Your character overhears something that changes their path.
This writing prompt comes from the Weekly Reedsy writing prompts. I will not be entering it though due to Reedsy now charging to enter the contests. You can find the prompt here: https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/contests/267/
I was not someone who got along with people so I often found myself in places where I could listen while unobserved. That was how I found myself where I am today, sitting on my fire escape above the alley that ran alongside my apartment building. The darkness made it hard to make out the alley below me but I could hear as the backdoor to the building opened and someone walked towards the middle of the alley. Footsteps echoed towards them from the street, mirroring them.
Almost unconsciously, I looked at the brick building and pushed myself as far as I could into the corner of the fire escape to make myself invisible in the night. The black pants and shirt that were almost constantly my attire helped.
“Hello.” I didn’t recognize the voice and it was free of emotion.
“Why did you insist on meeting, you know as well as I do that this is dangerous.” That voice I did recognize. My mother never sounded like that when I was around. She was defensive and from the tone I pictured her looking around to make sure she wasn’t being observed. I shouldn’t be up here listening to this but I couldn’t stop.
“I need to know what you are going to do with her.” The stranger asked.
“She can’t learn about that world. She needs to grow up to be a normal teen.”
“I don’t know if you have noticed but she isn’t exactly the perfect example of normal. She is a loner, she knows something is different about her.” How could a voice be so empty yet so passionate at the same time. I wanted to know who this was that my mother was meeting.
Slowly, trying not to make a noise, I went from holding my knees tight against me to laying across the fire escape so my eyes came to the edge and I could look over the side. The alley had only the light pushing its way in from the streetlights at the entrance. The two figures below were almost complete darkness but I could make out that the voice I didn’t know came from a tall, slender figure. Almost abnormally tall.
“If she knew about anything other than the world she already knows she would be in danger. She would also not be able to be normal. We don’t let others know about magic. It is too much for a child in a city to have to hide.”
“It is not, there are parents who raise casters in the city. More importantly, she is so powerful you won’t be able to hide it forever. Eventually she will do something that accidentally causes her power to come forward. A strong emotion will power it.”
I had to know more. Using one of the railings I pulled myself to my feet and started to sneak down the fire escape towards the alley. What were they talking about? Magic? Magic was simply something that you saw at carnivals or shows. Hiding cards, making rabbits come from hats.
“If she doesn’t use her magic, she won’t know its there. It won’t come out.”
“We both know it will. It doesn’t help that she has no one to talk to about it.”
“If you try to tell her, you won’t be around to make a difference in her life.” The threat was serious and strong.
As I stepped onto the last step of the fire escape before the ladder there was a creaking noise. In my focus on the conversation, I had forgotten about the loose step. I quickly pushed myself up against the wall and heard as my mother turned around and ran toward the door. Before she disappeared back into the building I heard her yell for the mysterious figure to leave.
Expecting to find the figure gone, I looked away from the door to the apartment to find that they were still slowly walking towards the street.
Before I could stop myself I found my body going down the ladder of the fire escape towards the figure. I wanted to know who they were and why they were talking to my mom about magic. Magic didn’t exist but oh did it in the books that sat around my room.
Not once did the figure turn around, even when I dropped the few feet from the ladder to the ground. At the end of the alley the figure waved their hands in a practiced pattern and a glow started to emanate from them. A large yellow and white oval appeared in front of the figure as he stepped through it he disappeared.
Again, without thinking I ran at the portal and right as it started to flicker through my body through it.
I found myself in a field. Daylight shone down on the field in front of me and at the end stood a mismatched house. Each part of the house looked like it had been slapped on with a different design style. Parts of it appeared to be hanging on for dear life. Beyond the house I could see woods. There were no other signs of houses around. More importantly, there were no signs of the city I had just come from.
Where the heck was I?
“So you were listening.” It wasn’t a question and I turned to look for the speaker.
A tall man with short white hair and a well groomed white beard stood there. His expression was not unfriendly but it was also neutral.
“Um… sorry but where are we?” I asked as I looked behind me to see more field and then a forest.
“You are somewhere else.”
Before I could stop it, I let it slip, “no shit. I mean, I can tell that but where are we?”
The neutral look on his face wavered only slightly before he answered. “We are in a pocket realm. The place I call home. Only certain magic users are able to find places like this. Even fewer are able to mold them as I have this. It takes on the appearance that I need of it.”
I stood there just trying to think about what he said.
“Your mother is not going to be happy about this but you are already here so there is no hiding it. Let’s go.”
He waved me toward the house as he started to walk. I followed behind him trying to find any sign that I wasn’t back… on Earth… in reality? I didn’t even know how to reference it.
The front door of the house was tall enough that this man didn’t even have to tilt his head to enter. I knew there was no way he would fit through the doors at my apartment. The inside of the house was just as interesting as the outside. A hallway continued for what seamed like forever in front of me with various shapes and sizes of doors leading off of it.
At the third door on the left he turned the knob and led me into a kitchen. It was very… normal except for the fact that the stove and other touches appeared to be older. The floor tiles were white and black. A tea kettle sat on the counter whistling as if it had been ready for our arrival.
He pored the kettle into two tea cups and brought them over to the table. “Your life is about to change.”