The Gate

We jumped off the ferry and headed from the wharf. The place felt different - kind of eerie. I felt suddenly on edge. There was no one around and the narrow streets were lit only by lamplight that glowed feebly into the dark night. We walked in silence for several minutes before I asked.

"Where are we going, exactly?"

She cast a quick look over her shoulder and then quickened her pace.

"Shut up and keep moving." There was an edge to her voice that matched the uneasiness I was still feeling.

"What's wrong..."

"Don't say anything," she whispered through clenched teeth. "And don't look back," she added.

I resisted the impulse to do so. I cranked up the pace to keep up with her, and strained my ears to hear footsteps other than ours but all I heard was our hurried steps along a dark street now lined with old stone cottages. 

We hurried up the hill, my breath catching in my throat from the cold night air. As we neared the top of the hill, she dug in her bag and pulled out a large set of keys. We came to a high stone wall at the top of the hill and we stopped before a large wooden gate. She slipped a key into the lock and pushed at the gate. It groaned open as if in pain, allowing us passage into another world.