“Look what I found!” I exclaimed as soon as I entered the room.

Sara and Ali turned towards me, curiosity and excitement written across their faces. I was holding a wooden mahogany board with mythical carvings, beautifully crafted and incredibly detailed. It had three sections, each marked with a symbol: a chest, a door and a forest.

“Some sort of game, I think,” guessed Ali as we sat cross-legged in the lounge, forming a triangle.

“Let’s play,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, though my heart was already racing. We pulled out our pair of dice.

On the board, golden letters shimmered faintly: “Roll the dice and teleport — no drawbacks. Good luck!”

I rolled the dice and it landed on the door.

“Hah, the door,” said Sara, half excited, half nervous.

Suddenly, the lamp flickered and a gust of wind swept through the room. The floor seemed to swallow us. Our bodies compressed, our ears rang and then, silence.

When we opened our eyes, we were standing in front of an ivy-draped door. We........

© Dawn Young Magazine