SHORT STORY (Synopsis) - In 1702 before Alaska was even discovered, Captain William Westwood, an English explorer, his crew and their wenches got lost at sea. When the tide receded their ship became aground forcing them to travel by foot. Taking what they could from their vessel, they journeyed into the unknown, logging in scripture every step of the way. Months later, they would find a place called heaven's gate. Just outside the mouth of the cave, the prehistoric symbol is chiselled into the rock face. The cave itself was filled with precious metals. For this prehistoric marking, the circle represented the endless land and the cross inside represented the crossroads between happiness and sorrow in one's own universe. A reminder to never stray away from ancient ideologies. Beyond, a beautiful place was ready to be discovered. A small body of water acted as a moat around the isle. The Captain knew this was a perfect place to start his colony. In the end, the settlers were authors of their own fate." Everyone has a story, some are more interesting than others. Occasionally there's one that is so unique it can't be real. Well, this wasn't just a story for Francis Cowen, in the end this would be all that he would remember. After Papa Ben's deathbed confession, as surreal as it may have sounded. A story that included a pair of mythological creatures told in folklore, a civilized colony trading with uncivilized native clans and what were the words the old man spoke; and an eldritch occurrence had taken place. Surely this last tale of his couldn't be real. However, the artifacts contained inside that locked box was convincing enough for the boy. Knowing what had taken place on that isle and only eighteen years old at the time he was told the tale, Francis would dedicated his life preparing for an expedition to bring his grandfather's ashes back to his rightful home.