Portal Betrayal (Warning: This is very sad)

Joe Gardner bases his life on kindness. He feels being rude or impatient with others can only result in long-term anger. Those that know him well know his willingness to help others out in need.

            Despite Joe’s charitable personality, all his life he has had difficulty understanding others. He hasn’t had many friends that he spent a lot of time with and somewhat lacked in social awareness. This bothered Joe from time to time, and would sometimes make him feel depressed.

            Joe grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, living with his parents, and sister. He was a life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and was surrounded by many who belonged to the same church.

            He had always been a very smart person. Mathematics and Science came extremely easy to Joe. He had always been fascinated with setting up portals, which you could use to travel great distances in just seconds.

            This is how portals work. Every computer in the world has a specific coordinate, which is the physical location in which they are used. For example, someone using a computer in a computer lab at the University of Utah could enter the coordinates of a computer in a computer lab at the University of Phoenix, and successfully teleport.

            There is a potential danger involved in using this technology. A field is created around a door, which is what transfers you to your location. The door, however, must be left open, or the person on the other side will be stuck at their new location. That is why it is recommended to only travel short distances when using this program, or make sure you do so with people you trust that will not shut the door on you. Once the door is closed, the portal disappears for good.

            The scientific knowledge required to successfully create portals is extremely complex, and users must have an extremely firm understanding of the technology. That is why most people do not have this program. In more simple terms, if you are stuck in Phoenix, don’t count on finding anybody who owns this software, which you could use to get yourself back home.

            Joe was 22 years old. He was living at home with his family, and attending the University of Utah. He attended a singles ward, and enjoyed being around ward members. He did not have many friends, but enjoyed being around his ward.

            One day, there was a social event at one of his ward members’ apartment. He wanted to show them this technology he was incredibly fascinated with. He hoped it would be an opportunity to get to know them better.

            About fifteen minutes into the party, Joe was sitting on the couch talking with some girls. He told them about the use of portals, and started setting one up on his laptop. He told them to watch him as he teleported to a computer lab at the University of Utah. They didn’t give him the reaction he was hoping for, but some thought it was interesting.

            One of the girls did not like Joe at all. She was not being very friendly to him, and was somewhat spoiling this event for Joe. A guy who joined the conversation after Joe returned from the computer lab, named Edward Richards, who did not like Joe at all either, was hoping he would do it again, so he could close the door on him. They would not miss Joe.

            Joe set up a portal leading to a Sinclair gas station. He did not realize, however, that he made a mistake on his location. The Sinclair gas station he would be going to was located right outside of Orlando, Florida.

            As soon as Joe went through the portal, an overwhelming feeling of uneasiness struck him. He turned around, and screamed, “Leave the door open!” Edward Richards closed the door.

            Joe stood in shock. He did not know who shut the door.  It hit him. He was not wanted at the party, and this is how they made sure he knew it. Never before had Joe felt worse. He felt unbearably worthless, and felt extreme hatred towards whoever shut the door.

            He left the gas station, and stood, staring out into the city. He wanted to go home.

            As he was wandering in what felt like “the middle of nowhere”, he saw the ocean. It frightened him terribly. It was the greatest assurance that he was far from home, and abandoned by those he trusted. He dropped to the ground and cried, “No! No!” Tears streamed down his face, and he knew there was nobody that would care.

            There were two things he knew more than anything. He needed to get back to Salt Lake City, and he needed to find out who closed the door. The person responsible would have a lot to answer for.