Beyond the Black Gates: The Three Friends of Eltas: Book 1

By Marcus Henry Junior

Dear Reader,
I must make this quick, within the pages of this book lies a dark mystery, an important one that I couldnt bear to tell but I do at the request of my dearest friend, who left me the task to retell and retrace the complicated and darkening footsteps of the three friends of Eltas. As children, it was just an unhealthy obsession; as teenagers, they find the truth. As adults they must follow their destined path and go where none of have gone in living memory. Come with me and discover what lies beyond the Black Gates.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504941136

Marcus Henry Junior

It wasn’t long after high school that Marcus found himself lost in the world, in a family of scientists and the pressure of the success of his many older siblings he felt he would never be recognized for his work and efforts. He expected a lot from himself, to leave his mark on this world. It wasn’t until he met Richard, Charles and Oskan did he stop and really consider what he wanted for himself. And that’s when he decided to document and re tell the lives of the three friends of Eltas, painting each and every character into his own world with the hopes of letting the real world know what it was like being in such a difficult, life changing situation.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

As requested from a friend I, Marcus Henry Junior, will tell the story of the three friends of Eltas. I warn the readers of this tale that the ending is not for the faint hearted; it is one that I didn’t think I would write, or rather rewrite as the original was sent to me in documentation and recordings. Also the end does not necessarily mean the last page of this book. Before I begin, there are a few things you will need to know which my colleagues and I discovered for ourselves; firstly, the parents you meet in the first chapter of this book are not average people, neither are some of the teachers. They had second jobs, almost weekend jobs of keeping greedy men- and the occasional woman- from a power way beyond even Einstein’s or Hawking’s imagination. So great, that no one really knows how to use it or how it does what it does. Unfortunately, the parents guard it with their lives. Secondly you will come to notice that you in fact play a part in this story and lastly,

Eltas no longer exists.

CHAPTER 1

The Three Friends of Eltas

T HE SUNLIGHT CREPT over the small town of Eltas on the North East coast of Britain; it was a quiet town with everyday people doing everyday things; a normal town, a town that nobody would expect anything unusual to happen. This is what everybody thought; including the most adventurous of citizens and none was more adventurous than the three friends you are about to meet:

Mum I’m ten years old; I don’t need to hold your hand whilst crossing the road anymore. I told you that last week. It was the second time Richard Wood had explained this to his mother and he hated explaining himself twice, especially to the same person. They were crossing the road to Grudging Lane, the street that led to Robinspark Primary School.

Richard was in his last year of primary school and was more than ready to leave with his best friends Andrew and Amelia (or Amy as she is normally called). He was tall for his age, with brown eyes and thick brown hair, what made him most recognisable was the five blemishes on his face which made a perfect arc from temple to chin. For years he always had the same spikey hairstyle, whereas all the other boys moved on to the next hairstyle fad which swept in almost every month it seems; usually worn by some Liverpool player or boy band pop star. He liked football and played it well; he also excelled in his lessons and was a well rounded young man as his teacher Mr Smith would say: and he was looking forward for the next stage of his life.

He prized apart his hand from his mother’s as soon as they had crossed and were now walking past an unusual stretch of land. It was a small wood with large overhanging trees and an eerie tall black gate, it made people shudder and quicken there pace to avoid such a sinister place. Richard, however, was not like usual people and neither were his friends, and they all had a burning curiosity to cross these black gates and discover what lay ahead.

He casually asked his mother, what’s on the other side of that black gate mum? as though trying to catch her off guard. He had a distinct feeling his parents knew something about the gates because they sometimes looked long and hard at it when they passed, rather than avert their gaze as most people did.

"And I’ve told you several times not to ask that anymore. Nothing is there except an extremely old graveyard which needs to be left alone! she said severely, Understand?"

Yes came a mumbled reply. Richard was at the age when questions had to have an answer to his liking and though the answer wasn’t new, he was still moody as to not have been given the response he wanted. He doubled back at the gate, and for the first time, noticed something.

If there’s a graveyard, how come we can’t see any gravestones? he asked peering around the overhanging trees. His mother shot him a warning look, and he quickly looked down at his feet to avoid getting a cuff to the back of the head. The rest of the journey was silent, save for the trampling of leaves underfoot, as both mother and son walked on their journey to school.

A few minutes later, on the neighbouring street, a young girl was lightly skipping her way to school with the company of her quite stern but loving father. She had long dark brown wavy hair, which at this point was held up in a loose ponytail, her elegant skirt was plain and black and she wore long socks up to her knees to keep away the infamous British breeze. She had a pleasant face with large green eyes and was very softly spoken, so much so that she often had to repeat herself. Her name was Amelia Longridge and she was a very conscientious pupil. Don’t skip too far ahead Amelia her one and only parent called.

Yes father she said softly. She had reached the end of the street and was staring quizzically at the black gates. Father what’s- she began

That’s enough Amelia, you needn’t know he paused then added, A very old graveyard is what’s there, which you know very well.

If there’s a graveyard, then why is it chained shut? she asked, realising this for the first time, much like Richard had come to notice the lack of headstones.

What are people supposed to do to visit their loved ones?

Her father looked at her, stunned at the questions he wasn’t allowed to answer. There was silence as the man gazed at his daughter, and then at the gate. He quickly came to his senses when he realised Amelia’s quizzical look was set upon him. He cleared his throat and attempted to distract his daughter.

You wouldn’t want to be late for school now, would you? Amelia looked at her father whose face looked a bit odd, almost scared; she looked back at the gates and shook her head. She would find out one day, she thought, even if it took years of waiting.

On the road of that street, a young boy was furiously tapping on the window in a car driving past the broken family. His name was Andrew Wraith or Andy as his friends call him, and he gave up his feeble attempt of getting Amelia’s attention and instead looked back longingly at the black gates knowing full well he could climb over them it was just the spikes that scared him, they looked so sharp. He glanced at his foster parents in the front seats and knew better than to ask them about it and so sat in silence as the car pulled up at the school. He was old enough to know, wasn’t he? That’s what he, Richard and Amelia all thought, and yet they were treated like children. He looked at the faded reflection of himself in the car window and saw a boy with dark blond close-cropped hair and with hazel eyes, he had a pointy nose and long face, but he was still just a boy.

Though Andrew was smaller than his friend Richard, he was a better climber, having conquered all the trees and fences in reach he was positively itching to climb the gates next. The two things he remembered from the social worker when he first arrived in Eltas five years ago were; you look a lot like your father and please keep away from that stretch of woodland. What a big mistake the social worker made, telling a child not to do something makes them want to do it almost instantly, and so his thirst for ascending that gate began.

CHAPTER 2

The Final Year

R ICHARD WATCHED AS he saw his friend’s car pull up to the school and park.

Andy, hey, Andy! Richard called from the moment he saw Andy step out the car.

Mum, can I… his mother nodded softly with a small smile, which grew into a grin as she saw her son dash off to his friend. Andy saw his best friend as he got out the car and they were soon laughing, joking and talking about the latest football results that were on TV the previous night.

As the parents met, there was a brief exchange of mornin’s and then they began conversing in a low tone.

Having done some research into the jobs of the parents and some of the teachers in this story, my colleagues and I are confident in knowing what the parents were discussing, our theory is this:

One of them had slipped up doing their duties and they were working around the problem. I assume they found a solution (that is if they were looking for one, they may have not been discussing a problem; as I said, it was a theory) because that day, was a normal day in Eltas.

The parents were in deep conversation and the boys were too immersed in their own to notice ‘grown up talk’, as they called it when their parents spoke to one another. They laughed and nudged each other to the school entrance that said ‘Welcome to Robinspark Primary School’ in large white letters on green tiles. The school itself was quite small, as it only needed to house a small number of children, as not many people lived in the small town of Eltas; or rather the population didn’t really populate. Nonetheless, the small building was welcoming with a nice shelter against the common rain, its bright paintwork made it stand like a jewel against the usual grey of the houses and streets that surrounded it. The entrance was also home to several different plants, from the native British rose to the foreign rhododendron and they also kept a variety of small animals from the everyday hamster to the exotic iguana. The back of the school opened up to a large lush field with a stream running through it. The perfect environment for learning children. Most of all, it had the best, most caring teachers a child would want: which is why the friends were happy to arrive slightly early. Whilst waiting the children’s parents broke from their conversation and thought it a good time to sort out their uniforms before starting. As the boys waited patiently, they were distracted by the arrival of a lovely dainty girl whom they recognised immediately as Amelia.

She greeted them in her usual way, morning boys and they would reply or’ite Amy. She came wearing a radiant smile that the boys returned enthusiastically. Then her face turned sombre: she lowered her voice and whispered to Andy.

How are things at your house, looking back at her friends guardians, she was vaguely aware that her father had joined the parents’ discussion. She turned back, confident now that they weren’t being overheard. Andrew looked uncomfortable, his face slightly screwed up. He turned to Richard who nodded encouragingly.

Well, I’m sure now, that they’ve always argued, even before they fostered me. Summat ‘bout not keeping to the job and being slack… I don’t know, it’s nothing about me and they never do it whilst I’m in the room, he then added. "They are nice to me! after seeing the look on his friends faces they are", he repeated quietly hanging his head.

"I know they are; we know they are" Amy said glancing at Richard who was wearing a pained expression. Richard knew that his friend was being treated well but that didn’t stop him being hurt by his parents arguments.

There are some complicated things in life and one of these is families; some are split, broken, fake, great, never perfect and maybe even loving. You can come across those who are surrounded by family and yet feel completely isolated, this can also happen between friends: as friends are the family we choose. Richard stood there feeling uncomfortable, he had a mother and father, something Amy didn’t, his parents rarely disagreed with each other let alone argue, something Andy often secretly witnessed. Though his friends were always happy with him at school and whenever he went to visit, he could sometimes see, when they thought no one was watching that they were sad inside. Sad and distressed as children get when they don’t have something they desperately want. How Richard longed to make life better for his friends, he sometimes hated having the near perfect life; at times wished his parents would argue just so he could relate to his best friend, but he could never really wish it. He loved his perfect parents more than anything else in the world. He knew they would do everything and anything for him, even if it meant sacrificing themselves for him.

After a very awkward silence, the children were relieved that the school doors swung open and they went in, after a hastily goodbye to their parents. They hung their coats up in the cloakroom and swept passed the toilets, pulled hard at the heavy doors that opened up to the school classrooms. They often came in first to greet their teachers, and so they walked past the empty year three, four and five classrooms and entered the final classroom they would sit in at Robinspark Primary.

As they entered their teacher, Mr Smith greeted them warmly. He was a tall man with a lean build (he used to do a lot of Athletics), a chiselled jaw and a magnificent, round baldhead. The children remembered their first encounter with this- quite scary looking- man.

***

It was a warm spring morning in the middle of March and the three friends were in year four, ready early as was usual for them. They entered their classroom, more sleepy than usual; they had been discussing the Black Gates the previous day and had spent the night thinking about it. They were shaken awake by the arrival of this man whom was sat at their old teacher’s desk wearing a bright smile which the children mistook for an evil grin, as children might do sometimes when they are exceptionally sleepy. They had stood there in a state of complete shock that the teachers smile faded slowly into a look of confusion, the friends had never seen an eyebrow raise so highly as this man’s left one did: he relaxed, put on a small smile, leaned over his desk and looked intently at the children. I’m guessing you three are the children Miss Morgan sees every morning, his deep voice reverberated through the children’s heads. He then laughed a thunderstorm that finally made the children come to.

He warmly invited them in and was subjected to an intense interview by the three friends (which he said was worse than the interview to get the job). He was questioned on: his previous job, his qualifications, his personal life (which he forcibly rejected to answer) and lastly, what’s beyond those Black Gates, sir?

The three friends received silence; then with a small meaningful smile said Now, children, I’ve heard of your bizarre interest in these gates and… I’m going to put your curiosity at rest. The children’s eyes widened in shock, their palms went sweaty with nervousness and they held their tiny breaths: there is, beyond the black gates… a very old graveyard that needs to be left alone. he said the last part very quickly and was amused at the look of disappointment on the three faces in front of him.

Now, take your seats children he concluded. The children turned and took their seats in the centre of the room. However disappointed they were; they couldn’t deny this man would be a brilliant teacher with a great sense of humour.

***

They continued to smile warmly at Mr Smith as they took their seats, shortly followed by their classmates. These consisted of a variety of children; from the palest white to the richest mahogany, sizes ranged from that of a baby elephant to half the size of Mr Smith, but one thing they had in common was the kind heart they all possessed. No matter the circumstances, arguments always ended in agreements and fights forgotten the next day, on the rare occasion one sprung up. These children were also the brightest coming fourth in an international maths contest with primary schools across the world. The children also had their own little groups that they buzzed around in, there was Matthew’s group who led majority of the boys and Grace’s group who led most of the girls, Sam and Ella lead a mixed group and, of course, there was Richard, Amy and Andy who were a group unto themselves. Despite this, they all got on well, and soon settled down to allow Mr Smith to start the lesson. If you were there at the time of this lesson the walls would’ve been covered in majestic displays of childish art and sophisticated project work on the ancient Egyptians, the bright colourful classroom was warm and welcoming, the perfect learning environment.

That afternoon Mr Smith surprised them all by announcing the Christmas school play.

This year class, our school production is… the class held its breath, going to be… (The class breathed out as their tiny lungs could not keep it in any longer)

Cinderella! he boomed and the room burst into cheer.

They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing the play and most importantly the roles in which pupils would play. There were a few squabbles as people argued over the roles eventually Mr Smith’s loud, thunderous voice stated they would draw names out of a hat. Richard, Amy and Andy all got parts, though they were very surprised to say the least; Amy was cast as Cinderella, Richard the prince and Andy was initially cast as an ugly sister but after a couple of minutes of embarrassment, as the children exploded into laughter, he was changed to the henchman. This was very awkward for Richard, though he knew he wasn’t really going to kiss Amy the thought of actually kissing her made him blush- you see, Richard actually quite liked Amy and if that got out, he thought he’d die of humiliation and the disgusted look on Amy’s face would be too hard to bare. He also thought he would grow out of it as a first crush but that remained to be seen.

For the next few weeks, the class prepared the scenes for the play as well as the necessary study for their SATs the next year.

Christmas came in a haze of rain and the chatter of teeth, the snows had not arrived in the north east coast yet but none of this dampened the youthful spirits of the year six students of Robinspark primary; the last week of term and it was performance night. There was a buzz of excitement and last minute jitters all-round but the confident pupils faced it with determination. The curtain was drawn and the first act began.

Richard was backstage ready in his prince costume, he was confident, he didn’t really have that big a role, but it was the wedding that was worrying him and as he looked out at the stage, he saw his two friends acting like professionals with their big roles- they never faltered once. All too soon, it was the final act and Richard was literally shaking as his nerves were quaking uncontrollably, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned and found Grace smiling at him.

Don’t worry Richard; I know you’ll do fine. You know your lines and you say them perfectly. Her smile turned into a grin and Matthew joined them he gave Richard a smirk and put his arm around his shoulder.

You’ll be fine, I promise you, he said brightly. I’ll admit, you’re not quite as good as me yet but your nearly there Richard couldn’t help a small smile, which was the result Matthew was hoping for.

Go show them how it’s done, yeah? Richard nodded, his confidence creeping back and was led by Matthew on stage where he triumphed. The curtain came down and the crowd of parents and friends cheered and whooped; backstage the atmosphere was equalled- everyone was so elated at the success of the play. They cheered and laughed and commented on each other’s performance, Andy and Amy were in the cloakroom getting their uniform, having worked so hard and remembering all their lines, they too were elated but also exhausted. They had briefly spoken with Richard before going and were now making their way back to him. Richard hadn’t noticed them coming, he was deep in thought, wondering if he would really kiss Amy in the future. His thoughts were disrupted when Andy put his hand on his shoulder and was looking worryingly at him.

Are you okay? he asked in a low tone.

Yes I’m fine was the reply, just tired he added casually.

Yeah, we all are Andy agreed.

Why don’t we all go to our bench- Amy was suggesting but was cut off by Mr Smith’s sonorous voice saying all year six pupils get their costume changes in the year five and six classrooms please, boys in year five, girls in year six. Go now please! the class suddenly was in motion as people dressed up made their way to their designated changing areas.

The week had ended and it was time for the Christmas break; the children had their list of presents made and the three friends of Eltas had made plans for the holiday. This holiday however they took home with them a very official looking form, which Mr Smith informed them was for choosing which high school they would be applying for and the children were excited. There were only two high schools in Eltas were far from one another, but the class of friends were not at all worried about splitting up with each other, they were more excited about the new people high school brings, because there were a lot of children from outside Eltas that go to their high schools.

The Eltas high