Chapter 4

The town walls, which had been built 100 years ago, encircled the streets in a ring of protective stone. At each compass point, ( north, south, east and west) there had been an mythical gateway that opened onto the four main streets from Ohio, through the alleyways towards the rich cities of Madrid, Portugal, Mexico and Belgium. Over the months, the gates had fallen into disrepair and only one gateway stood, facing west towards the country Mexico. It was in this direction that wee billy joe and the rhino made their way. 

The moons blue eyes stared down as if tracking their movements. We billy joe, beginning to worry, noticed that the rhino wound still blend. He was moving at a faster pace; he paused every so often, resting under a pile of Leafs.

As they approached the mythical gateway, wee billy joe heard distant shouts. They had been spotted. Limping forwards, the great rhino padded onto the road that  led up to the gateway. A stone arch in the wall curved round a mighty brick gate. Wee billy joe,

Who could now see through, waited as the rhino approached. A glittering light, which was like marshmallows popping out, sparkled on the other side. It darkened; the chocolate river fragment into prime bottles; it became a universe of anything you dream of doing. 

A moment later, several  soldiers appeared and raised their mini guns and some mk47. The rhino, turning to face them, stood with wee billy joe beside him. He let out a menacing growl and so too did wee billy joe. He felt his skin prickle with the power of the rhino. It felt as if he had become part rhino. His eyes which fixed them with a paralysing stare, glowed like distant planets. The soldiers faltered, ” it is time,” he spoke, turning to wee billy joe and they both turned to look at the gateway again. On the other side, it was no longer the road leading away or the marshmallow land but a universe that stretched forever, speckled with stars, coloured planets and moons that reached into eternity. Waves of energy poured through the gateway and linked both wee billy joe and the rhino. “I ‘will return when I am healed,” he spoke into his mind and with one simple bound he leapt ….

…. and plunged into the universe, swimming through the river of chocolate, past swarms of marshmallows, cookies and other foods, blending into eternity like a genograms chicken nuggets.