Through the Iron Gate

It all began one fateful afternoon. I had just finished helping a friend clean out his parents’ house. They had both just tragically passed in a horrible car accident, leaving him and his younger sister orphans. The whole situation was tragic. I tried to be there for him as much as I could. Hardly left his side. But that afternoon, I needed a break. A little time to myself.

I decided a good hike would get the job done. Just up the street from my parent’s house is one of my favorite hiking paths. Unknown to most, it is hidden behind heavy brush that has overgrown due to a lack of maintenance. I guess you could say I was technically “trespassing on private property.” But no one had lived in the estate for years, so I always excused my criminal behavior based on the fact, no one cared.

To get to the path, I had to fight my way through the brush. Usually costing me a scrape or two. But worth it every time! Because once you’re through, you end up at a stunning white iron gate stretching maybe 12 feet tall with green vines swarming all over it. At the top is a brilliant design of heart shaped swirls and rods that look like flames leading to a rusted, yet immaculate Fleur-de-lis crown. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

Once you cross the gate, it’s almost like you enter into a different world. The air smells fresher, the grass looks greener, and the sun even seems to shine brighter. It is my “Heaven on Earth.” I walked the path until I reached my favorite spot, the bottom of a tiny waterfall that splashed into a small circular shaped lagoon. Around the edges of the lagoon sat large flat rocks, perfect for lounging on. And the view is spectacular. Everywhere you look you see life. The large ancient looking trees with greying bark and fresh blooming white, pink and red flowers mixed with the endless sound of birds chirping and water running, make it the best escape ever.

I climbed onto the rock best positioned in the sunlight and pulled out my black leather Moleskin notebook to begin writing. While I was doing my daily journal entry, something caught my left eye. It looked like a small bird, maybe a hummingbird, I remember thinking. But the way the sun reflected off it, made me wonder if it was some type of metal or glass even. I shook my head, assuming maybe I was seeing something, and went back to my writing. But before I could put pen to paper, I saw it again. This time my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to investigate further.

I jumped down from my rock and made my way over to the waterfall where the shiny flying object seemed to disappear. The rocks close to the waterfall were always slippery from moss buildup, so I had never really ventured out that way. As I got closer, I was shocked to see a small entrance way leading into a cave hidden behind the waterfall. I had been out there at least a dozen times at this point and never noticed it. Naturally, I decided to check it out.

In order to get there though, I had to walk right through the waterfall. Which thoroughly soaked me! And made me almost fall. The closer I got to the entrance, the smaller it looked. Only way in was to crawl. I crawled my way through the narrow path until it turned into a large cave, maybe 100 feet tall. It was mesmerizing. What surprised me the most was how bright it was. The narrow path I crawled through was fairly dark, but the open area lit up like a late summer evening in the mountains when the ground got dark, but the sky still glowed bright blue from the setting sun.

As I searched the cave, a flying shiny object caught my eye again. This time coming from out of nowhere and almost hitting me right in the face. Instinctively, I ducked and swatted. And, of course, missed. I tried to locate the object, but it seemed to have disappeared. I wasn’t sure now if it was a bird or some type of flying insect. The thought of it being an insect made me feel suddenly paranoid and panicked. And that was the moment I noticed tiny yet deep holes that seemed to cover almost every inch of the cave’s walls. I saw something peak out from one, then disappear back inside. I remember feeling a shock of terror jump through my body like I had never felt before. There were soo many of them!

All I could think about was giant alien bugs eating me alive. It was terrifying! During my moment of panic, I noticed another shiny flying object, and then another. Before I knew it, the whole room was swarming with them. Luckily, I wasn’t eaten. Instead, I stood in a trance while hundreds, maybe even thousands, of small flying creatures surrounded me. Their backs sparkling in the dim light from above.

I put my hand out and one of them landed on my palm. I know you won’t believe me but sitting in my hand staring up at me was a small humanoid type creature with wings almost double the size of its body. Its body was tiny. But plain as day, I could see two legs with two feet and tiny toes beneath a torso with two arms and two hands with tiny fingers. It had a round little head with silver hair and two tiny eyes above a tiny nose and mouth. It even wore what appeared to be a small silk wrap around its body. Its wings looked as if they were woven with thin strands of glass. And with every flutter, they glistened in the light.

I stood in awe for what felt like forever. Then, with a small nod of its head, it flew away. Before I knew it, the cave was empty once again. It’s hard to believe, trust me I know. But it’s true and I would say so with my hand on a bible. That’s not where this story ends though. It is only where it begins.

On my way out of the cave, I tripped over a vine that had seemed to come out of nowhere. I basically landed on my face. Which hurt, a lot! But as I pushed myself up, I noticed a bunch of black pebble looking objects covering the floor. When I was walking, the ground was dark, and I assumed it was just plain rocks. But now that I was face down on it, I realized it was something much cooler.

I picked one of them up. It was smooth like glass and heavy in my hand. It was the most interesting rock I had ever seen. And the ground seemed to be covered in them. I stuffed it in my pocket and crawled my way out of the cave. Once I made my way back to the waterfall, I was shocked to see it was getting dark already. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and noticed it was full of missed calls and text messages. My friends and family were worried I had gone missing on my hike. I assured them I was fine and made my way back over to see my friend as he was locking up his parent’s house for the last time. His younger sister was swaying on the front porch swing when I arrived.

I sat down next to her and talked with her for a bit. Just as I was about to leave, I felt the pebble in my pocket, reminding me it was there. I pulled it out and handed it to her. “A small gift in exchange for a small smile, maybe?” I said as she looked at it with delight. And I did get my smile.

Shortly after, I jumped into the car with her brother as we rode off to do anything except think about the loss of his parents. Soon after that, someone purchased the estate my hiking path was hidden on and I didn’t have the chance to go back.

Fast forward 10 years.

I ran into my friend’s sister at a wedding. She had just completed her doctorate in geology. She brings up the rock I had given her and tells me about how it had inspired her to get her degree in rock engineering. Then she leans in a little closer and while whispering tells me about how the rock is made of minerals not known to this planet. About how her and her colleague had been studying it for the last few years and how every test they had ran came up inconclusive. Leading them to believe it is either made up of undiscovered minerals, or that it was possibly even fragments of a fallen meteorite. She then drops a bomb on me, telling me how she recently sold the rock to a museum for $20,000.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Truth be told, I hadn’t thought about that day in the cave for a while. “$20,000 for that tiny little rock?” I asked her, making sure I was understanding her right. She assured me that was the case and thanked me again for giving it to her when she was feeling lost and alone. “You changed my life” she said to me with a kiss on the cheek as we parted ways.

The next day I booked a plane ticket home. The second I landed I headed to my secret hiking spot. The estate looked completely different, having had someone taking care of it for the last decade. But to my surprise, the heavy brush covering the white iron door still stood. I took a quick look around to make sure no one was watching and headed in. Getting through the brush was harder than I remembered, and I definitely ended up with more than just a few scratches. But once I reached the other end, there stood the marvelous white iron gate.

It looked like it hadn’t been opened since the last time I visited. Heavy vines almost covered the entire gate, giving it a rather eerie look. Luckily, I had my pocketknife on me, and I was able to cut through the vines and open the gate. I hurried my way to the waterfall. Once I got there, it looked just how I had remembered. I walked over to the waterfall and was somewhat surprised the small entry way was still there. I guess in the back of my mind I always wondered if maybe I had imagined it all. After making my way through the waterfall, I got down to crawl inside. The entry way felt smaller, or maybe I had gotten larger. But somehow, I was able to slide my way through.

The massive size of the cave was just as shocking as the first time I crawled into it. I took a moment to take in its beauty, wondering if I would see any of its inhabitants. Unfortunately, I didn’t. Not this time. But I did gather up as many black pebbles as I could. Making sure not to take them all.

A few savvy business deals later, I’m a millionaire. And my friend’s sister, she’s now my wife. And the estate with my secret hiking path, I bought it. I visit the waterfall almost daily. Came to find out those small black pebbles, they are from the creatures shedding their wings. Something they do every five years. Now I keep them safe, and they keep me rich. All thanks to that one fateful afternoon.