Fiction: The Yesterday Portal

Photo by Ray Bilcliff

Fiction: The Yesterday Portal
The Portal was an archway of long-ago ruins framed by a vivid forest. Its circular shape was mirrored in the clear water. It was just as Jane's literature professor had described - heavenly and peaceful. If she wasn't here for a specific reason, she might have stopped and tried to enjoy being there.
    Slowly, she rowed through the archway. In a flash she was back in the same boat looking at the same archway. Everything looked the same as a moment ago. Was she mistaken? She tried once more and rowed through the archway only to be back in the same place.
    Had her professor not said the portal took you back one year? Was he in such a delirium state in his last days that he got it wrong? At first, she had thought he was telling her one of his fanciful stories when he spoke of the portal. A gateway to go back in time? It was a fantasy and yet, it was just what she wanted.
    Jane stood up and looked around her - the water, the trees, the sky - they looked slightly different and yet, almost the same. She peered down at her clothes. White shirt, gray pants with gray boots but a moment ago, her shirt had been pink and her pants was white and she was wearing the same gray boots. At that moment, she had a realization. Yesterday, she came here but then hesitated and returned to the hotel without going through the archway. 
    She dropped down on the wooden thwart. The boat rocked from side to side while the paddles made a splash in the water. Above, a few rays of light shone down between the clouds. She spent almost a month riding hot air balloons, boats, trains, horses, vehicles and endured all sort of discomfort and intolerable people just to get here and it was all for nothing. She took off a boot and threw it through the archway. It disappeared mid-air. Tears filled her eyes. She laughed. Her voice echoed all around her. Above, a few birds flew passed but it soon became as silent as before. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
    I must destroy this thing, she thought. Her time here may be a waste but she was not going to let another follow her path. She glanced down at her socked foot. First, she must get her boot back. She rowed through the archway and was instantly back on the other side. Both her boots were on her feet.
    She looked up at the archway. It appeared old and plain, a structure of leftover stones weathered by time and storms. If she was still teaching history, she might have studied the structure, took photos and gave a lesson to her students but this place wasn't worth studying. She searched through the sack left by the boatman and took out a rusted wrench almost as long as her arm.
    With her shirt sleeve rolled up, she moved the boat toward the structure's left side. With one last look, she thwacked the wrench's jaws at the stones. The structure trembled a little. She struck at it again and again, letting her anger powered her movements. The sound of metal hitting rock echoed faintly.
    Pieces of rock crumbled from above and dropped into the water next to her. With a few more strikes, there was enough damage for that side. She stopped and rowed toward the right side and began punching holes there. Stone and dirt rained down all around with a piece or two hitting the side of her left arm but she rubbed at the spot and continued to strike at the archway. More shower of rocks fell around her. One struck the side of her head but she didn't stop. She wiped at the perspiration on her left forehead with her arm but it left a red stain on parts of her bare skin and shirt sleeve. Her vision swayed. She dropped the wrench and gripped the edge of the boat. Water began to seep in as rocks fell around her creating holes in the hull. Before she realized what was going to happen, the part of the boat that she was standing on, broke apart and she sank into the water.
    A chill ran all through her body. She tried to breathe but her chest was tight. All around her were dark blurs. Then she heard something.
    "Take my hand," a voice said. She stretched out her arms but there was nothing to hold on to. She was freezing. Was this to be her end? Did she came here in vain? She wanted to sleep away the pain and forget everything.
    Something grabbed her hand, pulled her up and dragged her onto solid floor. She coughed until the tightness in her throat and chest eased. As she turned over onto her back, the dark sky greeted her.
    "Breathe," the same voice said. Something heavy was placed over her. She sat up and the blanket dropped a little. The boat rocked a bit. A hand supported her back. Her head throbbed with pain.
    "Welcome back to the living," the man said. A gentle breeze blew a few strands of the man's long, gray hair from its black ribbon. She looked around. Not far off was the portal, as whole as when she first saw it but somehow it didn't quite look the same.
    "Where am I?" she asked.
    "You don't know?" The man raised his black-gray brows. "You went through the portal, didn't you?"
    "Yes, but the portal only sends you back to yesterday. It's a useless, piece of—" Jane sighed.
    "Now don't do that. It's not the portal's fault. Clearly, you didn't want to go to the place you thought you wanted to go."
    "Wha—" Jane stopped. She had wanted to go back a year to see Thomas but at the same time, she didn't want to go through Thomas' death again.
    "I don't have any answers for you. I just came here yesterday. No, it was a few yesterdays ago. Must be. I don't keep track of time. I don't even have a watch." He peered down at his empty wrist. "Name's Ed, by the way." He looked at Jane and then up at the sky. "It's going to rain. Let's get to land."
    "But... Am I still in the same place?"
    "You did went through the portal, didn't you? It meant you're already on the other side. Actually, it didn't make a difference which side of the portal you're in. They're both the same. The tour guy told me it's better to just accept some of its idiosyncrasy and leave this place."
    "But what do I do now?" She had not thought what to do if it didn't work out.
    "Do? You live. What else are you going to do?"
    She rubbed at the side of her head. It still ached which meant she had not gone back to yesterday a fourth time and yet, why did she feel different?   
    Ed was still talking. "...this whole thing is downright weird. You know, I almost drowned trying to bring the portal down. But as you can see, it's up again. My anger at it was irrational because its basically stones and earth. If we should blame someone, it's us. We're the dumb ones that choose to come here and waste our time." Ed lifted up the paddle on either side of him. "We ought to get back onto land before the storm hits."
    "But why are you here now since you know this thing doesn't quite work?"
    "Well, I live nearby. I just thought I come back to see who else was foolish enough to try the portal. What happened to your boat?" Ed wasn't looking at her. He was studying the sky.
    She lowered her head. Telling him would make her feel dumber than before and she was too tired to care. A clap of thunder sounded above.
    "Hey, no need to answer." Ed turned the boat around. "By the way, what should I call you?"
    She took one last look at the portal. Perhaps she did wanted to see Thomas or perhaps she just wanted to know if she could still feel like the living.

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