Penny Taylor the Surveyor ~ The Portal of Shifting Coordinates
Leo stepped up beside her. “It hasn’t changed. Not in all this time.”
The stone surface looked smooth at first glance, but as Penny approached, she saw markings. Not natural cracks or erosion. These were deliberate, shallow engravings of circles, ferns, suns, and flowing lines.
“It’s a story map,” she murmured.
Leo unfolded the parchment. The coordinate pulsed harder, reacting to their presence. Penny positioned the T2 carefully, levelling it on a flat shelf of rock. The moment the scope lined up with the glowing bearing, the ground pulsed beneath their feet.
A low hum started, resonating from deep within the cliff.
The theodolite clicked.
Light shot from its lens.
The beam arced forward, striking the base of Whale Rock. Glyphs lit up in sequence. The portal didn’t ease into existence this time.
It cracked open.
With a sound like wind and thunder wrapped into one, a vertical ring of shimmering light burst from the stone, swirling with blues and golds. Penny gasped and stumbled back. Leo steadied her.
“Same rules?” she asked.
“One minute here. A week there,” he said, voice low.
She nodded.
Together, they stepped through.
They emerged into warmth and green. Same location, different world.
PETA COX 