Chapter 2.0: Screaming Cliffs

A Chapter by aaaa

The Second chapter in The 4th Gate, Abe learns what kind of world he has just stepped into.

Screaming Cliffs

It was cold here, far colder than his field. Which was always at a pleasant temperature, and despite never seeing a drop of rain the trees and grass had never wilted. Abe had simply accepted this as another little way the field took care of him. The wind to was blowing, with far more force than the wind in his field ever had mustered; it pushed against him, his hair billowing out behind him. Taking a step forward he looked from side to side, the edge of the cliff was about twenty feet away, the deep grass underfoot running all along the way to its edge. The grass brushed against his ankles, their moist stems playing their way across his calves.

He reveled in this feeling, how amazing it was he thought to himself, all these years he had kept the grass in the field pruned and clinging to the ground, this was the first time in his memory that his feet had touched long grass. As he continued to look left and right he saw Margaret, she was sitting with her feet over the edge of the cliff, swinging her feet back and forth as they dangled over the abyss. He walked up beside her.

“Hello.” He spoke softly trying not to startle her. She turned to look over her shoulder at him.

“Sure took you long enough, well I guess it can’t be helped, you have been stuck there for a while after all. All these new sights and sounds can overwhelm someone at first.” She pushed with her arms lifting herself back onto the ledge she got up again opened her sack. He should ask what the toothed things were, but he kept silent for now as she reached in and withdrew several strange items Some strange squareish bits of metal, some bright yellow rope, and a bag of what appeared to be huge nails.

“What is that?” I asked indicating the equipment. She continued to pull out other strange items, the only of which he recognized and understood fully was a bright red apple brought out of one of the smaller toothed pockets. She tossed it up lightly and caught it.

“Catch.” She tossed the apple towards him, he fumbled and the apple fell into the grass. He picked it up and brushed it off against his coat. He had no idea what to do with it. This is not to say he did not understand what it was used for. He recalled what it was like biting into an apple, but in all the time he had been in the field he had never had to eat. He had never found it strange he simply accepted it as a way the field took care of him. Now that he was thinking about it, he chalked up a lot of things to the field taking care of him. It seemed so peaceful there that if he were to have analyzed it any further it might feel as if he ungrateful and stop taking care of him.

He eventually reached the decision that not biting into the apple would have been rude. He sunk his teeth into the apple, as he ground it between his molars flavors burst into his mouth. Flavors he has not known for countless ages. The sweet juices ran down his chin as he grew over enthusiastic and devoured the apple. Before he could realize it the entire thing was gone leaving him with just a small core. He then realized what he had done and looked back towards Margaret blushing in his embarrassment. She seemed not to have noticed, she still was rummaging through the pockets taking out more new and strange equipment.

“Throw it over the edge.” She said with her arm shoulder deep into one of the pockets. “No one down there for you to hit anyway, might as well toss it over the edge that just leave it up here.” He looked at the apple with a puzzled look on his face, with a shrug he turned and started to swing his arm to throw it off the cliff. Before the apple could leave his grasp something caught his eye at the edge of his vision. His head snapped to look at the movement. About thirty yards down the cliff the air seemed to shiver as if there was a heat distortion causing the air to bend. Then it stopped, and in the place the place the shimmer had been stood a woman. She was only wearing a gray shirt, many sizes to big for her. On the front of the shirt was a Logo saying to the world that Charlie’s Bar has the best beer in town. She looked around as if not aware of her surroundings. In a dazed half walk she started to amble towards the edge of the cliff.

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