Come and See

I was making coleslaw when the portal opened. Have you ever noticed how beautiful a cabbage is? Especially the red ones. Which are actually purple, but perhaps that is a debate for another day. All those lines. All that symmetry. Gorgeous.

I'm not sure how long I stood there at the counter, knife in hand, chopping board slowly staining purple, staring at a labyrinth of Nature's design.

After a while, those lines starting to glow, ever so faintly. Then the outlines of those lines wiggled, as if there were tiny silver worms undulating along them. At first, I thought it was a trick of the light. I've stared too long, and now my eyes are playing tricks. Maybe I'm getting a migraine. Oh help, I hope not. I have far too much to do.

But it wasn't a trick, and it wasn't my imagination. I know what I saw.

The wriggling and shining became more and more noticeable, and somewhere along the way, the cabbage got bigger.or maybe I got smaller, and didn't notice.

How did I never see it before? These portals exist all around us, all we have to do is really SEE them.

I stepped forward into the blazing silver light. It dimmed a little, almost out of consideration to my eyeballs. Or maybe my eyes adjusted. My pupils would have been the tiniest of pin pricks, but I didn't think to take a selfie.

The tunnel was a deep, rich purple. On the very edge of vision, I could still see the squirming silver light. There was a pulsing like a heartbeat, divorced from my steps. At first, I thought it was the walls of the tunnel, and then the light. And at last wondered if it was me.

Next, I noticed that the colour seemed faded, and so did the cabbagey smell, and the rubbery quality underfoot. No, not faded, rather, further away. The tunnel walls are further away with every footstep, every look, every breath. Surely they're as distant now, as the tunnels end?

When the purple cat appeared, it seemed normal. I asked his name and he said, Pinky. I reflected that it was about as sensible as a purple cabbage being called "red" and followed him deeper into the new dimension.

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Word count: 366

(NB. This excludes the title, subtitle, and author's note.)

Submitted on Saturday 2nd November at 20:25

Quick Author's Note

A Year of Stories: I'm writing (and submitting, here) a story every day this year. This continues my 307 (!!!) daily micro-fiction story streak since 1st January.

ONLY FIFTY-NINE DAYS TO GO!!!!!

Please consider lending your support to the other creators on this madcap "a story every day" adventure. They're putting out excellent content every day!

Rachel Deeming

Gerard DiLeo

Thank you

Especially if you are one of the wonderful people who has been staunchly reading these daily scribbles since the start of the year. I see you, and I am extremely grateful for your ongoing support.

Thank you to those who leave feedback/comments.

I am making excellent headway catching up on reads. Where I'm already up to date with all someone's stories, I read someone else's in lieu!

If you enjoyed this one, the very best compliment you can give me is to share it, or read another!

This one will only take you a minute:

I just put up a new dollar challenge today, I think you might love it:

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Thank you again!