The Fart Portal

    By Iker Sosa Medina

    The Fart Portal cover image

    18 Jul, 2023

    Meet John. John is a middle-aged accountant whose life lacks a bit of excitement. He's a huge fan of video games, especially Minecraft which he plays religiously to escape from his monotonous routine.

    One day, John had a meal that turned out to be more than he'd bargained for. It was a plate of his favorite spicy burritos, filled with fiery jalapenos and beans.

    As he was playing Minecraft after his meal. He suddenly needed to pass wind. With a sigh of relief, he released a loud fart. The room stunk instantly, but something odd happened too.

    A small green portal opened in the middle of the room. John squinted at the strange occurrence. It was square, just like the blocks in his favorite game, Minecraft.

    Tentatively, he walked over to investigate. He could see blocky trees and clouds, exactly like the ones in Minecraft. He felt a great pull towards it, as if it was beckoning him.

    Gathering his courage, John stepped through the portal. To his utter amazement, he was in the middle of a Minecraft world. The blocks, the sheep, the trees, everything was there!

    He was stunned at first but then a sense of thrill filled him. Here he was, inside his favorite game! Avoiding a creeper, he went towards a group of blocky trees.

    Using his hands, John started punching the trees just like he would in the actual Minecraft game. To his surprise, he began accumulating blocks of wood in his inventory.

    Several hours passed as he started crafting, building and mining. He was living the game, literally. However, reality started to creep back in as he felt hunger pangs.

    He proceeded to hunt down some blocky cows and cooked them on a blocky furnace, creating steaks. Taking a bite, he realized they tasted quite real and delicious.

    Days turned into weeks as John adapted to his life in Minecraft dimension. He built a house, mined for diamonds, and fought off hordes of creepers and zombies.

    He enjoyed his adventure, exploring biomes and visiting villages. But as fun as it was, a part of him missed his regular life. He missed his family and friends.

    Even his job, which he used to find tedious, seemed to be more appealing than fighting off endless monsters. He felt a tinge of sadness. He wanted to go home.

    Remembering the green portal, he wondered if he could go back the same way he came. But he had no idea how to create that portal again. He felt helpless.

    Then he had an idea. In Minecraft, there were portals made to go to other dimensions. Maybe if he built the same in this world, it would bring him back home.

    So, he began his mission of gathering the materials necessary to build a Nether Portal. He mined for obsidian, risked his life, but never gave up hope.

    After what seemed like an eternity, he had enough materials. He built the portal, just like he remembered from the game. With a deep breath, he stepped into it.

    Suddenly, he found himself back in his living room. His heart pounded with relief. He was back home. It appeared the portal worked.

    He looked at the clock. Only a few minutes had passed since he entered the portal, even though he spent weeks in the Minecraft world. Time moved differently there.

    John felt a new sense of appreciation for his life. His regular life may not be as adventurous as Minecraft, but it was real. And he was grateful for it.

    He continued playing Minecraft, not as an escape, but as a form of entertainment. Still, he couldn't help but glance at his living room floor wondering if a portal would ever appear again.

    But no matter how much he wanted to, John never returned to Minecraft world. He understood that his regular life held excitement of its own, the kind that the blocky world couldn't offer.

    John's adventures made him realize how precious his ordinary life was. The encounter with the other world changed his perspectives. He developed a new-found love for his everyday life.

    This unusual experience taught John a valuable lesson. Life may seem mundane at times, but there's something captivating about living in the real world with real emotions and real connections.

    And though he cherished his Minecraft adventure, he never wished to trade his actual life with it. After all, no game could replace reality's beauty and unpredictability.

    John's story serves as a reminder to us all. Moments of escape are fun, but they are not where life is. Life happens in the ordinary, the everyday, and the real.

    Sometimes, we all feel like John, wanting to escape into a fantasy world. But we must remember that life's true adventures lie in our real world, not behind a screen.

    This doesn’t mean one should stop playing games or cease enjoying digital entertainment, but rather, it should not replace the joys and challenges of our actual lives.

    John’s magical fart might have led him to a peculiar journey, but it also helped him rediscover his love for his life. So, in a way, it was a blessing in disguise.

    You never know where life will take you, sometimes even a simple fart can lead to extraordinary adventures. But remember to always value the reality that shapes you.