Children's Stories
The Mysterious Gate
Little boy breaks the rules to enter the Mysterious gate of mirrors ! What is inside ?
Rishit Sahni
Genre – Adventure, Fantasy
Theme – Curiosity, Courage, and Mystery
Setting – An Ancient Temple (Magic Gurukul)
Character – John (The Curious Boy), Head Teacher, Mysterious Voice
Plot – A boy’s curiosity leads him to the forbidden room, transporting him to the Mirror and Dark Worlds, where he faces challenges to return home.
Once upon a time, there was an old temple where many children came to learn magic. It was like a Gurukul that taught two types of magic—one related to Supreme Gods and Demons and the other related to the Mirror World and Dark World. There were two large buildings, each designated for students learning different types of magic.
One day, a boy named John arrived to learn the magic of the Mirror and Dark World. The head teacher asked him some questions, then showed him his room in one of the buildings. As they walked, the teacher pointed at a door and warned:
"Don’t even try to unlock this door. It has been locked for thousands of years by our ancestors, and no one knows what lies inside."
Curious, John asked:
“Do you not know what is inside?”
The teacher sighed and replied:
“I only know that the room is fully covered with mirrors from the inside. But don’t forget my words—do not open it.”
John’s curiosity intensified.
A few days passed.
It was a sunny day, and as John walked past the forbidden room, he noticed a faint light coming from inside. His curiosity reached its peak, but he controlled himself and walked away. That night, however, he could not sleep—his mind was stuck on the mysterious door.
"I have to open it," he thought.
Determined, he tiptoed to the door. As he touched the handle, suddenly:
"TUN TUN TUN!"
The alarm rang loudly! Teachers rushed in, caught him, and scolded him harshly. As punishment, he was locked in his room for the night.
Three days passed…
That night, there was a power outage. John thought:
"The alarm won’t ring this time!"
He grabbed a torch and a small ball his mother had given him. Then, he quietly unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The room was pitch dark. John switched on his torch—and gasped.
Every wall was covered in mirrors!
Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he fell. His torch rolled one way, and his ball rolled another. As he searched for the ball, he looked into a mirror and saw it lying right behind him. But when he turned around—it wasn’t there!
Confused, he looked back at the mirror—the ball was inside the mirror world!
Before he could react, the mirror image reached out, grabbed him, and pulled him inside!
John found himself in a strange, eerie place—the Mirror World!
As he took a step forward, he fell straight into darkness.
He had entered the Dark World.
There was nothing but endless darkness.
Panicked, he shouted for help.
A deep, echoing voice answered:
“You have entered the Dark World, but you can only leave when I wish.”
John pleaded:
"Please let me go!"
The voice chuckled:
“I will let you go—if you solve my challenge. First, escape my maze. Then, answer three questions. You must answer at least two correctly to return.”
John agreed.
Suddenly, a huge maze appeared in front of him!
He ran inside, navigating twisting paths and dead ends. After great difficulty, he finally escaped.
The voice said:
“Well done, boy. Now for the questions.”
First Question:
“How can one enter the Mirror World?”
John thought for a moment and replied:
“Through the Mirror Room.”
"Correct!"
Second Question:
“Who is the king of the Dark World?”
John had no idea. He hesitated and finally admitted:
“I don’t know.”
"Wrong!"
Final Question:
“Pronounce this word correctly: SSENKRAD.”
John was confused. He used a bit of magic he had learned at the temple and realized:
"It’s a jumbled word!"
He reversed the letters and exclaimed:
“Darkness!”
The voice boomed with laughter:
"You are right! You may go home!"
A blinding blue light engulfed him, and in an instant, he woke up in his room!
John rushed to his teacher and told him everything. To his shock, he realized that 10 days had passed!
The teacher was both proud and upset.
"You solved a great mystery, but you disobeyed my warning," he said.
Even so, John had proven himself brave and wise. As he grew up, he became a great magician, solving many more mysteries.
A Story by Rishit Sahni