The sun was beginning to set and it seemed the wind has finally died down after awhile. The wheat around me stopped movin'. They stood still, limpin' slightly from the way they were grown and the peerless winds that shaped them that way over eons and eons of time. And yet they were half my size. Why did they stop growin'?

I looked up at the small shack before me. Curious, and yet slightly terrified, I walked up to the brisk and old landmark. Splinters were here and there, some completely gone; revealing a weird, gray-colored surface that I don't ever call seein' before. I found a big enough hole of the wood gone and placed my hand on the smooth, cold texture. I know, for sure, I never seen this before.

Growin' up on a secluded farm, holding its own - barely, at all - near by a small village closed off by large walls of wet, dry, and sticky soil that blended into the ground all 'round it, you don't see things like this. And yet - as unevolutionized as it was based on, like other things I read from the old library - it would never hold its own on...whatever is out there.

And yet here I am, outside the wall that surrounded my home town. Diggin' a hole into the wall back there was just too easy to do.

I had to know, though. I had to know if those kids at that shack - in which they call a school - was telling the truth. The weird things they said, it made me wonder if this can...well, spice up my life. All I ever do is help work 'round the farm, and all the books in the library are falling apart. (Those that are too faded and can't be held together anymore are thrown in the back, ready to help the fires burn brightly throughout the winter.) And the kids at my school are either too old or too young to play with. I'm the only ten year old in my town.

But the tale those other kids told me, though, I can't get them out of my head. It's latched onto me like a dry, shrewd leech.

"Some say a merciless, wicked witch and her henchman rule over the land in the heart of the plains of wheat at the east end of town." They said. "In her home - of said to be a very small, magical shack - she tortures her victims by observing them perform unholy rituals, watching her victims squirm and take in the scent of their undignified fear. You will be trapped forever, unable to escape her clutches. Once you go in that shack, you never come out. Or so the legend goes…"

I remember askin' them where they got that story from. They only shrugged their shoulders and muttered 'something about a crazy lady'. I was ready to say to ask them about the crazy lady, but they scurried off before I could finish my sentence. Dad mentioned that my mother was a crazy lady once…

I lightly tapped the hard surface with my knuckle and a weird, hollow sound echoed inside. I jumped slightly, but continued doin' it anyways. The noise sounded pretty. Another noise pierced the twilight air, except this time it was outside. It wasn't as pleasant as the one I was making, but it didn't scare me like earlier. I ignored it though, and rubbed the cold surface - as if trying to warm it up.

Another tap with the knuckle, and the door slightly cracked open, the creaking sound overwhelmin' the other noise I made. It was pitch black inside, and I could feel the temperature drop almost instantaneously. I could feel the chills climb up my spine, thinkin' of the witch and the torture she made her victims go through…

But some stories like this aren't always true, my father once said, they ain't always what they seem to be. But I wonder if this is different, true or not. Not every story is false, but not every story is true.

I wonder if they made it up so no one would get the treasure inside, or stay away from an evil monster...it doesn't matter to me right now; it beats the boring life of an orphan, living on an adopted family's farm. I wonder what they're doing right now…

It doesn't matter now. I carefully stepped into the small, black room; so small it might as well be an outhouse. Making sure it wasn't, I stepped lightly on the ground, it made another hollow noise like before, knockin' on the cold surface. I put all my weight onto it and brought my other foot onto it hesitantly.

I waited for anything, anything, to happen - the witch, her minions - nothin' happened. I stood there, leaving the door open so some of the light can come in, and continued to wait. I was quickly losin' patience as the sun slowly lowered itself over the horizon - I don't want to go home in the dark…

Turnin' on my heel, utterly disappointed, I reached for the door. As I was about to grasp the door's side, it slammed itself shut. I shrieked in surprise and fell onto my bum, hard. I was in complete darkness, hearing my breath inhale and exhale loudly and feeling my heart dance wildly in my chest.

I closed my eyes and focused on slowing my breathin'. It was just the wind, I told myself, nothing to get antsy 'bout. I waited until my heartbeat was normal before I slowly stood back up onto my feet.

But the ground I stood on was replaced with air, and I could feel myself fall into the unknown.

Cold, the floor was cold. I fluttered my eyes open and found myself lyin' on the floor, the same kind of surface that was hidden by the rotting wood of what was left of the shack and the rickety door. I tried to look up, but I was immediately blinded by a very, very bright light. On instinct, I shielded my eyes with my hand as I sluggishly stood back up onto my wobbly feet.

"What…" I mumbled to myself, rubbing my sleepy eyes as I regained my balance.

I slowly fluttered my eyes open again and gawked at what was around me. That same gray color, everywhere; the floor, the walls, the ceilin'. I was in another set of walls made up of glass. (Glass, so much glass! I don't really remember seein' glass anymore.) I was beside a very odd-looking bed and a half-circular gadget sitting on the glass table. Music was coming from it, so I guess its some weird radio from the future.

"Oh, you're finally awake." A voice echoed throughout the room.

I jumped in fright and scrambled around for the source of the voice, but no one was in sight.

"Do you know how longyou were sleeping? Quite awhile. I must say it's a record for someone of your age, to be unconscious for so long I mean."

I looked up, findin' some kind of doo-hicky attached to the wall. It looked like some kind of fancy camera, and judgin' from the blinking light next to it, it was on. Lens inside zoomed in and out, as if trying to focus completely on me. Very creepy.

"W-who are you? Where am I?" I questioned in a shaky voice.

"Thank you for volunteering, though," the feminine voice continued, ignoring my questions, "it has been a very long time since anyone has come by to offer their services for Aperture's Testing Facility. Thank you for that."

I blinked awkwardly at the futuristic camera, letting the gears in my brain turn for a minute. "Are you a Witch?"

The door in front of me opened in response. "Now please, enter the first Testing Chamber."

Hesitantly, I did as I was told. The door closed behind me with a faint swoosh and I found myself in a similar room, except for the circular door on the other side; it had a blue person runnin' painted on it. There was another set of glass walls; within them held a giant, red button on the floor; and in the other, a giant cube.

"I might as well explain what is needed and what is expected." The voice began again. A small square panel on the floor disappeared and reappeared again, this time with weird lookin' boots and a white...device. "These are your long-fall boots. They are a must for future testing, unless you want to fall to your death - I am fine with either." I gave the invisible person an incredulous look. "And your dual portal gun, by using the gun you are able to try and solve the tests. Once you finish your test I will continue back onto your briefing. For now let's begin."

I stared at the boots and the 'portal gun' curiously. Are these magical items of some sort? I thought. A habit I grew from attending school, I raised my hand in inquiry. "What am I supposed to do?"

I was met with silence. I looked around the room and spotted another fancy camera and stared at it in question. The light next to it - sure enough - was blinking periodically, so I knew it was on, takin' pictures of me or somethin'…

"How do I solve a test? Is it a written test? Do I use this 'portal gun' as a writing utensil?" I continued, bending over and pickin' up the (surprisingly heavy) gun.

"...You're stupider than you look."

Well that's not nice. I thought, scowlin' at the camera.

"Correction. Your intelligence is below average for your age. You're practically a moron. I think I shall add that to your record. Intelligence...is...below...average. There, now it's on there."

She didn't seem to be that mean earlier. She has to be a witch. "Just tell me what I'm supposed to do."

"Your objective is to pass through those circular doors. I do hope you know what shape circular is."

"Yes I know what shape circular is! I'm not stupid!" I countered.

"Funny, your record says otherwise."

I growled at the camera and crossed my arms in defiance, sitting on my bum and crossin' my legs.

"What are you doing?" The question was genuine but held a hint of annoyance.

"You can't just call me names and tell me to do somethin'!" I yelled. "Not gonna happen! I won't do anything unless you apologize!"

"Apologize? There is no reason that I should do so."

"You called me stupid!" I pointed accusingly at the blinking camera.

"Which is true. Unless you want me to - personally - dissect your brain and count the many working neurons in there, but I rather watch you do the test and not my waste time trying to figure out whether or not you're smart for your age." The voice explained simply.

I pouted, ignorin' whatever a 'neuron' was. "You're a witch, aren't you? You can use your magic to figure that out for yourself."

It got quiet, which was kind of unsettling. Oh no, did I make her mad? Will she torment me now? Put me on a table and do gruesome rituals to my insides? The thought made me shiver inwardly.

Then she spoke again. "A...witch? I am familiar with the definition of one, but I have no idea why you think I'm one. There is no such thing as magic, only Science." She grew quiet again but then added, "I feel bad for your parents who produced you."

Taken aback by what she just said, I tucked myself and held my knees close to my chest. "You're very….just...awful."I can already feel my eyes water.

"If you're just going to sit there and do nothing you won't be able to get your cake."

Cake? I looked up at camera curiously. "Cake? You mean that fancy, expensive stuff that tastes really good?" (I only had it once, and I hear it's really hard to get all the ingredients together nowadays.)

"Of course. What kind of test would it be without your reward for completing all the required tests?" She explained in a much...sweeter tone.

I rubbed my eyes in hopes of clearin' away all the water. "What kind of cake?" (Although I know of only one, they say there are many others much better.)

"I suppose it does matter if it's the kind you like or not." She added quietly. "However I'm only familiar with the "Black Forest" recipe; if you know what kind that is."

I shook my head.

"Then I guess it will be a surprise for you. Why don't you go ahead and start on this test? I'll prepare the ingredients and make your cake right now."

"You have all the ingredients to make it?" I asked her incredulously. "For me?"

"Well, there is only one way to find out…"

She went silent after that, and I was left to ponder whether she was speakin' the truth or not as I shuffled, awkwardly, over to the 'fallin' boots'.

A blue projectile shot from the gun I had my hand in and watched it as it turned into some kind of blue, trippy oval on the wall. I stared at curiously, watchin' the blue colors swirl around ominously - like a livin' work of art. I pressed the other button and an orange projectile shot from it and created another oval next to the other one, this time bein' a pretty, bright orange color. But instead of it being a swirly orange artwork, it showed me, staring at it. The blue oval's artwork, too, is gone and showed a room that was similar to the one I was in. In fact it was very similar. I walked over to the weird 'portal' that the gun created and carefully stuck my arm through it. It went through the blue, and came out of the orange. I placed my foot in there and, sure enough, came out of the other 'portal'.

"So weird." I muttered to myself. I ended up steppin' through the blue portal and came out of the orange one. Just trying to understand this makes my head hurt. I came in one end, I come out the other. I thought to myself, dumbing it down so I won't get my head scrambled anymore than it is right now.

I walked over to the glass wall that contained the oversized cube and found a small, circular hole on one side. Curious, I shot one of the portals through it and a portal surfaced on the wall on the other side. Then, I made my way over to the orange portal and crossed through it to find myself inside the glass walls, nearby the large cube. So that's how it works. I thought happily, feeling a little relieved that I'm progressin' a little bit.

I strode over to the cube, placed my hands carefully on its cold edges, and tried to lift it. It didn't work, it was way too heavy. I looked at my portal gun questionably, trying to figure what to do when I noticed there was a third button lodged into gun, along with the two portal buttons. Not knowing what else to do, I clicked it. Blue beams of some kind of static flew out of the gun and picked up the cube with ease as if it was made out of that styrofoam stuff I heard so much 'bout.

Panicked, I fell on my bum and watched as the static disappeared and the cube fell, dangerously, close by me. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down, I staggered to my feet and switched the blue static back on. Picking up the cube, I made my way through the portal I opened and exited the glass walls - assuming I might need the cube later; for that button maybe?

I tested it. I found another hole in the other glass walls and fired the same blue portal through it. Picking up the cube, I made my way through the portal and turned off the static, dropping the cube onto the oversized, red button. Sure enough, the circular doors on the other side opened up with a loud whooshing sound - music to my ears.

"Well done." The feminine voice complimented. "I should say congratulations on 'job well done' but we are far from over. Besides, the timing on this test is ludicrous to call a 'success', but we aren't testing that, so it doesn't count. I would test someone with more experience for timed testing but…" She paused for minute. "Well, back on with the briefing. Please pass through the doors and enter the arriving elevator for further testing."

I passed through the portals and made my way towards the circular doors. Thinkin' about the conversation we had prior to the one about cake. "So, if you're not a witch," I began curiously, "what are you?"

She remained silent for a moment before replying, "Someone dedicated to Science." That was all she said.

I wiped the sweat off my brow as I passed through another set of circular doors, sighing loudly as I tried to control my heavy breathin'. "How many...tests are there?!" I squeaked as I tried to catch my breath.

"It depends on the track you're on. For this one I'd say, 19." She answered.

I looked over to the bright screen to my left, reading; Test 10.

I groaned. "Why are there so many tests?!"

"Again, it depends."

"Then what are you testin'?!" I shouted.

She paused. "That's only for me to know. Did I mention you get cake at the end?"

I gave the camera in the room a look. "Yes." I answered awkwardly.

"Oh good, now back onto your tests while I prepare the cake."

I gave the camera another weird look before progressin' into the test chamber. As I continued to walk I noticed a bright red line, pointing at the wall close to the floor. A chirpy, child-like voice emanated from a medium-sized vent, where the red, digital line seems to be originating from. I bent down and looked through the vent to find some weird oval machine with four legs, its eye focusing on me.

"Hello." It spoke, zoomin' its eye on me.

Poor little guy. I thought. "Are you stuck in there buddy?" I asked, graspin' the vent's bars and heaving on it until it broke up.

I crawled through the vent with ease and dragged the 'lil guy outside. "Thank you, friend." It said, turning its red beam off.

"Yeah, of course." I replied solemnly, placing the lil' guy on its four legs.

That's when I felt a gust of wind emanate from the vent. Curious, I bent down again and crawled through the space to find myself in a room full scribbles, weird pictures, and words all over the walls. Two giant fans on the floor and on the ceiling circulated the air in the room, creating the ominous gust I felt earlier.

I gazed at the walls, readin' the only words I could read that isn't too small or painted over.

"The cake is a lie." I read aloud.

"Oh dear. You shouldn't be over there." She said. Before having a chance to reply, a giant claw clasped itself around my waist and pulled me down onto my bum, dragging me out of the room until I was completely out of the medium-sized vent. The vent was closed off completely in a blink of an eye and I stared up at the camera in bewilderment. "It's very dangerous in there." She continued. "Would not want my precious test subject to be sliced in half from the blades of the fans."

I stood back up and dusted myself off. "But the fans were behind fencing, there's no way I could-"

"It's dangerous." She interrupted in persistence. "From now on stay away from any openings in the walls, floors, or ceilings unless instructed to."

I gave her a suspicious look as I clutched the gun close to my chest. Funny, from her impression that she gave me earlier, she wouldn't have cared if I died - let alone fall to my death.

"Now then, shall we get back to the test? You're cake is waiting, after all."

I pressed further into the test chamber as thoughts of suspicion and wariness fixed themselves into my brain. From the beginnin', I'll be honest, none of this felt right. But it seems like the longer I'm here, the longer my stomach churns and screams anxiety. Even the atmosphere here doesn't seem...natural. But it's not like I'll find an exit and walk back home. I don't even know where to look for an exit. Besides, there sure are a lot of those fancy cameras everywhere.

I stopped walking. Wait a minute, where's the lil' bud I rescued? That's right, it seems like it disappeared after I went to investigate in the vent. But one thing has changed, though, - I pressed forward again - there is a small black spot smoldering on the floor right in front of me.

"We are close to the end." She spoke up again as I entered another test chamber.

"I hope so." I muttered exhaustedly, feelin' as if my gun has gained twice its weight in the last ten minutes.

"This is the last test. It is actually quite simple really, compared to the other tests. I await your results."

I heaved the heavy gun close to my chest and lazily looked around. There was a lone, white portal surface against the wall, and on the other side of the room there was no wall or floor, just a large space that leads to...whatever is down in the pitch blackness. However, off in the distance, there is a lone portal-surfaced ceiling directly above a large room. Putting two and two together, I created a portal here and there and, without hesitation or looking at what I was walking into, I went through the portals on landed on a moving platform, moving down, and down, and down...into a large, fire pit.

I mentally shut down, I couldn't think at all as realization slowly crept into my mind. This...this isn't right. No. No. No! I screamed. I frantically looked around, trying to find any means of escape...but there was none. The platform I was on was directly in the middle of the room, the walls were pure black and - no matter how hard I tried - a portal wouldn't surface, and there were no doors, windows, or vents. I was completely isolated, and the platform was slowly dropping into the oversized incinerator, safe for the camera far up in the corner of the room.

"T-this, this can't be right! Help! Get me out of here!" I shouted at the blinking camera, tears lining my cheeks.

"Thank you for participating in this Aperture Science computer-aided enrichment activity." She said monotonously.

Computer-aided? What does that mean? But I was too scared, too frantic to think much on it as I desperately called for help. "I need help!" I wailed, tears clouding and blurrin' my vision. "Please help me!"

"Please stop screaming." She demanded sharply. "Even though it is normal for you to react that way - for humans anyways - it's starting to get on my sensory nerves."

"What are you doing?!" I yelled.

"Watching you about to get incinerated." She answered simplistically. "It's been awhile since I saw a human test subject burn, so I want to watch."

I stared at the monstrous camera with wide-eyes, my hopes dashin' away and filling with despair and rejection. She's not saving me. She's going to kill me. She planned this all along...she planned this all along! "You really are a horrible witch!" I screamed in agony. "Witch! Witch! Witch!"

"No, I'm just a scientist. A scientist who loves to test. I'm just watching my project reach its final stage."

I collapsed on my knees, throwing the stupid portal gun down into the flames in some desperate (and fleeting) hope that it extinguish the flames. They didn't. They continued to roar below and disintegrate my falling tears. "M-mommy, daddy, help me. I don't want...I don't want to die!"

"You know," She began, "I don't have much data on you. Since we still have a while before the platform reaches the incinerator, tell me about yourself. A little more information wouldn't hurt. I can add more variables to the testing results."

I ignored her and continued to sob, desperately callin' anyone, anything, to save me.

"You cry a lot more than the old test subject. Granted, she was at least eight years older than you but I'd say she had a heart of pure ice - I think that's how the saying goes - and she never said anything, not once." She paused for a moment. "She killed me, twice, I might add."

I looked up at the camera curiously, eyes throbbin' from the constant, salty tears surfacing from them. She was killed, twice? How is that possible? I wondered in bewilderment.

"The second time, she put me in a potato. Birds ate me and the facility was about to explode. It was an...odd day." She continued. "You know what I called her? A mute lunatic. I could never figure out how to kill her without risking my own life, I simply had to let her go."

My eyes widened for a second upon hearin' that nickname. I took a deep breath and incoherently said, "Would you call her a...'crazy lady'?"

"Crazy lady? Perhaps, but I think she's a lot worse than that."

I slowly stood back up onto my shaky legs. "Would this mute lunatic be named Chell?"

The platform suddenly stopped and I fell back onto my bottom from the inertia. It quickly rose back up to its full height, away from the cripplin' flames below.

"How did you know that?" She inquired suspiciously.

I stood back up onto my feet again and wiped my tears away. "Because she's my mom. Everyone in my town called her a crazy lady because she would tell the most ridiculous stories when she had the chance. I just assumed that's the 'mute lunatic' you mentioned earlier - she was quiet most of the time. I just put two and two together."

She remained quiet for a long time, and I feel like I've been inside a house ready to collapse on itself. My nerves are shot and I was shivering like a cat without its fur out in the cold. Goosebumps trailed my skin and I'm pale as a ghost, I don't think I've ever been this..shaken before. But even then I don't know what this monster of a person is thinkin', she might as well forget the platform and just plunge me into the inferno and forget that this ever happened. Which just makes my stomach churn.

The sound of gears and scraping metal protruded the room and as I felt something grab the collar of my shirt and lift me into the air. I let out a small gasp in surprise as I watched my feet dangle in bemusement.

"I think explanation is due. Let's have a simple...talk, shall we?" She spoke again, in her usual simplistic tone.

"Anything better than being burned alive…" I muttered, my voice strained from anxiety.