The Gate

by Jennifer N Hibbert

  Whenever she wrote, she had a vivid picture in her mind of her ideal world – what it would be like if she had magical powers – and she always compared that vision with her real life. She’d sigh with disappointment before slumping into a deep depression. This had lasted throughout her childhood, in fact as far as she could remember. She was now twenty-three years old and still felt the same way.

  I’m really sorry I left. I miss them, in spite of everything they did to me, Carrol thought. Her mother had tried to talk her out of leaving, but Carrol had been adamant.

  Everybody, including her father and mother, had cried when she left. Her father had held onto her hand after he’d hugged and kissed her, and that was a memorable moment. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to leave.

  Carrol ran her thumb over the hand her father had held, caressing it gently for a while and reminiscing. In her judgement, family life was the only reasonable motivation to consider leaving this beautiful planet for another. It seemed to her that the travellers who were looking forward to leaving this planet without having suffered rejection or bullying of some sort clearly lacked a healthy sense of danger.

  Well, that might be harsh. Realistically, we all signed up for the chance to start again with no questions asked. Right? she thought. Maybe those Martin’s group were the only ones who really understood what this mission was about. Maybe they hoped their high energy would be contagious and bring back the thrill that had been extinguished in the rest of the migrants by fear.

  Carrol looked around the carriage. Some people had slept through almost the entire journey; others were eating and drinking, watching television, playing video games and, of course, listening to the space station. The channel mainly talked about what to expect. She overheard Koi telling Martin to listen to it; Martin refused and asked Koi what it was all about.

  Koi began to tell him. ‘It’s mostly what we’ve already experienced in the camp. The rest is the science behind everything, which I don’t think you would be interested in.’

  ‘Okay,’ Martin replied, shrugging his shoulders.

  Soon, with an ear-blasting screech of metal, the train started to slow down. Carrol and the rest of the migrants had finally arrived at the station in the place called the Middle Way.

  As the train stopped, they heard an announcement: ‘Attention all passengers. You have now arrived at Station X, where you will spend the night. Please note that you are beginning to leave the Earth’s atmosphere. The higher you ascend, the thinner the air. You are advised to use the oxygen mask in your hotel room if you start to feel any shortness of breath.’

  ‘Where do you think this place is? Martin whispered to Morgan.

  ‘I don’t know. It feels like the Arizona desert.’

  ‘But it can’t be,’ Martin protested.

  ‘Did anyone feel anything so far?’ Monica asked.

  ‘Like what?’ Chris asked

  ‘You know, shortness of breath,’ she said.

  Everyone in their group answered no.

  ‘Come to think of it, I thought the train ride was straight and flat. I didn’t notice any major incline,’ Martin said.

  ‘Technology and engineering have made it possible to build roads and tracks that cut through or around the mountains in such a way that you hardly feel the effects of an incline,’ Koi explained.

  The announcement continued. ‘When you alight from this train, please follow the arrows that will lead you to your hotel for the night. At dawn tomorrow, 0400 hours, we will depart from Station X to the Channel of Exchange. Goodbye!’

  The doors swung open.

  CHAPTER 9

  A CREATURE IN CARROL’S ROOM

  Carrol stepped out of the train, keeping her face down. She was among the first passengers to embark, and she followed the signs to a hotel in the middle of nowhere. When she lifted her gaze, she saw that the sun had just dipped behind a blanket of dark clouds. Wow, she gasped, this scenery is spectacular.

  Looking out in the vast openness, the edge of the sky seemed to have been plunged deep into the ground. Along the horizon were vivid orange ridges of withering sunlight where the skyline touched it: a magnificent sight to behold. Moving upwards, the orange colour from the sun faded to yellow, then white and finally light blue, before disappearing into the velvety dark-blue sky. It was the most beautiful artistry from Mother Nature. Some of the passengers stood, awestruck by the scenery.

  The sky felt low, as though you could simply reach out and touch it. The air was still: no movement anywhere. They stood before a large, open plain with no trees, plants or greenery. The ground was covered in crusty red soil like nothing they had ever seen. However, this place was still on planet Earth and looked more like the Arizona desert. There was no one in sight.

  This left Carrol puzzled. She wondered how the hotel could have been built with no sign of life around. From the faces of the other migrants, Carrol could tell that they were also stunned by the programme organisers’ efforts in building such a hotel in this setting.

  Carrol entered and stood by the door. Just then, Martin’s group entered the reception hall, which was beautifully decorated.

  ‘Wow, my men, this is what I’m talking about. I knew this was going to be an awesome adventure!’ Martin said to his friends. They giggled and started high-fiving each other. Carrol’s eyes followed them.

  ‘We’d better move fast so we can get the best seats in the house,’ Morgan suggested, rushing towards a couch in the corner. His friends followed him.

  Carrol, standing at the entrance, rolled her eyes at their reactions. Her attention was soon drawn to the pictures on the walls: stunning images of cosmic creatures, with every detail captured in striking colours. Ever since she was young, she had loved art.

  She looked at the lush couches in the lobby, which were adorned with colourful cushions that matched the drapery. She felt like throwing herself onto one of them but other people had got there first. A few spots remained unoccupied but she didn’t want to sit with other people.

  The adjacent dining room had large circular tables that were laid out for dinner. A bar in the far corner boasted a shelf full of well-known spirits, as well as sodas and mixers. The only downside was that there was no bartender to mix the cocktails. If they wanted something, it seemed, they would have to fetch it themselves.

  Carrol appreciated the beauty of the bar’s layout but had no interest in it. The first time she’d drunk alcohol was when she’d turned twenty-one. It was half a bottle of her father’s beer and she threw up violently afterwards. That experience had put her off alcohol ever since.

  ‘Excuse me! Excuse me, miss,’ a voice said from behind her. Carrol jumped and turned around to find a family with two little children. ‘Can we squeeze past?’ the mother asked politely.

  ‘Oh, sorry,’ she said quickly and moved against the wall by the entrance. She watched the family as they walked by. They didn’t look out of the ordinary, just a man of average height with his young wife. What really caught her attention, though, was the age of the children. The girl looked about two or three years old and the boy was probably just over a year. He must have been a baby when they’d arrived at the camp. Carrol wondered how people could be so brave – and at the same time foolish – as to endanger their family’s lives for such an adventure.

  Soon people were helping themselves to the food and refreshments, which were laid out in the usual buffet style. Beautiful aromas filled the room but even so, almost half of the people were more interested in examining their new environment. Some were moving in and out of the corridors checking out the rooms, since there was nobody to show them around.

  Carrol scanned the room. The place appeared newly decorated and smelled clean and fresh. There were more than enough provisions for everyone, and everything was free. So far so good, she thought, breathing a sigh of relief. Everyone seemed to be getting along okay and enjoying themselves, except the children and elderly, who looked completely exhausted.

&
nbsp; Her belly grumbled as she smelled the food but her eyes had already focused down the corridor. She struggled to decide whether to eat or wander through the facility.

  She started walking down the corridors. Some of the doors to the rooms were open and the freshly made-up beds looked inviting, especially to someone who had been travelling for hours. It wasn’t long before other travellers caught up with her and went into any vacant rooms they could find to rest before resuming the trip the next day.

  Carrol finally decided to eat before retiring. She walked out of the room that she’d chosen to spend the night in and there in the hall, walking towards her, was Martin. She froze in her tracks and contemplated going back into her room until he passed but it was too late.

  She started walking forward. He was close behind her, so she decided to let him pass, but when she spun round, he was right in front of her. He stopped quickly to avoid colliding with her.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, shocked and frozen in place. She was standing so close to him that she could feel his breath on her face. Martin moved sideways and slid past her, nodding his head. He didn’t respond immediately but then he took a few hesitant steps and walked back to her.

  ‘Look, about that other time, I’m sorry I called you stupid,’ he said to Carrol, who was barely making any eye contact with him.

  ‘Okay, thanks for saving my life,’ she said quickly.

  Martin waited for a second and then walked away.

  Carrol stood there a long after he had gone, blaming herself for the awkward moment. She clapped her hands over her face and muttered, ‘I wish I could just disappear. Could I be any more stupid?’ She didn’t even want to eat anymore but she was hungry and the aroma of food filled the corridor.

  Quietly, she continued to the hall, ducking to make sure Martin and his friends didn’t see her. She collected some food and ate as quickly as she could. When she was about to leave, she saw them staring at her; this time Martin looked away, while the others laughed. Perhaps he’d not told them that he’d apologised to her.

  She stood up and quickly returned to her room. Once inside, she had a shower and tried to sleep. It was hard; flashbacks of all her dark moments bubbled and boiled over in her mind. She couldn’t hold it in any longer and she cried uncontrollably, her nose running and tears streaming down her face.

  As she walked to the bathroom for some tissues to dry her face, she noticed a wiggling motion out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t see properly without her glasses.

  Carrol turned towards the bathroom wall and saw the silhouette of a medium-sized lizard with large, bulging eyes looking directly at her. She almost jumped out of her skin. She clamped her mouth shut. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She wasn’t sure if her eyes had played a trick on her.

  Wiping away her tears to get a better look, she saw only the fading shape of a lizard, which quickly disappeared into the wall. She fetched her glasses from the bedside cabinet and returned to see where it had gone. She tried not to blink, afraid she’d miss it. She sat on the bed, looking around the room fearfully, but she saw nothing. She lay down but kept opening her eyes to check the wall. Eventually, she fell asleep.

  As she awoke between sleeps, she heard voices coming from the reception. She wasn’t sure if Martin and his group were among the people that were still awake.

  At 3:30 am, there was another announcement: ‘Attention all passengers of Space Train 0100912. Please make your way to the station. The train will depart promptly at 0400 hours. Don’t be late.’

  *

  Martin was the first to return to the reception area after the announcement. He’d only been in their room for a quick wash; his friends were still there. They had been up all night along with some other travellers, playing games, eating and drinking. Martin had seen others wandering in and out of the facility till dawn, maybe trying to soak in the breath-taking environment or unable to sleep.

  He figured he was the first person ready to leave but just then, a man walked towards him. He was in his early forties and his name was James Carna. Of a muscular build, he was smartly dressed as always and his hair was cut short. Martin had often seen him around camp and he was always alone; they’d never spoken, though James also lived in Stallion House. He flashed a smile and nodded to Martin, who raised the corner of his mouth without saying a word. That was the second time they’d smiled at each other in an awkward fashion.

  They stood near the main door and tried to avoid eye contact. Soon enough, Martin heard his friends’ voices along the corridor as they came to join him; that brought great relief from the agonising silence between him and James.

  People poured in and assembled in the reception area. They followed the arrows and signs that led them back to Station X, a three-minute walk from the hotel. When they arrived, there was no one in sight, just the same train that had transported them the previous day with its doors wide open. They assembled on the platform. They waited for instructions but nothing happened.

  After a few minutes, James Carna spoke up. ‘Let’s board the train. What are we waiting for?’ He entered the carriage.

  Martin was taken aback. He’d never seen James speak up in public the entire time at the camp; hearing him speak boldly now, not to mention the authority in his tone of voice, came as a complete surprise.

  All the migrants followed James as there was no one to tell them otherwise; even Martin and his friends joined in. Martin wondered if they were waiting for a leader or someone to tell them what to do. He and his friends soon settled down in their assigned seats.

  Another announcement came: ‘Attention all passengers. Please fasten your seat belts. In front of your seat is an infrared scanner. Please insert your index finger for identification.’

  The passengers placed their index fingers into the scanners. After a moment, a loud siren started blaring. Taken by surprise, Martin and his friends exchanged worried looks. A few passengers literally jumped from their seats and some covered their ears.

  ‘Alert! Alert! Passenger code 11223 has failed to register.’ The train doors opened and another announcement was made: ‘Attention, all passengers. Please exit the train and assemble on the platform.’

  As instructed, they unfastened their seatbelts and disembarked. People talked among themselves, looking around to see if they could identify who was missing. A group gathered to go back and search the hotel, guessing that maybe this person had slept through their wake-up call.

  Martin looked back and saw Carrol Spoff on the ground, curled up in a foetal position, crying uncontrollably. He pointed and shouted, ‘Look, it’s Carrol. She must not have boarded.’

  Everybody immediately turned to look at her. Martin stepped towards her but caught the eyes of his friends and other passengers. His legs froze and he looked away, a little shy and uneasy.

  A woman in her late fifties, Mrs Geraldine Tate, rushed over. Martin thought she looked soft and motherly. Every time he recalled seeing her, she was always caring for a young person in the camp who needed help. She and her husband, Mr Tate, had also lived in the Stallion House during their camp stay.

  Martin listened as Mrs Tate spoke tenderly to Carrol. ‘Oh, come here, my darling. What’s the matter?’ She squatted down in front of Carrol and hugged her.

  Carrol didn’t say a word, but her sobbing intensified.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Mrs Tate said. ‘You just have cold feet, which is perfectly normal and understandable. You’ve done nothing to be ashamed of. We all understand. You have every right to feel the way you do – and, just so you know, most of us here feel exactly the same way even though we put on a brave face.’

  Everyone else stood around waiting. Soon, both Carrol and Mrs Tate were on their feet and walking towards the train. The other passengers clapped and cheered for Carrol but she didn’t smile back; instead, she walked timidly beside Mrs Tate, looking down at the ground as usual. She rubbed her eyes and sniffled continuously.

  Martin and his group gave a
n exaggerated cheer, clapping and high-fiving each other as always.

  Koi whispered to Martin, ‘I knew something was up with her when I saw her last night sneaking around the corridors. Although she didn’t see me, I saw her entering a room.’ He gave a short, derisive laugh.

  Martin smiled disinterestedly. Koi pulled back a little from him, looking surprised.

  ‘I feel sorry for her,’ Martin said quietly.

  ‘Why? She’s just weird,’ Koi said.

  Martin looked up and his eyes met Mrs Tate’s; from the way she was looking at them, she did not seem pleased with their behaviour. She walked over and said quietly, ‘I can’t believe your lack of empathy. I don’t like your attitude! Please, be nice.’

  Martin felt bad inside but he said nothing. He didn’t want to come across as weak to his friends.

  Nobody in their group answered Mrs Tate. Monica stared at her open-mouthed, while the boys grinned nonchalantly. Geraldine shook her head in disbelief.

  Carrol’s lips still quivered and her legs were shaky, as though about to give way beneath her. She clung tightly to Mrs Tate as they walked away. Martin’s eyes followed them until he soon heard James’s voice. ‘Come on, everyone, let’s board the train!’ The crowd followed his instructions without question. Martin had time to appraise James; he looked distinguished. He concluded that James was a natural-born leader who would instinctively lead any group he found himself a part of, without giving it too much thought.

  Once everyone was aboard, the introductory announcement was repeated. This time the registration was completed successfully and the instructions went on: ‘You will be travelling for three hours non-stop to the Channel of Exchange station, where this train terminates. There you will join your spacecraft, which will transport you to your new life on Mars.’