Beyond the Gate

By Gabe Sluis

Refering back to the Chaos Gate in the short novel Other Worlds Than These, Beyond the Gate is a collection of a dozen Sci-Fi and Fantasy short stories that give further views of the worlds beyond our own.

A Story for Enchu- A young Amazon child is told a story about the days proceeding his birth.

And the Scroll Read... - Old scrolls always say interesting things!

Statues in the Southern Marsh- A young magician living in a swampland meets a friend of his late father.

Chapter 20- The Lost Chapter- The missing chapter from the book Saving John.

Hill 136- An airship crew pick up an unexpected passenger on a secluded hilltop.

The Treasure Map- On a summer morning, three youths have the adventure of their young lives.

The Bronze Coin- A gas station attendant flips a special coin, sending him places he never thought he could be.

The Supervisor- The final part of The Treasure Map trilogy finds Aros and Vega confronted by a Keeper with the upper hand.

Seven Forty Seven- An EMT on a transfer ambulance has a patient he will never forget.

Blackheart- Across a shallow sea on a clouded world, a nameless traveler walks toward a great mountain and his fate.

A Deep Dive- A group of four divers go for a dive in the morning and come back with a fifth late in the evening.

Vega's Lullaby- "They had just made it out of one war and found themselves thrust into another..."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gabe Sluis
• Release date: Nov 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310853005

Gabe Sluis

Gabe Sluis is a hobby writer, primarily exploring Sci-Fi and Fantasy. The books are not series based, yet many common characters and places are seen throughout novels and short stories alike. He has published five novels, six short story collections, and a children's book. Check out his latest short story collection, PROVISIONS or the new novel ANCILLARY.Please leave a review on wherever it is you download your books! I love coming on to see new downloads each day, and I would love to hear what you think after you've given it a shot!

Book preview

Beyond The Gate

A Short Story

Collection

by

Gabe Sluis

Published by Gabe Sluis at Smashwords

Second Edition (2023)

Copyright Gabe Sluis 2013

Cover Art: Gabe Sluis

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locations or persons, living or dead or undead, is entirely coincidental.

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support. I need to get a movie deal already...

This book is dedicated to Holden Ryan Sluis. I hope these stories find their way to you in your early double digits.

Table of Contents

A Story for Enchu

And the Scroll Read…

Statues in the Southern Marsh

Chapter 20- The Lost Chapter

Pick-up on Hill 136

Seven Forty-Seven

The Treasure Map

The Bronze Coin

The Supervisor

Blackheart

A Deep Dive

Vega’s Lullaby

A Story for Enchu

Enchu walked quietly along the jungle path following his brother and father. They made little sound as they passed the large trees with their white trunks, wet from the morning rain. The three came along to a place where the trail split. The two in the lead went right.

Father, Enchu asked. Why do we not go the other way? Would it not be faster?

That is good you have become old enough to feel where you are in the jungle, Enchu. But, no. We do not go that way. Can you not see that path has not been disturbed for many years?

But why father? Enchu passed his brother, who had paused with his father to walk beside his youngest son.

That way is death. Matchu said to his son very seriously. We must never go down there.

Enchu looked up at his father with his curious brown eyes. What did his father mean? 

Matchu knew it was time to tell his son. The others had been small when it happened; Enchu not yet born. I will tell you a story, he started, of when a stranger visited us and why we use that path no more.

My brother came to me and said he had seen men traveling up the river in our direction. They were a few days away and had guns. I hoped not to see them and began to consider going into the jungle until they passed. The evening I heard this news, the stranger appeared.

I was working on arrows when he walked silently out of the jungle into the center of our huts. I was so surprised I jumped up to grab my bow when he spoke. He spoke our language like he had spoken it from a small child. I put down my arrows as I listened to this tall white man with black hair speak so kindly to me. He could not be the pack of men from the city downriver that my brother had sent warning of.

I invited him to the fire and he took off his pack. We talked. I do not remember what we spoke of that night, but I could see in his purple eyes that he was a friend. Your mother gave him food, and he played with your brother and sisters, who had never seen a white man before. As it got late, he stayed in the center hut with promise to say goodbye before he continued upriver in the morning.

The next morning the men with rifles came. I came out of our hut late to the sounds the men entering our camp. Your mother and all my children were up. I had forgot all about the white man. The new men were from the city, just as your uncle had said. I did not know if they were slavers or colonistas. But, they demanded food and began saying bad things about your mother. They asked me 'how much for her'. I was angrier than I had ever been! I went to strike one and another pointed his rifle at me. He had no soul I could see in his eyes.

I walked away towards an outer hut in a panic. These men could not take my wife. Remember that Enchu, you must never let evil men harm your family! You must do anything. Matchu paused. And so that is what I did."

The white man with black hair suddenly appeared as I left the center hut. He motioned to me and I began to cry out silently to him. When I got to his side, he told me not to worry and handed me a black knife with a curved blade. I will never forget that knife, as I have never seen one so well made in all my life. He told me to put it sideways between the bones of the first man, right below his nipple.

I heard screams as the men began to leave, dragging my wife and your brother. The white man was much larger than the biggest in the gang of men. I thought he would try to fight them with his hands. We ran together, back to the center and I grabbed the first one I could touch. With a hand over his mouth, I used the other to put the knife where I was shown. I will never forget the hot breath that came out as the man screamed his last.

As we ran, the white man drew a small gun from his pack. This was like no pistol I have ever seen, Enchu. It was black like the knife and had a long thick part coming off the end. Faster that I could imagine he shot two of the men several times in the chest. The pistol was very quiet, much quieter than the ones I have seen the army use in the cities. It was as loud as someone clapping their hands. Two men fell and the third ran. The white man did not run after him, but paused and shot four more times. At last, he fell to the ground.

He turned to walk back, removing part of the pistol and putting a new piece in its place. He smiled and said we must get rid of the men. I wanted to throw them in the river, but he would not have it. I was in a panic and did not think that someone would find these men and come looking for us. The white man was very smart and not excited like the rest of us.

So now you see, Enchu, why we do not walk that way. We do not walk past ghosts of men who tried to steal my family. Who tried to steal you while you were inside your mother.

Enchu was silent. He was amazed at what his father had just told him. He had never known his father to be so brave as to kill a man larger than him who had a gun.

What happened to the white man? What was his name? 

He left. Went up river and we never saw him again. And I cannot remember his name. It was hard to pronounce and quickly left my mind.

They walked along in silence again until they got to the clearing where they would continue the work on their river canoe. 

That is why I am called Enchu, he said. It means traveler.

Yes son, you owe your life to a nameless traveler.

And the Scroll Read...

Chaos was one.

To create the universes, it split itself into three.

Gods were born. Two held their full share of the Chaos from which they came, creating all Systems seen in nature and the Will to power them. The