Farm of Minds

An imaginary tear fell down Cedric's cheek, glistening in the light as he watched Arturo run toward the portal. He never thought he would get to see his naïve companion become shameless. It was like seeing a bird fly for the first time. 

"You have grown so much, Arturo," Cedric wiped away the imaginary tear. "But there is no free lunch in this world. This is a lesson of pain." 

Cedric waved his hand, and his shadow bolted from underneath him. It rushed toward the fleeing scholar and caught his leg just as he was about to enter the portal. Arturo screamed as he felt the coldness on his leg and tripped, falling down. 

As the shadow was about to pull him back toward Cedric, Arturo touched the portal with the tip of his finger. The portal turned into a vacuum cleaner as it sucked the man inside like a piece of fabric.