placed on it. 

Parking the old car in the designated parking garage, my eyes caught on a new mechanic. He was as old as my mother’s car with little grey hair left and a hunched back. 

Curious, I walked over to him, keys dangling in my hand. 

Before I could open my mouth, his voice crackled, “I’m sorry, miss. My vehicle is totaled and my wife is very sick. May I ask if I can borrow your car? I’ll return it as soon as possible.”

Taking in the elderly a second time, I realized he wasn’t an employee at all. Although he was standing in the work area, he wore white pants without a single stain on them and a pastel blue t-shirt. 

“Um, this is our only car.”

“I understand, but you see,” his voice crackled more so than before, “my wife might be passing away anytime now.” His eyes glazed over. “I can’t offer much. I’m told you have an engine problem. I’ll promise to return your vehicle better than it was before.”

My interest piqued. Fixing an engine cost more than a month of my mom’s pay. It could be worth it if just for one week. “How can I trust you, though? Do you have anything in exchange?”

He dug in his pockets and pulled out a baggie with a handful of almonds. “You may have these almonds.” He held them out to me. “They’re no ordinary almonds, though. They’re full of magic.”

I withheld an eye roll but accepted it regardless. Although magic might not be real, I was sure his sick wife was. I couldn’t possibly say no after my own father passed away from cancer two years ago. I dropped the keys in his bony hands. 

He bowed to me. “Thank you very much. You won’t regret it.” He turned to my mom’s rusty car but stopped halfway there. “I forgot to tell you about the almonds. Bury them in your garden and your garden will give you more food than you can consume. Whatever you do, don’t plant them in sand, though. A portal to the evil witch’s lair will appear. She may be blind, but her long nose will sniff you out.” With that, he crawled in my mom’s car and drove off. 

Trudging home, my mind was reeling about what I’d tell my mom. Nothing convincing came to mind, though. Opening the front door, I slowly closed the door praying she wouldn’t hear me. 

“How much was the oil change,” her voice called from the kitchen.

I froze. “Um, I didn’t exactly get the oil changed.”

“I don’t think I heard you right. Come closer.”

Downcast, I entered the kitchen. The  savory aroma of vegetable soup filled my senses. 

“So how much was it?”

“Nothing, because I didn’t get the oil changed.”

“What do you mean? Where’s the car then?”

“An elderly man needed it to visit his sick wife. He promised to return it in better condition than it was before.” 

I heard a clatter of a metal spoon dropping onto the floor. I didn’t look up, though. 

“Did you just give away our only vehicle to a stranger?” Her voice was rising to a scary high level. “Did he give you his name, number, or at least money?”

I shook my head. I was so dumb not to ask him. How was he going to return our car? My stomach knotted. “He only had almonds to give.” I didn’t want to add that they were magic, but I held them up to her regardless. Maybe her heart would soften for the poor old guy. 

Instead, she snatched the almonds out of my hands and threw them out the window. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now. Just go to your room!”

***

Sleep escaped me that night. I rolled out of bed thankful that it was at least Saturday. The kitchen was empty when I entered. My mom was already gone to work. Even the countertop was empty of any of her notes she typically left me. 

My throat constricted. I wasn’t sure how she traveled to work today - maybe by bike or bus or a neighbor. Regardless, I was relieved I didn’t have to see her angry or disappointed face. 

Pouring a bowl of cereal, a glare hit my eyes. I blinked, attempting to find the origin. Outside in the garden, something sparkled oddly. Standing up, I opened the sliding door that led outside. 

Scanning the yard, my eyes popped. What is that? I cautiously moved toward the edge of our yard, where the chain link fence bordered and vines crawled up them. 

Standing erect was the most peculiar thing. It was circular - about the size of myself. Inside was shiny but gentle ripples ran through. The only way I could describe it was the same words the old man had said. Magic portal. Below it was sand from an old sandbox left open to the elements. 

I cocked my head. How could this be? Magic isn’t real. But there was no denying the glaring evidence. 

A chill ran down my spine and it wasn’t the good chill that my mother would talk about. There was a certain aura in the air around the portal. One that I could only describe as revolting or despicable. 

Glancing at the sandy ground, I was about to dig up the almond when something caught my eyes. The shiny waves settled and an image appeared. 

I stepped closer. Inside the portal was a wooden table with jars of various indiscernible items. On the far right, was a large fireplace with a giant cauldron inside stewing. But what really caught my eyes was a cauldron the size of my mother’s largest pot overflowing with gold coins. 

I blinked a few times thinking it would all disappear, but the gold still sparkled back at me as if calling my name. How many sports cars could my mom buy with that? 

I inched even closer till my nose almost touched the portal. Glancing around, I saw no witches. The small room was empty. I took a deep breath. This could be my chance. I just needed to slip in, grab the coins, and buy my mom a new car. Easy peasy.

I closed my eyes for a second and then stepped through. The first sensation that overcame me was the freezing temperatures. The portal was like transparent ice and the room felt only a smidge better. Goosebumps ran up my arms. My breath formed in front of me. 

There was no time to lose, though. I quickly scanned the area. The room was in a log cabin of sorts. No one around. The cauldron over the fire was stewing, though, so she couldn’t be too far away. 

I tiptoed to the pot-sized cauldron. Reaching for it, a scratchy high-pitched voice sounded just outside. “Ye-he-he, I smell a human child in there!”

My breath caught. I couldn’t give up, though. Seizing the cauldron, I heaved it off the table. Waddling to the portal, I caught sight of the witch in the open window. Her eyes were glassed over, blind like the old man had said. Her curly black hair draped down to her mid-back and her skin was a sickly green. But on her face was a long nose that continually flared, tracking my scent. 

Hopping out of the portal, I landed on my stomach - the coins scattered across the grassy floor. I jumped back up and frantically dug at the sand. 

The witch’s voice shrilled from within the portal. “Ye-he-he, I smell you have my goldies. You may have them all, human child. Ye-he-he. Yes, have them all. I’ll see you soon.”

Snatching the almond, I pulled it from the sand. The moment I shook it clean of sand, the portal vanished. I let out the breath I was holding and fell onto my back. Rolling my head to the side, the gold sparked in my eyes. I did it! Visions of all the things I could buy danced in my head. 

Sitting up, I scooped the gold back into the metal cauldron. I grunted as I picked it up. Carrying it to my bedroom, I dropped it in the center of my bed - smiling. This was happiness. It had to be. 

First I was going out to eat to celebrate. Maybe to one of those fancy steakhouses. Once my mom returned home, we’d go car shopping for something so sleek and sporty, no one would think twice that we’re poor. 

Pulling out my school bag, I dumped the contents onto the floor. Shuffling some of the coins inside, I called a taxi and told him to bring me to the fanciest of restaurants. He parked at a seafood joint, though. Clearly not the fanciest, but I did love seafood. 

I handed him a coin. As soon as he took it, my pinky began to tingle. But as fast as the sensation came, it was gone the next second. Thanking the driver, I walked into the restaurant. 

The blonde-haired waitress eyed me as she showed me to my seat. “Are you sure you’re not meeting anyone here?”

“Nope, just me.”

She handed me the menu. I glanced at the prices. Normally those outrageous  prices would send us walking right back out of the restaurant. But not today.

The waitress was still there watching me. “Are you sure you can afford this?”

I gave her a pleasant smile. “Definitely!”

After ordering their finest lobster and dessert, a waitress handed me my receipt. I left two coins for the meal. Walking towards the exit, my other pinky and my ring finger began to prickle. 

Stopping at a bench, I held up my hand and drew a sharp breath. Both pinkies and ring finger were the same sickly green color as the witch. What was happening? I bent the fingers this way and that. They were shriveled as if they were a century-old rather than sixteen years. 

Could I be turning into that evil witch? Was that why she let me take the gold?

My backpack pulled on my shoulders, the coins weighing them down. The sun beat down directly on me causing a bead of sweat to form. I had to get home.

Calling a taxi, we weaved through traffic until we finally parked at my modest home. Our home was small and square. A few shingles were askew, which sometimes left puddles in the kitchen. Even some of the vinyl sidings were chipped. 

But my mouth hung open when I caught sight of something disturbing. Dark lines spiderwebbed from the window of my room. It stretched and grew, seemingly disintegrating the house before my eyes. 

The taxi driver cleared his throat. “Do you have the money or not, kid?”

I dug in my backpack and handed him one coin. Another one of my fingers tingled and prickled as if it had lost circulation, but I didn’t have to look down to know what had happened. 

I rushed inside the house and into my room. I let out a gasp. My room was black as if it had been burned. Ashy dust fell onto my head. 

Scooping the rest of the coins into my backpack, I raced out the back door. I had only a single idea. It was all I had.

I dug out the magic almond from my pocket and buried it into the abandoned sandpit. I sat there and waited, but nothing appeared. My stomach knotted. Did I do something wrong? Could the almonds be only used once?

I collapsed over the sand. The dark vines had now reached the back of the house. Trembling, I held out my hands, viewing the shriveled green fingers. A tear formed in my eyes and slid onto the sand. 

I should have listened to that old man and never entered the portal. I should have never stolen those cursed coins. It has brought nothing but trouble.

Suddenly a whoosh sounded above me, and the sparkling portal reappeared. I jumped up, the coins clinking in my backpack. The portal rippled and waved with no clear picture. 

I glanced back at my home watching the blackness reach my mother’s room. I would just have to jump through blind this time. Taking a deep breath, I hopped through. 

Just like before, I was hit by an icy burst of air that seemed to grip my bones. The first thing I noticed, though, was that this time the room wasn’t empty. This time the witch stood stirring her stew. 

I stood frozen for a second. My eyes caught on her hand. Four of her fingers had forgone the sickly green tone and now wore the same skin color as mine. I gasped.

Her nose began flaring, and she swiveled to me. “Ye-he-he. I smell my human child is back.” I quickly shrugged off my backpack. “Oh, but the child brought my goldies back. That can’t do.”

“What have you done to me and my home?” I yelled. “You’ve stolen my fingers!”

“Aw, but don’t you see. A payment for you and a payment for me.” Her lips curled into a cruel smile.

“You can keep the cursed gold!” I inched toward the portal.

“No, little human. You will be mine. You cannot leave.” Her hands rose and blackness swirled around them. Ducking, the magic whizzed past my head. My body recoiled from the vile aura it left in its trail. 

Without another glance, I leapt out of the portal. Another blast of magic barely missed. Rolling over, I quickly scrambled to the sand. I dug with a new fervent - shuffling sand like a dog unburying a bone. Relief washed over me when my hand grasped the almond. 

“You will be mine! Ye-he-” 

The portal closed. I laid there for a while catching my breath. Slowly I sat up and examined my fingers and house. Pressure encompassed my chest. Half the house seemed as if it was burnt to a crisp. And my fingers were still sickly green. 

I stared at the almond for a long while. One last idea popped into my head. I trudged to the shed and grabbed some fertilized soil. Along the edge of the house, I poured the entire bag onto the ground. 

Grasping the almond, I hesitated. The last thing I wanted to do was open the portal again. But the old man had been right before, I was sure he was right about this. 

Burying the almond one last time, I sat and waited. One hour passed and still nothing. My eyes became tired, so I rested my head on the ground. I waited another hour before sleep caught me in its grasp. 

I awoke with a start. My vision was filled with green. Opening my eyes more fully, I noticed the yard had been succumbed by ginormous plants. I slowly made a circle. Juicy tomatoes hung from a plant to my left. Along the ground sprung zucchini and watermelon. Vining up my home was no longer black veins, but instead green beans, cucumbers, and sugar peas. 

I glanced in awe in all directions. The entire house was back to normal, maybe even better than normal. Some of the plants’ vines had pushed the roofing back into place. Even the vinyl sidings looked brand new. 

“Jaxson,” my mom called from the front yard.

I pushed the plants out of my way as I made my way to the entrance, stepping on a few strawberries in the process. Rounding the corner of the house, I spotted my mom wearing a brilliant smile. But that wasn’t the only thing I spotted. Behind her was her car. It may not be a sports car, but it had a new sheen of paint on it. 

My mom ran up and hugged me. “Jaxson, I’m so sorry I reacted so harshly to you last night. You were dumb to trust a stranger, but your heart was in the right place. The elderly man sent the car to my work with a note. He said he was able to see his wife one last time before she took her last breath.” She then waved to the car. “And somehow he was able to miraculously fix the engine and give the car a new paint job.” A tear ran down her cheek. “I miss your father, but I’m so thankful I have you. Let's go make some dinner, okay?”

“Yes, let’s do that.” 

She walked towards the front door but stopped. Her eyes landed on the backyard and widened. “What is all this?” 

“Oh, just another miracle from the old man.” I smiled and glanced down at my perfectly normal fingers and then at our car. My heart was filled with gratitude. At that moment, a slick sports car zoomed past. I ignored it, though, and ran after my mom.