The Gate

The rusty gate barely hung from wooden fence posts hidden in the tall grass. It sat about 10 yards from the edge of the light gray asphalt of County Road 79, the only paved county road Dwight had ever seen. The late afternoon sun had given the air a rich golden lustre that only summertime could boast. The cumulus clouds, tinged a dirty yellow color by the setting sun, billowed and boiled from heat radiating from the ground after 12 hours of intense sunshine. Dwight checked his watch. 6:24. He still had plenty of time. He watched as a particularly hopeful cloud punched upward through the atmosphere and finally began to flatten out at the top. He turned back to the gate. It wasn't a very secure gate by any means; it was just enough of a gate to make people curious but not enough to tempt entry. Of course, if they knew what was back there, they would certainly be tempted. Most certainly.

Dwight began his excursion beyond the rusty gate. It creaked a little when he swung it open, since it was still connected by one of the hinges. Softy and confidently, Dwight strode along the footpath which was bordered on either side by brilliant green grasses and weeds of every kind. Sometimes a patch of wildflowers came into view. A clump of fuzzy purple clovers peeking out here and there, a cluster of black-eyed susans crowding around an old stump, queen anne's lace leaning out across the path--all still stunning in their colors and intricate designs, even under the cool shade of the pines. Dwight's foot steps were dulled and muffled by the packed dirt, and he liked how it felt through his shoes. As the dry soil gave way to more and more rocks, he knew he was getting closer to his destination. Abruptly, the path ended, and sunlight replaced shade. An expanse of flat sandstone opened before Dwight. Over the edge, he could see a lush valley, stretching from right to left and carpeted by pasture grasses so green that he almost wished he was a cow. The slope opposite Dwight's sandstone ledge was populated by rows of oaks and other trees, some of which had found their way into the valley. Looking to his right, Dwight saw another slope on his side of the valley, as green and inviting as the other slope. From out of his satchel Dwight pulled a bottle containing a white substance bespeckled with spices. He looked at the label and looked back at the view from the rock. Yes, Dwight had found the Hidden Valley.