Mirror Portal - Chetan Naita - Std 8- 12

This morning, upon waking up, I arose from bed and observed my reflection in the mirror, which unexpectedly resembled a sigma. Surprised by this occurrence, I pinched myself to verify its authenticity and felt pain, indicating reality. When I waved at the reflection, it responded with a smile, causing uncertainty about the nature of the mirror. Subsequently, as I extended my hand towards the mirror, it inexplicably pulled me inside. It was summer heydays, and I was indifferent and thought time would simply pass, but my sociable mother insisted that I live my life with purpose. She sent me to a Harry Potter camp. A camp for the Harry Potter aficionados. She told me there would be a lot of activities and I'd have to do all the activities diligently. I was down in the doldrums upon learning that the camp would only last for five days. But I had to be blithesome for only a 5-day camp for the marvellous Potter Camp. The night before, I packed all my paraphernalia for the camp. I had got some pocket money to spend on some Harry Potter merchandise, and it was more than ₹2000. It was astonishing as I never got money that profusely. I also had a friend going whose moniker was Raman. He was rotund with a protuberant belly and a cherubic face. But people shouldn’t go on his sagacious look. He is a wolf in a sheep's clothes. He is just as boisterous and non-chalant like me. The next day we left at the crack of dawn in a shuttle along with our accomplices. We reached the camp after 2 long hours of sitting.

As we got down and entered the cavernous camp, there was a humongous crowd of teenagers to greet us. As in ever Harry Potter movie, the first years go through the exciting house sorting ceremony. When we were told, this was going to happen now, there was a brouhaha among the teens. I and Raman were both sorted in Gryffindor. We were overwhelmed with joy. In an instant, my mind conjured an image of the camp lying in ruins. There was a figure suspended in mid-air, gazing directly at me as if perceiving my presence. Abruptly, I found myself back in the original realm. After the tedious journey we all were ravenous, so I asked the genial camp members for our breakfast. The camp staff had made palatable curries, mouthwatering croissants etc. along with a scrumptious cake to top it off. We wolfed down each and every bit of food we could find. After savouring the delectable food, it was time to embark on our first escapade. We had to find 5 goblets hidden in a labyrinth of lofty and winding trees. But here was the catch there were three 3 griffins chasing us down. If we get caught by these malevolent birds, we were dead meat. As the challenge started, we started to enter the labyrinth filled with verdant trees and luscious fruits hanging on them. However, something attracted my attention; I observed a fierce griffin lurking in the bushes, poised to attack. Raman and I were alone with the menacing creature. Although we were courageous, we recognized that it was swift and would inevitably catch us. Therefore, we attempted to perform pretend spells using the imitation wands provided to us at the outset. We chanted “Wingardium Leviosa” with all our effort, executing a precise swish and flick. To our astonishment, the bird began to levitate gradually, allowing us to flick it out of our path. Subsequently, a goblet materialized, indicating that we had won.

After everybody completed the challenge, we were off to our dormitories. At dusk there were multitudinous stalls with different exquisite and requisite wizardry stuff. A run-down store caught my attention, it was the famous Ollivander’s. I wanted to buy a wand for myself as a memento. I went inside asked him for a wand, he showed me numerous wands, but they all caused catastrophes around the shop, then he exclaimed,” I wonder?”, he then showed me another wand and I gave it a flick, for a second the whole room illuminated and in a trice was a gone. I forked out ₹1000 off my wallet and gave it to him. Just as I was walking out the shop, I heard an ear-piercing shriek, and everyone were running hither tither. When I asked around, I heard a terrible news, a girl had been found dead…

About the Author:

Meet Chetan Naita:

Chetan Naita is a 14-year-old student of Billabong High International School, Mulund, whose interests span the imaginative world of books, the strategy of football, and the innovations of robotics. A curious learner and hands-on creator, Chetan has already won multiple awards in robotics and proudly celebrates the publication of his story through BhashaLab.

He finds inspiration in epic tales like Percy Jackson and The Shiva Trilogy, and looks up to his father, sister, and his mentor, Beena Ma’am — whose encouragement fuels both his creativity and discipline. Whether he's building with circuits or words, Chetan brings a spark of originality and thoughtfulness to everything he does.

He shared this story to inspire others like him — young minds who dream, create, and believe in the magic of ideas brought to life.

About the Story

This story was submitted by the author as an entry for the BhashaLab Ultimate Story Writing Competition, 2025. We appreciate their creativity, thoughtful expression, and the courage to share their voice with a wider audience. Thank you!

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