The Gatekeeper

    Write a story about a character who finds guidance in an unlikely place

                                        The Gatekeeper

It’s my job, Gatekeeper, it’s what I does an what my Pa did do before me. If I gets an order from the Highers, all praise the Highers, I opens the gate. I opens the gate only when it pleases the Highers, all praise the Highers. The gate have been closed a long time, a moon or near nuff. I just sits in me cubby ole, waitin an listenin to the Outers makin an ullaballoo. The guards on the wall be tellin me there is too many Outers tryin to come in an the Highers, all praise the Highers, dunt want em. I only be the gatekeeper, so I dunt know who be goin or acomin, I justs open the gate see.

I opens the gate the time me darlin be leavin, she were avin a bebby see, only the Highers, all praise the Highers, can ave bebbies nowadays. I had the water in me eyes then, I did. Every time I opens the gate, I looks to sees her, but I never has.

It be a festa day today. The peoples will be dancin an havin a right old time. The gate always open up on a festa day. I just sits here waitin, waitin for the order. I looks at the key, bright an shinin on me belt. Such a pretty thing it is, such a pretty thing what makes water in the eyes. The Highers, all praise the Highers, knows what they doin, I spose.

I hears Bludgeon comin before I sees him. His stick thumping on his iron jerkin. He’ll ave the order. I stands up to be respectin. If he dunt think you be respectin him, he’ll use his stick, hard like. 

“Mornin Master Bludgeon. Is it the order you have there?”

Now Bludgeon, he like to frighten us peoples he do, an he stare at you with his dull black eyes and show is horrible pointy teeth. But today he were lookin over me shoulder, with his mouth shut.

He open the order paper, an shake is head. Well I never did see that before. 

The guards have come to control the outers, an if needed, the inners too. A crowd have gathered to see the show. Bludgeon, with his scratchy voice, do read it.

By the order of the Highers, All praise the Highers, These are the inner citizens leaving the township this day

Rimbo Parchment for inefficiency

Verra Swingle for procreation

Locky Gatekeeper for inefficiency

These are the orders of the Highers, All Praise the Highers.

Bludgeon, he fold the paper, then walks off fast like. I dunt like it, Bludgeon is always round at openins, watchin, watchin, with them horrible eyes. I looks round, confused like, an the guards does look right back at me. Four guards are holding two people who have the water in their eyes. A short, round man who I dunt know, walks up to me an puts is hand out.

“Key,” e says. “All praise the Highers”

I tek it from me belt for the last time, an gives it to im. 

“All praise the Highers” says me.

I feels the water in me eyes I does. Two guards grab me arms, the short, round man opens the gate an me, Rimbo and Verra, is pushed out. The gate do bang shut, and we stands there. I had me hands on me head I did, Verra were wailin an Rimbo were bent over, oldin is belly.

A crowd of outers is stood lookin at us, quiet like. Normally they is makin an ullaballoo. There be a shout from the high wall over the gate.

“Gatekeeper.”

I looks up, an ed disappears behind the wall, fast like, an a rock do fall to the ground, right by me feet, There be a bit o’ paper tied round the rock an I pulls it off and puts it in me pocket for later.

I remember Pa sayin to me ,‘ there be a time for thinkin an a time for doing’. I thinks this be a time for doin.

“C’mon Verra, Rimbo, we needs to find some quiet.”

We pushes through the crowd, they’s a sorry lookin lot, and dunt smell too good. There’s some peoples I remembers, an they’s very nice, they pats me on the back and says things like, ‘sorry Locky,’ an, ‘dunt go too far cos of the cannyballs,’ but they mostly ignore us. They is likely waitin for the gates to open up again, an they starts makin an ullaballoo. Nobody have been let in for many moons, but I spose they is still hoping.

We is all a bit stunned like. We walks for an hour or so, the land flat and dusty, a few bits of sad, dry shrubbery here an there. Verra’s wailin do turn to sniffles an Rimbo asn’t said a word. We is far enough from the township that we doesn’t hear the ullaballoo, and we sees no more Outers. The only thing we sees is a big old tree, off in the distance We walks towards it.

“We sit here for a bit eh?” Me voice do sound loud and Verra startles. “Sorry,” I says.

Me an Rimbo sits down, but Verra she just stand there snifflin. Rimbo do speak up for the first time.

“Inefficiency, huh, everyone knows they’re just getting rid of mouths to feed.”

I agrees with him. I teks the paper from me pocket. I tries to make sense of it, but me ed is too mucked up.

“ ‘Ere Rimbo, what does you makes of this then?”

He look at the paper, “It’s a map.” He turn it around in is hands an has a squint at it. “Look, there’s the township, and we walked east towards the sun.” He do point at the map, “So we are about here. Now this looks like a river, just a half day’s walk away. Mmm, someone has drawn arrows towards it. This person has gone to a lot of effort to make this map for you.”

I tries to think who’d make a map for me, but I dunt know anyone who would.

 I be thirsty, an I says so. Rimbo nods an we stands up. 

“C’mon Verra, we’s goin to get a drink we is.” Verra sniffs, then she follow us. .

Rimbo be a tall thin man, I thinks he were a school masser, so I asks him like, an he tell me yes he was. We doesn’t talk no more ‘til we sees the river.

We had bin walkin on dark red dust since mornin time, but round the river, it were all green, it were a sight it were. We sees a lot of big old trees on the other side of the river, an in between the trees is little wooden houses. Well I never sees anything like it. I could ear the river bubblin an birds singin an I could ear chickens cluckin and squawkin.

We all had a drink, the water cold an clear, very nice it were. As we was drinkin, peoples came out of the houses an stood staring at us. They’s all wimmin. Some of em is havin bebbies an some of em is holdin bebbies. I has the water in me eyes I does, I thinks about me darlin an wonders if she were ever here with our bebby. 

 One of the wimmin shout at us.“You can bring the wumman over, but then you must leave.”

I looks at Verra, “Does you wanna go?” She give a little nod an a sniff.

I asks Rimbo “How does we gets over the water?” 

He just give a shrug, “Ask them.”

“Allo, my lovelies, how does we get over?”

One of the wimmin point downstream through the trees, “Bridge”

We walks along a bit an sees the bridge, as we gettin close we sees a little man sittin in front of it. He be sittin on a chair an his legs doesn’t touch the floor. He be holdin a sword, longer than him. He jump down from his chair an looks really angry.

“Allo,” I says, nice like, “This wumman be havin a bebby and we is takin her to the other wimmin.”

He nods an climbs back on his chair. Me an Rimbo looks at each other, Rimbo shrugs an we all walks over the bridge, Verra just lookin down at her feet the whole time. 

 What if me darlin is there, with our bebby? I’s havin trouble breathin.

The wumman what told us about the bridge, were waitin for us. Her arms was folded an she look fierce like.

“All these wimmin and bebbies,” she shout at us, “Are here because of the Highers.”

“All praise the,” before I finishes she do hit me, right on me nose.

“Don’t you dare, don’t you dare say that.” She scream in my face.

I puts me hands up, “Sorry, I cant help it, I won’t do it again, sorry, sorry.”

“Are you Highers?” she were lookin at Rimbo when she say that. He do look smart and clean, I spose. He just shake is head, sad like. That seemed to calm her down. Another wumman come over an take Verra gently away. 

“Are you her fellow?” Screamy wumman sort of look at us both, an we shakes our heads. She flap her hands at us . “Go,” say she, an turns away.

I blurts out, “Excuse missus,”

She whirl round an hisses, “What?”

“Me darlin might be here with our bebby, I is just wonderin like, if she are, then, um.”

“When?”

I doesn’t understand, so I stands there openin an closin me mouth like a guppy.

“When was she put out? When was the bebby due?” 

“Oh, yes, yes, erm. Me darlin were put out the gates in spring week, an we had about five moons to be waiting.”

“Is her name Ana?”

“Yes!”  

“She is here.”

 I jumps up an punches the sky. I falls down on the soft green grass an there is so much water in me eyes that I doesn’t see nothing. I feels Rimbo’s hand on me shoulder, he give it a little squeeze. I feels so happy. Me darlin be livin an me darlin be here.

“Wait here,” says screamy wumman.

I wipes me eyes an stands up.

“Ow does I look?” I asks Rimbo

“Like a gateless gatekeeper.” Then he smooth me hair an pulls me jacket about, brushin dust off it. “That’s better,” says he.

I stares an stares at the houses, I be hardly breathin, an then I sees her, me darlin. She be carryin a bundle an she as a smile as big as the sun on her beautiful face.

“Locky,” she whispers. “Meet Luco.” I puts me big mitts round her face an smile as big as she do.

A son. There be so much water in my eyes I doesn’t see him properly, I is a happy, happy man.

Screamy wumman tell us that we must be leavin, She give Ana a hug an a bag. I carries me son, careful like. We walks back to the bridge. The short man, raise his hands up to stop us, an he tell us that the gangers is about an we must be careful to stay off the tracks. I thanks him, an we walks away.

Ana tell me that the gangers is thieves an cannyballs what eats bebbies.

Me an Rimbo decides to sit an make a plan, we looks at the map. It look like there be a small settlement about a day’s walk. Rimbo says there be more arrows on the map an they show us the way to be keepin off the tracks. I looks closely an I sees em too. How comes we doesn’t never know about these settlements. We was told by the Highers, all praise…, that peoples in the Outer have no food, no houses an dunt last long. We’s already seen that’s a big old lie.

 I is mighty hungry an says so. Ana do open up the bag from screamy wumman an give me an honest to goodness pie. I almost dies of happiness. I looks at the map again an I sees some tiny writin on the back. I asks Rimbo to look at it close like.

“Mmmm, this is interesting.” say he, then he do read it out.  

“Good luck Locky, I hope this helps you find your darlin. from Bludgeon.”