Magic Twin Brother

I love fairy tales. I enjoy fantasy. I wish so much that the wood between the worlds existed, and that I could find a way there. If you don't know, the wood between the worlds is a reference to C.S. Lewis' book The Magician's Nephew. In that story, two children enter a world between worlds. In that place one can go to any reality. (If it exists.) It is from that place, Digory and Polly find Narnia. Narnia is a world filled with tree spirits, talking animals, flying horses, unicorns, mermaids, and many magical beings. Imagine, if the wood between the woods were real, one could go to Fantasia, Middle Earth, or Earthsea. Fantastic!
I grew up in an old large Victorian era house. It had a grand staircase and secret compartments. The neighborhood had quite a bit of crime, but I am so glad I grew up there. The house had this strange habit of random old stuff appearing in it. Once I found a World War I medal. My father had no idea where it came from. Once I found a pair of Mary Jane shoes. No one had a clue where it came from. This happened quite often over the years that my family lived there. We never found out where any of the mystery items originated.
One day, when I was a preteen, a large jigsaw puzzle appeared. Inside the box was a picture of the puzzle finished. It was a colorful jungle like scene with a lion. It wasn't a fantastical scene but something about it seemed special. The puzzle had several hundred pieces and the card board box soon broke and scattered the pieces to oblivion. All I had left, after my Mom tossed the remaining pieces was the display picture. I would stare and stare at that picture. It had a river winding through the center of it. My gut or my imagination kept telling me I needed to follow that river, but how could I? It was just a picture, and judging by the look of the lion not a picture of this world. Time passed and the nagging thought of following that river pressed inside my head. I recalled The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and how Lucy and Edmund entered Narnia through a painting. So I placed the picture on the floor of my bedroom and jumped. My bare feet smacked the cardboard. I sat on my bed, and pondered to myself. I thought that if interdimensional travel were actually possible it would have to be kept a secret. Perhaps, I needed to pledge secrecy in order for the portal to work. Therefore, I made a pledge. If I discovered a portal to another world, I'd not only keep it secret, but if need be I would allow my memory of it to be wiped clean. After that pledge, I took another jump, and landed squarely on the picture. However, that time my feet feet felt strangely warm, and my head a little foggy. I had this vague recollection of someone, someone like a brother.
I soon put aside my failed attempt at a magical adventure, and along with it the picture. Years went by and I met a young man. He loved fairy tales, and he loved me. Let the reader understand, neither one of us had the slightest romantic feelings for the other, but instead a sincere bond based in no prior knowledge of the other. One day, we were out eating together with friends, when he started talking about when he was kid he looked for a portal to another world. He explained to us how his search was fruitless. Until one day, he declared that if he could just have one adventure, he would make a deal. I finished his sentence for him. The deal was trading the memory of the journey for the journey itself. He realized that I had done the same. We already believed each other to be twin soul siblings. This cemented that idea.
Today, we still are close, although we live far apart. He knows when I am sad and when I am happy, just as I know for him. We might not have ever gone to a alternative world together but our friendship is definitely magic.