The Gate

By Jane Drake

Morwenna is a teenage girl who loves horse riding. One day she is out with her horse Sorrel, when suddenly she loses control of the horse and is thrown to the ground. Lying there, injured, she is found by strangers who offer to look after her. But what are their intentions and what danger may lie ahead? In this unknown terrain she chooses to trust these strangers for her own safety. However, she cannot help but begin to question herself and the identities of these strangers. She is worried about what is happening around her: there is a battle being fought! Will she ever enjoy her life, see her family again and be able to meet her friends? Will she have a future? Will anyone ever believe her story? During this journey Morwenna discovers her own strengths and weaknesses, as in the midst of her fears and these strange events she learns to keep a positive heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398463271

Jane Drake

The author was born and lives in South Wales UK. She trained as a nurse but for most of her career worked as a midwife and bereavement counsellor, in the National Health Service. She is now retired. Her Christian faith is very important to her. It has helped her through pain and difficulties in her own life but has also enabled her to comfort and encourage others. She has always enjoyed making up stories for her children and grandchildren. But this is the story she felt she had to write down.

Book preview

About the Author

The author was born and lives in South Wales UK. She trained as a nurse but for most of her career worked as a midwife and bereavement counsellor, in the National Health Service. She is now retired. Her Christian faith is very important to her. It has helped her through pain and difficulties in her own life but has also enabled her to comfort and encourage others. She has always enjoyed making up stories for her children and grandchildren. But this is the story she felt she had to write down.

Dedication

This book I dedicate to my lovely family, who are my joy.

Copyright Information ©

Jane Drake 2023

The right of Jane Drake to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398463264 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398463271 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge with great thanks Sarah and Ruth for their support and encouragement as they have helped me throughout this process.

Chapter 1

I could not quite believe a whole year had gone by since I stood in this very place. I was here because I needed to remember. I needed to close a chapter in my life and move on. The sun had been shining that day too; it was a calm and sleepy sort of a day, a good day for horse riding. I remembered that something had spooked Sorrel as we had trotted up the field…

… She took off galloping towards the glade of elder trees, her nostrils flaring and ears pricked up. Whoa! Whoa, girl! I shouted, but she continued towards the next field, clearing the bramble hedge and heading towards a copse of trees standing tall and majestic in the bright sunlight. I realised she was not going to stop. As we approached the thicket, Sorrel put the brakes on, sending me flying over her and landing unceremoniously on my back amongst the overgrown shrubbery.

I looked up. I could see the sunlight streaming through the leaves of a large tree at the side of me.

Wow! I was lucky to miss that, I thought.

I lay there aware of a sudden pain that shot through my back and a sore feeling at the side of my head. I reached up and touched it; there was blood on my fingers, but I did not feel afraid. I noticed how peaceful I felt as I lay there staring up at the leaves and the shadows that the light cast around me. I turned my head to try to move and was startled to see the face of a boy looking down on me. He had shoulder-length wavy, blonde hair and his slate-blue eyes smiled as he spoke, Hey, are you okay, and have you lost a brown mare like this one? The boy was holding Sorrel’s bridle. Sorrel looked at me, bent down and nuzzled my neck as if to say sorry. I tried to roll over onto my side, but the pain in my back was too severe. Can you move your legs, girl? the boy asked. I tried again and could move slightly. The boy told me to stay still while he checked me over. He continued to talk to me. Oh, by the way my name’s Sam and this is my sister, Abby. A small, dark-haired girl of about fourteen years of age appeared in my field of vision. She smiled but didn’t speak. I noticed that she was holding onto the reins of two grey mares. Sam was kneeling at my side with one hand on my leg and the other on my head. I think you are okay to move now, but I will get my father to check you over and make sure you are alright, he said. I stood up slowly; I was a bit shaky but not as bad as I thought I would be. Get on your horse and follow us. It’s not that far, Sam smiled. What’s your name anyway? he continued as he mounted the grey mare.

Morwenna, I replied, and this is Sorrel, who threw me into the bushes. I looked into Sorrel’s eyes, trying to make her feel guilty. The three of us made our way to the end of the field; a gate lay ahead, opening onto a meadow with hills rolling into the distance. Where are we going? I enquired.

Home, came the reply in quite a matter-of-fact way. You may as well come with us and clean up those nasty grazes. I had forgotten about the gash on my forehead, but it did not seem to be hurting anymore. I knew I did not need to be home for a few hours, and it just seemed right to follow Sam and Abby.

We walked our horses through the gate; the meadow was full of buttercups and daisies. The ride was slow and peaceful, and I felt as if I was half asleep but still aware of my surroundings. We were soon climbing small hills and crossing streams. It was idyllic. The sun shone on our backs and we seemed to have been riding for at least an hour in total silence, apart from the occasional sound of water, honey bees and crickets. Then as we came around a bend on the track, I spotted a small house in the distance. Smoke was rising lazily out of the chimney, and as we got closer, I could see that the front garden was full of flowers and vegetables growing together and competing for space. Sam stopped and got off his horse, and Abby followed him. They tied the horses to the fencepost and started to walk up the path to the house. As if he had said this many times before, he turned to me and shouted, Tie up, Sorrel! Come on, we’re home!

As I walked up the stone pathway, I could not help but stop and gaze at the amazing flowers. The colours seemed more vivid than