The Gate of Visions Story: Protagonist (Sarah) moves into a haunted house with her mother and younger brother. 1. Background 1. Sarah, 12, and her family are moving from California to Massachusetts because her mother was offered a high-paying job there. Sarah’s father passed away recently after an accident on construction site. 2. The move was rushed, and Sarah’s mother didn’t have the chance to see the house before purchasing it. Describe reaction to how intimidating the house is in person. 3. Sarah’s little brother, Rory, 6, is deaf and very observant. They are extremely close. 1. The house and the move 1. The house is classic New England style, large, and in a remote location. Very detailed description. 2. The closest neighbor is a two-minute drive away. Describe neighborhood. 3. The windows are small and ceilings low. There is a strong draft. A box goes missing the first night. The house makes Rory uncomfortable. Set up atmosphere. 1. Tension 1. Children sleep on second floor; mother sleeps on first. Mother hears noises below her. She checks a door she thought was a closet, but it opens to stairs that lead to cellar she didn’t know about. Cellar has coal shaft, making a strong draft. 2. Rory runs into Sarah’s room and signs something to her. She tells him to sleep with her. She relays this to Mom in the morning and assumes there may have been a spider in his room. Mom asks her to show her the sign he made. The sign means ‘man.’ 3. Mom comes home from work to find her entire floor covered in thick soot. She figures it is a prank and demands the children clean it up. The children protest; she doesn’t believe them. 4. Mom hears shovels scraping in cellar, sees smoke pouring out from underneath cellar door, and calls fire department. FD find source of smoke is coal shaft, but no fire. Smoke stops as soon as FD arrives. The walls are stained now. 5. The children are sleeping, Sarah hears door knob turn and sits up. Lights flick on, door slowly opens then slams shut. She’s frozen and watches enormous, sooty boot prints circle the room and go up the wall and to the ceiling. Mom walks in to ask why lights are on, sees footprints, takes children to sleep with her downstairs. 1. Climax 1. Mom’s whole room begins to shake. They all sit up in bed, Mom calls out asking who is there. Rory makes the same ‘man’ sign just before a man in a miner’s hat and suit breaks down the door. He demands they leave at one. Rory breaks away and runs straight through the man and out the door. Mom and Sarah follow. Just as they catch up to Rory on the street, the house explodes. 2. Police and fire departments arrive; chief says the house shouldn’t even be here, let alone inhabited. The landlord was ordered to tear it down because of the strange activity in the coal shaft. It had caused an explosion 100 year earlier, killing a miner who was inspecting it. 1. Conclusion 1. The old FD chief shows them an obituary, and the ghost who had ordered them out of the house was the miner who passed away in the explosion. They conclude that his spirit remained to warn people and keep them out of harm’s way.