La Porte de La Magie

Painting 'La porte' by Henri Duhem used for a microfiction writing prompt
La Porte by Henri Duhem, 1937

I tip toed through the field, not knowing if there were tiny creatures underfoot, like chickens, rabbits, or even my cat. Maybe the Jains have a point. The higher vantage made me appreciate that life is still life no matter how small or seemingly invisible. I had the tractor in hand. It looked just as a toy vehicle should in my palm; even the weight seemed to feel about right. It didn’t take many paces to get to the gate at the edge of the forest that had given away just how out of wack my world was. That same gate that my grandmother and I had unlatched and walked through countless times when I was barely as tall as the highest post- we’d look for fairies and magic dragons. The posts now looked like matchsticks lined up in those promotional books of matches you don’t see much of nowadays. Of course I couldn’t fit through the gate. I paused right there, peering down at the forest and wishing to reverse the magic my grandma had made me believe.

179* words inspired by Jane Dougherty’s Microfiction Challenge #5. It is also a part 2 to this story, although I hope it can stand on its own.

*Shaved off 4 words with an edit following Jane’s comment about repeated reference to ‘hand’.

20 thoughts on “La Porte de La Magie”

  1. Like it! it makes me think of Alice. It’s so refreshing to discover how weird other people’s imaginations are 🙂
    Two things: the repetition of ‘my hand’ ; and I’d find another way to bring in the importance of the gate since carrying a tractor in your hand seems like a pretty good indication that the world has gone completely crazy. A tiny gate is rather insignificant compared to that image.

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    1. Thanks Jane! So glad you liked it. I really appreciate your feedback too, as always. I’ll revise double hand later and you’re spot on about making the gate more signigicant as I had wanted it to symbolise a portal into a magical world. Maybe the gate was ajar and some magic leaked to the other side?

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      2. Yes, you’re right, and you should know with those worm holes you’ve created! Hmm a river. Maybe a sticky, viscous river that leaves a film of magic on whatever it touches…

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  2. Pingback: Microfiction challenge The door: the entries – Jane Dougherty Writes

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