The Open Gate

Chapter 7: The Twin Islands

The boys carefully entered the strange world beyond the gate and walked toward one of the giant buildings nearby. The streets were silent, and not a single person could be seen anywhere.

Rickey knocked loudly on the huge door.

“Hello?! Is anybody there?”

There was no response.

After waiting for a few moments, Alex used one of their tools to force the door open. The boys slowly stepped inside, looking around nervously.

Suddenly, a gigantic man appeared in front of them.

He was enormous. The boys’ heights only reached his waist. The man leaned down angrily and shouted,

“WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!”

His loud voice echoed through the entire building.

Terrified, the boys screamed and ran as fast as they could. Without stopping, they escaped back through the gate and returned safely to their own world.

Later that evening, they gathered at Rickey’s house. Even though they were frightened by what they had seen, none of them wanted to stop exploring the mystery. After relaxing and talking for some time, they decided to give their group a name:

“The Gate Seekers.”

Everyone agreed immediately.

A little later, Rickey’s parents surprised them with exciting news. They had arranged a one-month trip for all the children to stay on a remote island.

Everyone became excited except Rickey, who was still thinking deeply about the strange world and the giant man.

Alex noticed him sitting quietly and asked,

“Rickey, are you okay?”

Rickey quickly came back to his senses and replied,

“Yeah… I’m fine.”

The next morning at 7:00 a.m., Rickey’s mother woke everyone up. The boys quickly packed their things and got ready for the journey.

As they stepped outside and locked the house, Julie suddenly arrived.

Rickey awkwardly said,

“Sorry, Julie. We’re leaving for a trip.”

Before she could reply, Rockey laughed and said,

“Relax, Rickey. Julie’s coming with us too.”

Rickey looked shocked while the others laughed at his reaction.

Soon, they boarded a ship owned by one of Rickey’s father’s friends and traveled across the sea for several hours before finally reaching a small island.

The cool wind and ocean waves made the place feel peaceful.

But suddenly, the captain shocked everyone.

“You children must survive here alone for one month,” he announced. “No outside help.”

Everyone stared at him in complete shock.

Then the ship slowly sailed away, leaving them behind.

The group immediately began exploring the island. While looking around, they discovered another island nearby. It looked larger and darker than the one they were standing on.

They decided not to go there because they feared dangerous wild animals might live on it.

Since the islands looked similar, they named them Twin 1 and Twin 2.

The captain had left them sleeping bags, food supplies, a raft, and a few survival items. The boys also carried all their tools with them.

Now they needed shelter.

Working together, they cut small trees into wooden sticks and used strong vines as ropes. They chose to build their hut beneath large trees because the ground near the beach was too weak.

Some gathered cloth pieces lying around the island while others built the wooden platform.

By evening, they finally completed the base of the hut.

As the sun slowly disappeared into the sea, everyone sat quietly and enjoyed the beautiful sunset together.

Soon darkness covered the island.

The boys tried lighting a campfire, but it failed several times before finally catching fire.

Everyone sighed in relief.

They sat around the campfire laughing, joking, and talking for hours. During their conversation, they also discussed the strange world beyond the gate and thought that making friends in that world could make their future exploration easier and safer.

But late at night, terrifying roars and animal cries suddenly echoed from Twin 2 Island.

The sounds were loud and frightening.

The group immediately became silent.

Fear slowly returned, and none of them could sleep properly while the strange noises continued through the darkness.

Eventually, exhausted and nervous, the Gate Seekers finally fell asleep beside the fading campfire.