“On The Other Side”
I wake up to the obnoxious screams of my younger brother. Great. I haven’t even opened my eyes
yet and I’m already annoyed. Nothing better to get your day started.
Contrary to what my mother believes, I do love him. People say he looks just like me and I agree. The
resemblance is uncanny. However, ever since he was born I’ve involuntarily become the adult of the
house. I wake up and make breakfast for everyone, go grocery shopping, clean up the house and
feed Sean, my brother while my mother sits on the couch and rewatches The Bachelor. She says she
has postpartum depression and is dealing with some “serious issues”. I’m pretty sure you have to get
diagnosed by a professional instead of just assuming you have a condition, but I keep my mouth
shut. I don’t mind helping out but I’m turning 17 next month. I should be worried about boyfriends
and school drama like a normal teenager. Not about how I have to wake up at 6:30 in the morning to
make my dad his breakfast before he leaves for work.
I rub my eyes groggily and head to the washroom we all share. I notice the sun hasn’t even come up
yet. There’s still time before I have to start making breakfast so I take the leftover chicken from last
night, cut it into little pieces and head out to our “backyard”. We were lucky enough that the lot
behind our trailer isn’t for sale, even though our trailer park is extremely crowded. So we decided to
call it our backyard.
I open the the back door and the wind hits my face, forcing me to shut my eyes. I take a deep breath
of fresh air. This is my favourite, most awaited time of the day. Coming out here to feed Tammy, an
adorable stray dog, while everyone is sound asleep. The sky is still the inky, hazy blue but I see some
orange streaks rising above the horizon.
As soon as Tammy sees me he desperately runs out of the blanket I gave him to lay on and starts
circling me. Poor thing must be starving. I get on my knees and pet him, his fur shedding all over me.
“Hi cutie, you hungry?”
He starts licking my hands. I’ll take that as a yes. I put the plate down and he basically attacks it. He
continues eating ferociously for a while but then halts all of a sudden. I bend down and rub his head.
“What’s wrong buddy?”
He backs away, frightened, and starts barking his lungs out. I get up on my feet and turn to check
what got him all worked up all of a sudden. “Oh my god”, I gasp. What I see in front of me really gets
me thinking if I’ve finally reached my limit and lost my sanity. There’s no other explanation. I think
that’s a…… portal? That’s what it looks like. I’ve only heard about it in movies and books. It has a
blue outline that is so bright I have to squint my eyes. I can’t quite make out what’s on the other side
because of all the light. Am I high? Or hallucinating? Although if I were, that doesn’t explain how
Tammy can clearly see it too. Should I…. go through it? No that’s absurd. What if I end up on another
planet and die in like a mini second because of the temperature. Or worse, get eaten by angry
aliens? Okay think Sadie. How did this portal appear all of a sudden? It wasn’t there when I came
out. The right thing to do right now would be to go wake my parents and tell them about this, but
knowing them, they would be of no help.
Even though I know it’s incredibly dangerous, the curious bone in my body just wants to know
what’s on the other side. What if I put my hand through it? That can’t hurt right?
I step closer to the portal, the brightness forcing me to shield my eyes with my hand. I lift my other
hand, hesitating. The voice in my head chants “Do it!” repeatedly. I work up the courage and shove
my hand through the portal. Oh my god. It went through. Thankfully my hand is not frozen or
anything. Now what? I really want to see what’s on the other side. Fuck it. Before I can think about
what I’m doing I step into the portal. What I didn’t expect was a magnetic pull, almost forcing me
through it.
Okay. I’m on the other side. Trying my best not to freak out I carefully open my eyes. I don’t know
what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. It appears that I’m in a….. bedroom? A huge one at that. It
looks like it belongs to a princess. Red linen sheets cover the massive bed with at least a dozen
pillows. Sleek silk curtains hang by the window and…. Wait what the hell? My clothes are different.
I’m wearing a sundress? I barely own any dresses. As I admire the dress I realise that I’m still in a
stranger’s house. What do I do now? Go out the door? Or back through the portal? Considering I’m
already neck deep into this mess, there is no backing out now.
I tiptoe out the door, entering a wide hallway. The walls are covered with huge paintings, each one
probably costing a fortune. How do people afford to live in houses like these? Actually, calling it a
house is an insult. This is a full-on mansion. As I approach the stairs I see something that causes my
jaw to drop on the floor. It’s a painting…… of me. My brain swarms with questions. Why would
someone living in a house like this put up a painting of me? Me of all people. There is no reasonable
explanation. Wherever this portal brought me, it’s definitely not the same world I came from. I’m
still processing the painting when I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. I instantly freeze. It’s
definitely a woman. As she gets closer I see that she’s……… holy shit.
“Mom?” The woman standing in front of me is the polar opposite of my mom. She has a bob cut
that is styled to perfection. With diamond earrings so shiny they are almost blinding. She’s wearing
a white fur coat with a matching skirt that makes her look like royalty. It’s just her face that belongs
to my mother. I’m used to seeing her in a tank top and sweatpants with bags under her eyes. “Oh
good you’re already up, I was worried you’d slept in today”. I’m at a lost for words. She probably
notices my pale face. “You feeling okay sweetie?”. I nod. She still looks concerned as she touches my
shoulder and starts walking down the stairs. “Come let’s get some food in you. You look like you’ve
seen a ghost”. Something like that.
I walk alongside her and try to come up with a plausible explanation to where the hell that portal
has brought me. Is this an alternate universe or something where my mom is this fancy-looking
millionaire? I feel lightheaded. This is all too much. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, I can’t
help but ogle the magnificent structure of the house. She leads me to a vast room that looks like a
dining area. The table has at least 12 chairs with a massive candelabra in the middle with floral
décor around it. She sits at the head of the table and gestures for me to sit beside her. As I sit down,
I notice a few magazines stacked near the corner. I take a closer look at the cover and realise it’s my
mom on it. And she looks….. different. She’s wearing a bodysuit that doesn’t leave much to the
imagination. I quickly take my eyes off of it and read the headline. “America’s top 10 actresses”.
She’s an actress? This is getting crazier by the second. I try to form a coherent thought and get some
answers at least. “Um…… where is dad?”. She looks up from her orange juice and frowns. “How
would I know? You know we haven’t been on good terms since the divorce”. I’m sorry…… the
divorce? I stand up abruptly. I feel sick. This is all extremely overwhelming. I need to go back.
I sprint towards the stairs and hear my mom call after me. “What is going on Sadie!”. I need to be
quick. If she sees the portal, it will be over for me. I take the stairs three at a time, run to my room
and close the door. Thank god the portal is still there. I hesitate, but only for a second. I don’t want
to be here. I want to go back to my mediocre life, where everything is in place. I close my eyes and
jump into the portal. When I open my eyes, it’s nighttime. I look behind me and the portal is gone. I
sprint towards my trailer. When I enter the trailer it feels….. weird. Empty. Where is everyone?
There is a phone on the counter that I don’t recognise. I pick it up and notice the date. 7 July, 2027.
Whoever’s phone this is, they need to put the correct date in. It’s 2022, not….. that’s when it hits
me.
“Oh my god”, I gasp. Again.