Unlocking the Door to Another World -Md Sazzadul Islam

Fahim never liked the storage room beneath the old physics building. It smelled of rust and dust and forgotten secrets. Yet that afternoon he stood there with a torch in his hand because curiosity had defeated fear. Fatin was beside him pretending to be brave. Nasim kept whispering that they should leave before the caretaker returned. Rajib laughed at everything to hide his nerves. Naqib stayed quiet as always his eyes sharp like he was listening to something unseen.

They were students of Al Noor Academy and members of the science club. Their teacher Dr Karim had disappeared two weeks earlier. He left behind locked drawers and half written equations and a strange message on the blackboard that still refused to be erased. “Every door has a key. Even the unseen ones.” Since then Fahim could not sleep well. Something was calling him to this place.

The torch beam slid across broken shelves until it stopped at a small metal box fixed to the wall. It was not rusted like the rest. On it was engraved a pattern that looked like waves and stars mixed together. In the center was a keyhole shaped unlike any Fahim had seen.

“Who brings a key to a storage room” Rajib joked but his voice shook.

Fatin reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin silver object. They all froze.

“I found this in Sir’s desk” he said softly. “It fell out when I moved the files. I did not tell anyone.”

The object shimmered as if it was breathing. It felt warm even in the cold room.

Naqib whispered “Bismillah” before Fatin slid the key into the hole.

There was no sound of metal turning. Instead the air trembled. The walls seemed to bend like water. Nasim screamed and grabbed Fahim’s arm. The box opened by itself and light poured out. Not white light but deep blue filled with moving symbols that floated like fireflies.

Before anyone could step back the floor vanished.

Fahim felt himself falling then standing then falling again. His heart pounded and his ears rang. He remembered his mother’s words that Allah is the best protector. He whispered a short dua as the world twisted around him.

They landed on solid ground.

The sky above them was dark purple with stars brighter than anything on Earth. Tall structures rose in the distance glowing softly as if made of glass and light. The air smelled clean and strange.
Rajib looked around with wide eyes. “Either I am dreaming or exams finally broke my brain.”

Nasim cried quietly. Fatin stood frozen staring at the key which was now floating in the air.

Naqib knelt down and touched the ground. “This is real” he said. “I can feel it.”

A shadow moved.

From behind a crystal pillar stepped a boy about their age wearing a long robe. His eyes were silver and calm.

“You have opened the Door of Qadr” he said in a language they somehow understood. “Few from your world ever do.”

Fahim found his voice. “Where are we”

“You are between moments” the boy replied. “This world is called Barzakh Gate. Not the Barzakh you know from faith but a bridge world created by knowledge.”

“Knowledge did this” Fatin asked.

The boy nodded. “Your teacher Dr Karim understood that all knowledge belongs to the Creator. He tried to read the signs of the universe like verses. He built the Quantum Key to travel between dimensions without breaking divine balance.”

Nasim sobbed. “Then where is he”

The boy’s face darkened. “He is trapped. The Door opened both ways. Something else crossed.”

The ground shook and a low hum filled the air. From the shadows emerged a shape like a tall man made of smoke and broken light. Its eyes burned red and cold.

Rajib stepped back. “I do not like this place anymore.”

“That is the Rift Warden” the boy said. “A being of chaos. It feeds on fear and unguarded knowledge. If it reaches your world it will spread madness.”

Fahim felt his legs weaken. “Then why did the Key bring us here”

The boy looked straight at him. “Because faith was missing from the equation. Knowledge alone opens doors. Faith decides who can close them.”

The Rift Warden moved closer. The air felt heavy. Nasim could not breathe. Fatin clutched the key which burned hot in his palm.

Naqib stood up and raised his hands. “Allah is greater than all worlds” he said with a steady voice. “Nothing moves without His will.”

The creature shrieked as if hurt by the words.

The boy smiled. “You see. The Key responds to certainty. Not fear.”

Fahim remembered the message on the board. Every door has a key. Even the unseen ones. Maybe the real key was not silver.

They ran.

Crystal towers blurred as they fled. The Rift Warden chased them stretching like smoke. Rajib stumbled but Fahim pulled him up. Nasim kept reciting Ayatul Kursi between breaths. Fatin tried to use the key but it did nothing.

“Think” Fahim shouted. “Sir taught us that equations need balance.”

They reached a vast arch floating in mid air. Beyond it Fahim could see flashes of the storage room.

“That is the Door” the boy said appearing beside them. “But the Warden blocks it. One must stay behind to seal it.”

Silence fell.

“No” Nasim cried. “We all go together.”

The boy shook his head. “Only one who understands both worlds can do it.”

Fahim’s mind raced. Dr Karim was missing. This boy knew too much. “You are Sir’s son” he said suddenly.

The boy nodded slowly. “He brought me here years ago to save me from an illness. I became part of this world.”

The Rift Warden roared and lunged.

Fatin stepped forward before anyone could stop him. “Then I will stay. I brought the key.”

Naqib grabbed his shoulder. “No. We stand together.”

Fahim felt something ignite inside him. Courage maybe. Or trust. He lifted his hands like Naqib had. “We are not alone” he said loudly. “Allah is with those who stand for truth.”

The key blazed bright gold. The Rift Warden screamed and recoiled.

The boy’s eyes widened. “Together. That is the answer.”

They joined hands. Faith mixed with fear and hope. The arch shone brighter. Symbols swirled around them forming a verse like pattern. The Rift Warden dissolved into dust screaming without sound.

The Door closed with a soft sigh.

They fell again.

Fahim woke up on the cold floor of the storage room. The torch flickered. The box on the wall was empty and broken. His friends lay around him groaning.

Dr Karim stood at the doorway smiling with tears in his eyes.

“You solved it” he said. “You understood what I forgot.”

“What about the boy” Fatin asked weakly.

Dr Karim looked at the silver key now dull and lifeless. “He chose his world. He guards the Door now.”

Outside the call to Maghrib prayer echoed through the campus.

As they walked out Fahim felt the world look the same yet different. Bigger. Deeper. Full of doors unseen.

That night Fahim slept peacefully. He knew some mysteries were not meant to scare but to remind. Knowledge opens worlds. Faith keeps them safe.