Ever since I was eight, I\u2019ve been able to create portals to another dimension. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cool, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
No, actually.<\/em> Get your head out of your ass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For one, the portals only appeared when I was freaking the hell out\u2013like really, really freaking out. The symptoms: sweaty palms, palpitating heart, short breaths\u2013a proper stress-induced disaster. And I say \u2018portals to another dimension\u2019, but I don\u2019t actually know if that\u2019s true. Because although I\u2019ve created these portals sporadically throughout my life\u2013starting at the age of eight (I\u2019ll explain that one in a moment)\u2013I never dared leap into one to find out where it led.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might be thinking, come on, Jess, not even once? Are you joking?<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s right. Even when I was eight years old, I had the practicality of a weathered sailor who has seen too many god-damned storms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which I guess is the reason I became an experimental physicist. (Cue the mad scientist music! But actually, don\u2019t. Because I spent most of my time on a computer tippity-typing my pretty little heart out.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as I know, I\u2019m the only person on the planet with this portal-producing ability. And I wasn\u2019t about to volunteer myself to some white coats for experimentation (I\u2019d seen enough early nineties films to know what alien dissections looked like) so I figured\u2026 why not study it myself? <\/p>\n\n\n\n To clarify, I\u2019m not an alien, so you can strike that one off the list. Or, I guess I\u2019m not a space alien. <\/p>\n\n\n\n See, I was born and raised in Canada, on the west side of things. I won\u2019t tell you where because, let\u2019s be honest, you\u2019d have no idea. But I moved to Cardiff for uni\u2013partly because I\u2019d always wanted to live in the UK (who doesn\u2019t love tea?) and partly because I desperately needed to get away from anyone who knew me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see, every time another portal zipped into existence, it was a little bigger than the last. And it took a little longer to go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, okay, enough exposition. Let\u2019s get to the preliminary report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hypothesis: If I get stressed, then I create portals. Staying away from stressors will keep me from producing more portals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem is, it\u2019s a very particular kind of stress causing these portals\u2013one people tend to associate with the netherregions (I\u2019m not gross. You\u2019re gross). <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first time it happened, my crush, Andrea Steward (\u201cOh my god, you\u2019re a lesbian. It all makes sense now!\u201d Shut up, people, I\u2019m trying to tell a story.) giggled at one of my jokes at an all-girls sleepover party. I felt this sudden rush and, next thing I knew, Andrea\u2019s dog went missing. Just\u2013bloop! Gone. She popped back up after an hour, wagging her fluffy white tail and begging for treats. So really, she was fine. But me? I was just getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additional results from the all-girls party: I discovered I was a girl attracted to other girls, and when those attractions came a bit too close to actions, I\u2019d freak out and\u2013sploosh!\u2013another portal. (All right, I\u2019ve still got to work on my sound effects. In truth, the portals don\u2019t make any noise. They just look like big black swirling voids. Not too inviting.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experimental phase: Drop a bunch of random shit into the portals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a proud scientist, I dropped various bits and bobs into the portals over the years. As a kid, it started with toys, pop-tarts, and once, our TV remote\u2013my Dad was not pleased about that hunt. Not while golf was on! <\/p>\n\n\n\n What I noted in those trial testing phases were three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evidence of portal existence: None whatsoever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No one but me saw the portals. At first, I took this as a sign I was losing my grip on reality. But several years of therapy later (and never mentioning specifics), I determined that there were no obvious signs I was experiencing hallucinations. Yet not a single person ever saw these portals when they appeared. I was their only witness!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I was an educated adult with a doctorate, I had the foresight to carry the necessary equipment with me, so that when I inevitably conjured another portal, I could take measurements. I tried cameras, recording devices, voltage metres\u2026 Hell, I tried tossing my phone in once (and immediately regretted it). But as soon as something went through the portal, it was lost forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the incident with Andrea\u2019s dog\u2013and due to my vegan, free-love, animal-adoring lifestyle\u2013I knew I couldn\u2019t put any living things into the portal. Not even a lab rat, people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, there it was. My unfunded, unsanctioned experiments had produced very few results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That brings me to the present\u2026 and the hottest f\u2019ing girl I\u2019d ever set eyes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah Kim was as stress-inducing as they came. She was just the right mix of cute and sexy. She was a few inches taller than me, and she always tucked her hair behind her right ear. I think it was a nervous thing, but she looked damned cute doing it. She wore t-shirts with weird slogans on them, like \u2018Batter up!\u2019 with a picture of a cartoon woman from the 50s hitting a man over the head with a rolling pin. And her laugh\u2013oh, god. I wish I could laugh like that. Hers was like a trickling mountain stream, while mine was\u2026 well\u2026 Have you ever heard a bull mating with a cow? That sound it makes? Yep, that\u2019s my laugh. You\u2019re welcome to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyways, Leah was f\u2019ing hot, as I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She and I met a few months ago. She\u2019d just moved to Cardiff from South Korea. She worked in animation\u2013seriously! She\u2019s so cool!\u2013and we met at this cheesy group meetup for expats. We all gathered at a pub in the city centre, and after some awkward introductions and icebreakers, everybody broke off into groups. They talked about work, holiday spots, and the best Welsh cakes in town, and Leah and I gravitated toward each other as two lesbians in a sea of heteros tend to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah was funny, but in that adorable way where she didn\u2019t know she was being funny. She told me all about her job\u2013how she was stuck developing little animations for corporate commercials, but what she really wanted was to design short films. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like a Pixar film? I\u2019d suggested, and her eyes lit up at the idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was also interested in me, which, honestly? I dunno. Astounding. Truly a miracle to be marked in the history books. She\u2019d ask me all sorts of questions about my job, how my experiments were going, what it was like growing up in Canada\u2013and it seemed she genuinely wanted to know the answers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, I had at least an inkling she was interested <\/em>interested. All I had to do now was pluck up the courage and ask her out. And I had to be cool about it. No, not \u2018hip\u2019. I mean cool as a f\u2019ing cucumber. No heightened emotions = No extradimensional portals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whew, let\u2019s do this, baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All right, so. First I meditated for two hours, followed by a thirty-minute yoga class to ensure extra zen-ness\u2026 zen-opoly\u2026 zen-ity\u2026? Then I texted her: Hey, Leah!! Hope you\u2019re doing well! I was wondering if you\u2019d like to hang out sometime? \ud83d\ude42 You know, just the two of us? <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Erase, erase, erase.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus Christ. I had a habit of using way too many exclamation points and \u201clols\u201d. Dial it back a notch, Jess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I tried again: Hey Leah. Drinks tonight? Say, 7?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I pressed send before I could overcomplicate things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I almost squealed with excitement when the response came less than a minute later: Love to. This is a date, right? I\u2019m only coming if it\u2019s a date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not one to throw the \u2018L\u2019 word around, people, but\u2026 holy Lesbian was this girl the one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh god, oh god, oh god, <\/em>I thought as walked the path next to Cardiff Castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its stone walls towered over me and for a moment, I wondered if I could convince them to collapse and bury me before I made a fool of myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I saw Leah first. There she was, perfect in all her\u2026 perfectness. Yes, nailed it. Should\u2019ve been a writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had to press the pedestrian button and wait to cross with a dozen other people. I tried not to dance on my tiptoes. I spotted Leah standing in the middle of High Street, dressed in a black one-piece with a hot pink blazer thrown over. Casual but classy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked down at my own outfit and groaned. Way to wear jeans on a first date, idiot.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I crossed the second the green light flashed and tried to slow my pace before my date noticed my psychotic gait. Cool as a cucumber,<\/em> I reminded myself, trying for a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I imagined my smile was a cross between Heath Ledger\u2019s Joker and Jack Nicholson in The Shining. I had a second to temper the crazed look before Leah turned and noticed me standing twenty feet away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her face lit up at once, her smile brighter than a midday sun. \u201cHi, Jess! Good to see you!\u201d She beamed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah, fuck. It was happening. I knew it a split second before the ground opened and a portal swallowed my date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I did what any sane person would do in the face of an emergency: I broke into a hysteria of curse words and vaulted for the swirling black void.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember when I said no one else could see the portals? So, yeah. All those people on High Street, enjoying their dinners outside? They saw\u2026 Well, to be honest, I don\u2019t know what they saw. Did they see a woman vanish for no reason? My psychobabble was certainly hard to miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ignored their stares and ran for the portal. The portals always disappeared once something went through. So I ran faster than I\u2019d ever run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering my state of mind, I\u2019m surprised I didn\u2019t dive headfirst into concrete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t. Instead, I grabbed the thing closest to me\u2013an unoccupied patio chair\u2013and launched myself, and the chair, into the hole a second before the portal zipped<\/em> shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t ask why <\/em>I stole a patio chair in my moment of panic. In the monkey part of my brain, I guess I thought something was better than nothing? Sure, a rope would\u2019ve been useful, but how many ropes do you see kicking around the city centre?<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, yeah. I threw myself into the portal after Leah Kim. There\u2019s a first time for everything!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It took me a moment to orientate myself once I got to my feet. The patio chair had fallen directly on top of me, leaving a smarting bruise on my shin. Okay\u2026 <\/em>I looked around. Not what I was expecting.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cW-what\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, thank Christ! Leah! You\u2019re okay!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUm, Jess? Where the hell are we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I swivelled, assessing the new dimension. No aliens. No mutants. No talking lions (come on, you never know). No zombies, robots, cybermen, or dragons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There was no one. No one except us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Us, in the exact same place we\u2019d just left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah and I stared up High Street toward the castle. The parapet flags waved in the breeze. I spun and looked down High Street. The shops, restaurants, and clubs were all there, with the tables and scattered rubbish. But there were no people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No seagulls, for that matter. And with that much trash heaping the streets, there were always a few cat-sized seagulls squawking their fine melodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh, okay. All right,\u201d I said, pushing back my hair to make way for some serious incoming brainwaves. \u201cThis is fucking weird, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Leah asked again. She was staring at me like I\u2019d just kidnapped her. Which, to be fair, I sort of had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I raised my hands, worried she might run. I didn\u2019t know how far this extra dimension went, but it was probably best if she didn\u2019t sprint away. I wasn\u2019t much of a sprinter, so I doubted I could catch her. \u201cLet me explain\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She waited, mouth half-open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh\u2026\u201d In truth, I had no clue how to explain what was happening. \u201cThis is\u2026 unprecedented,\u201d I began, trying for an awkward laugh that came out as a panicked squeak. \u201cSo, yeah\u2026 I kind of make these portals. They just appear whenever I\u2019m freaked out,\u201d (whenever I have the hots for somebody), \u201cand I don\u2019t actually know where they go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2026\u201d Leah trailed off, tucking her hair behind her ear and pacing. \u201cYou make\u2026 portals. Say it again?\u201d She faced me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI make portals,\u201d I confirmed, \u201cwhen I\u2019m stressed. Ever since I was a kid. It just sort of\u2013happens. I don\u2019t know how to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, you\u2019re\u2026 like an X-man or something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wish I was that cool,\u201d I breathed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She sort of laughed, but I could tell she was freaking out as much as I was. Then she nodded to herself like she\u2019d made a decision. \u201cWhat do we do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I desperately wanted to give her a conclusive answer. If only I had one. \u201cYeah, so\u2026 that part\u2019s a bit of a mess.\u201d I splayed my fingers for the worst magic trick imaginable. \u201cI don\u2019t know how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The statement hung in the too-quiet air for a few seconds. Leah assessed me. \u201cIs that why you became a physicist?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh, yeah, actually. I thought I could figure it out\u2026 Through the magic of science.\u201d Jazz hands. Right, Jess. You\u2019re not the funny one. <\/em>She\u2019s the funny one.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou said it happens when you\u2019re upset?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I\u2019m\u2026\u201d How did one explain on a first date that they\u2019d conjured an extradimensional prison because they were aroused? I flushed. \u201cIt happens when I\u2019m attracted to someone. Like, really<\/em> attracted.\u201d I said and cringed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah blushed. \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n God, she was pretty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c… Yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah rubbed her arm. \u201cThen it stands to reason that if we recreate those feelings\u2026 the portal will reopen\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n My thoughts briefly flickered to Natalie Portman. \u201cI dunno,\u201d I said. \u201cI can\u2019t control it. I\u2019ve tried a few controlled\u2026 experiments\u2026\u201d I lost track of my words because Leah\u2019s body language had shifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She took a step towards me. Then another step. I froze, my skin prickling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God, she makes me nervous.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n She moved in until our faces were inches from each other. \u201cSomething like this\u2026?\u201d She murmured, her breath playing over my face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My throat bobbed as my eyes drew to her lips. \u201cUh\u2026\u201d Smooth, Jess. <\/em>I\u2019d always been a wordsmith. \u201cYep. Something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She moved closer until her lips were centimetres from mine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My breath hitched, but\u2013nothing happened. No shift in space-time. No klablooey<\/em>, portal!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah moved back. I shrugged. \u201cWorth a shot,\u201d I said, still finding my voice with a nervous laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I saw tears flood Leah\u2019s eyes and she spun away from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Leah! I\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m so sorry. I\u2019ll figure this out,\u201d I promised, glancing around. Okay, so my mysterious power created a portal to an exact replica of our world, sans life. Well, without sentient <\/em>life. I could see the trees from Bute Park peeking past the castle walls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What was the purpose of such a skill? The sick part of my brain thought, Hey, there\u2019s a good place to test out nuclear weapons, like the atomic bomb in the New Mexican desert. It\u2019s a whole world of no-risk experiments waiting to happen. <\/em>But, none of that helped me now. And Leah was crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, god. I\u2019d made the girl I liked cry in the first ten minutes of our date!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLeah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She sobbed harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have an idea!\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah pulled her face from her hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m going to throw myself off the top of the castle wall,\u201d I smiled like it was the most brilliant plan anyone had ever come up with. Like god-damn string theory.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah stared, probably thinking of all the ways I could benefit from professional help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou know,\u201d I said, feeling I needed to explain, \u201cbecause throwing myself off a building will probably ignite some fear response in my frontal lobe or whatever, and fear is close enough to arousal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome on!\u201d I rushed across the street before she could stop me. No need to wait for pedestrian lights now\u2013take that, tories! Or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I couldn\u2019t be sure Leah would follow until I slowed at the gates and heard her panting up beside me. \u201cI\u2019m so confused,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, you\u2019re saying this isn\u2019t how your dates normally go?\u201d I asked conversationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She giggled\u2013actually giggled!\u2013at something I\u2019d said. \u201cNot usually,\u201d she admitted, wiping her eyes again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I steeled myself. \u201cOkay, let\u2019s do this\u2013!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah grabbed my arm. \u201cHey. Throwing yourself off a castle wall won\u2019t help. The hypothalamus is responsible for arousal. The amygdala is the fear centre of the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, I\u2013wait, how do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She shrugged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, god. She was gorgeous, charming, and<\/em> smart. I should\u2019ve ticked off at least one <\/em>of those boxes, but she\u2019d taken the whole card and cried BINGO before I\u2019d even bought the stamp! \u201cMaybe I should\u2019ve tried biology,\u201d I grumbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah tilted her head at me. \u201cWait\u2026 What was with that chair you brought? The one that landed on you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had to think for a second. \u201cOh! Yeah. Another of my brilliant off-the-cuff ideas: the art of stealing a patio chair while tumbling through a portal into a lifeless dimension.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Leah\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cMaybe that\u2019s the key!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat key?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe chair!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her eyes were blazing, now. \u201cCome on!\u201d She grabbed my hand\u2013Jesus, her hands were soft\u2013and hauled me back across the road toward my fallen comrade: the chair. \u201cIn, like, every film ever where they cross to another dimension, they\u2019ve got a connection on the other side. What if that\u2019s our ticket out of here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had a hard time arguing with her logic. I mean, when were films wrong? I didn\u2019t point out that, technically, anything we\u2019d brought with us would probably do. Like my shirt, or my wallet, or my lucky rabbit\u2019s foot keychain. (I\u2019m not gross. You\u2019re gross.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah hastened to pick up the chair, placing it upright. \u201cCome here,\u201d she ushered me over, \u201csit,\u201d she placed gentle hands on my shoulders and pressed me down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I sat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I glanced at the chair, then back at her. \u201cSo\u2026 Now what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow,\u201d Leah said, \u201cclose your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t really like\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo it,\u201d she ordered, and I did. What can I say? I like when a strong woman tells me what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I slipped into the red-tinged oblivion that was my inner eyelids and waited. For what, exactly, I couldn\u2019t be sure. I was about to say as much when I felt something touch my lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Holy jalape\u00f1o on a donkey\u2026 It was <\/em>her lips!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Red alert, people: Leah f\u2019ing Kim\u2019s perfect god-damn lips were kissing me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n My eyes flew open in surprise and delight. Yep, confirmed: she was kissing me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An explosion of feelings burst out at once and I gasped because\u2013splat!<\/em>\u2013a portal opened and we were falling backwards through it. I pulled Leah in as we spun through the air like two lost leaves caught up in a dance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, like nothing had happened at all, there we were: me, sitting on a stolen patio chair and she, leaning over me, arms wrapped around my shoulders and lips pressed to mine, surrounded by a crowded street of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We parted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHoly shit!\u201d I sprang up. \u201cI can\u2019t believe that worked! You\u2019re a genius!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah looked astounded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey!\u201d A man shouted, tromping towards us with a glare. \u201cThat\u2019s our chair,\u201d he said, grabbing it and dragging it back to his pub. I winced at the nails-on-a-chalkboard sound but didn\u2019t bother with apologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. When the laughter subsided, I wiped my eyes and said with some mustered seriousness, \u201cI guess I should apologise to you, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a weird first date,\u201d Leah agreed, then surprised me with a smile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s stick to pizza and a movie next time?\u201d I suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019d like that,\u201d she laughed and took my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah Kim was holding my hand. Which meant I was holding her hand. Which meant she still liked me and we were holding hands!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I gulped and looked down at our intertwined fingers. Leah looked down, then back at me. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare, Jess.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToo late.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ever since I was eight, I\u2019ve been able to create portals to another dimension.\u00a0Cool, right?\n
\nNo, actually. Get your head out of your ass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4],"tags":[322,329,326,15,224,72,328,73,317,319,320,242,321,80,324,325,327,323],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fantasy","category-fiction","tag-cardiff","tag-cardiff-castle","tag-english","tag-fantasy","tag-fiction","tag-funny","tag-high-street","tag-humour","tag-lesbian","tag-lgbt","tag-lgbtqia","tag-magic","tag-portal","tag-short-story","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-urban-fantasy","tag-wales"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/ai-generated-8078023_1280.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/music.amazon.ca\/podcasts\/09c34bbc-b359-49af-a286-31830ed5634c\/short-stories","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0lcQCRs52MfYlKs35lVX4K","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"A Portal on High Street<\/a><\/blockquote>