Gates

 

 

Even after two hundred twenty seven years,

I can precisely recall what those gates looked like. 

Rusted brown, high as Everest, wide as the Great Wall of China, and as finely carved as humanly possible. 

 

~~~

 

A young man about eighteen years old, walked confidently down the hallway. His eyes searched the unfamiliar place with curiosity. If he was feeling confused or lost, he hid it pretty well. He kept taking quick steps until he reached crossroads. Going with his gut, he followed the path to his right, as anyone with a soul alike would have. 

On reaching the end of this seemingly never-ending lobby, the figure of an old man came into focus. Behind the man was a tall, metallic gate. The young man's naturally stoic face could no longer mask his amazement. Those gates were known to have that effect on people. They brought out the side of them that made them themselves. 

The old man introduced himself as the gatekeeper. He insisted the young guy have his palm scanned first thing. 

 

As the young man hovered his hand over the fingerprint scanner, a thought made him stop midway. 

"I never have come here before, leave alone having my fingerprints registered" he said. 

"Oh but my dear you have. You may not have a memory of it for obvious reasons but you have" 

"My apologies, sir, but-"

"Try it for yourself. Place your hand such that it covers the entire sensor and see where it goes" 

His brows wrinkled briefly, yet he gave it a shot anyway.

What awaited him on the other side of the gates made him gasp. Beauty, it was- and the purest form of it. Little had he known, it was a direct reflection of his soul. He gladly made his way to where he belonged as the gates auto-locked behind him gradually. 

~~~

I anxiously ran down the hallway, a dozen questions buzzing through my head all at once. The most important one being- "Where am I?"

I kept running till I hit crossroads. Going with my gut, I followed the path to my left. On reaching the end of this seemingly never-ending lobby, the figure of an old man came into focus. Behind the man was a tall, metallic, magnificent gate.

I knew instantly that it was about to become the next most memorable thing I had ever seen. What made it unforgettable, was less about how it was and more about how much of me it made me feel. 

The old man reluctantly introduced himself as the gatekeeper. Honestly, I couldn't care less. He forcefully kept the one sided conversation going by telling me I had to place my hand over some scanner to open the gates. 

"Not registered, they won't open" I spit out. 

 

"They open for everybody"

"Huh? Then why do you have a fingerprint scanner at all?"

"Why, can't the Gates of Hell update themselves technologically? Don't tell me you expected the same rusted brown faulty structures from two hundred twenty seven years ago that let you escape"