Through a Hole in the Universe — Kurt Kasner

Why did you and your friends come to this place the red bearded man demanded Lee had been asking himself that same question for some time now Well it looked like fun at the time he answered We were going to be explorers and Mike was going to make a map and it was all going to be our secret you know He trailed off thinking But the fun and games are over now The whole thing has turned into some kind of nightmare Maybe we should have left the Hole to the scientists and soldiers after all It had all begun innocently enough One summer day while putting the finishing touches on a backyard tree house Lee Christopher and his best friend Mike Kent were startled to discover that a strange black hole had mysteriously sprung into existence among the tree branches Enlisting the aid of an unsuspecting new neighbor just in case the thing proved dangerous they set out to do a bit of scientific investigation Eventually they determined that the weird blackness was a portal into another world a hole in the universe Lee dubbed it It was an exciting discovery and it was all theirs to explore and enjoy at least as long as they could keep its existence secret Here was an opportunity for a fantastic summer adventure the three of them decided They would sneak off through the Hole and go camping and exploring in the strange exotic world on the other side They needed to act quickly however their parents were bound to find out about the Hole eventually and once the secret was out the kids would lose all control of their discovery If they wanted to do any investigating on their own they needed to set out right away But the trio of young explorers would quickly come to regret this rash decision Within a day of entering the world on other side of the Hole in the Universe they found themselves facing a hostile reception from local inhabitants some of whom hurled insults and accusations at them accusations that the children could not begin to un