The young man woke up to another day. His routine was usually the same, wake up, eat, go to school, come back, hang out with friends, do homework, and then sleep. He was a normal teenager with a normal life. Except for this morning, it was different.

He woke up and went about his routine but found his house empty. His family was nowhere to be seen. Not in the kitchen, not in the living room, not even in their respective bedrooms. He thought it was strange but assumed they went out early for work and school.

Then he stepped out into their small picturesque village and found it deserted. He rode his bike down the familiar path to his school, taking turns past the green fields and grazing cattle, but on this day the fields were empty and silent.

He kept riding, hoping to see a familiar face or hear a familiar voice. To his dismay, he found the school deserted too. Not a soul in sight, the swing set motionless, the classrooms empty and eerily quiet. Now, he was becoming scared.

He questioned himself, “Where did everyone disappear?” Was he dreaming? Was this some kind of prank? He felt a cold fear grip his heart, but he had to find out what was going on. He decided to explore more.

He rode past the school and towards the city center. He hoped desperately to find someone, anyone. But all he found was silence and emptiness. It felt like he was the last person left on this earth. Suddenly, he noticed something strange.

He saw a white gate standing conspicuously at the intersection of the traffic lights. It wasn't there the day before. Curious and slightly afraid, he decided to ride his bike towards it. It was the only new thing in his otherwise unchanged yet deserted village.

As he got closer, the gate looked enormous, shining under the morning sun. It looked surreal, something straight out of the science fiction movies he loved to watch. He approached it, half scared and half exhilarated.

He stood before the gate, inspecting it curiously. It was a gate for sure, but to where? He was hesitant, but he knew he had to cross it. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stepped over the threshold.

He suddenly felt a tug, like a gravitational pull, and then everything spun. He felt dizzy and disoriented. But finally, everything stopped spinning. He opened his eyes, looking around cautiously.

He was not in his village anymore. He was in a city, a city bustling with people. Cars whizzed past him, tall buildings touched the sky, people walked by talking, laughing, none of them noticing him.

He was relieved to see people, but he was also confused. How did he end up here? He walked around, getting strange looks from passers-by. He realized that his clothes were different from the people around him. It was like he had traveled to a different time.

He tried asking people about the white gate, but no one seemed to understand him. He was overwhelmed, confused, and scared. How was he supposed to get back home? And where was ‘home’ now?

He decided to find a place to rest and gather his thoughts. He found a small park where he sat on a bench. His mind raced with questions. His life was normal just a day ago and now he was in a strange place, alone.

Hours passed, the bright day turned into a starry night. The young man was tired, hungry, and extremely worried. He didn’t know what to do. He felt like he was lost in a dream, a dream he desperately wanted to wake up from.

He kept thinking about the white gate, the only unusual thing in his deserted village. That had to be the key. He decided to find the gate again. He picked himself up from the park bench and walked, determined.

After wandering for a while, he saw it - the white gate. It was at the corner of a busy street, standing out amongst the hustle and bustle. He felt a surge of hope. He knew he had to cross it again.

He stepped through the gate and again, felt the pull. He closed his eyes, praying that he’d open them to see his family, village, and life as he knew it. The spinning stopped, he opened his eyes cautiously.

He was back in his village. He breathed a sigh of relief, it was all there - the fields, the school, the houses, all intact. But, it was still deserted. He felt a pang of sadness, where were his family and friends?

He walked back to his house, hoping against hope to find his family there. But the house was still empty. He was back in his world, yet he was still alone. He felt a wave of despair wash over him.

Days became weeks, the young man lived alone in his abandoned village. He scoured for food, took care of his house, and often sat by the gate, hoping that one day, someone would walk through it.

Time seemed to have stopped. His life had taken a strange, unexpected turn. He missed his family, friends, the sound of laughter, the shared meals, even the bustling sounds of his school. He was stuck in a silent world.

But he didn’t lose hope. He was determined to find his family, to find people. He knew there was a mystery about the white gate, but he also knew that he had to unravel it. To bring back normalcy, to bring back life.

The young man set out to understand everything about the gate. He studied it, observed it, even tried to touch it and listen to it, but the gate remained silent, standing tall in the middle of his empty village. His only hope now was patience.

Days turned into weeks, then months. Despite all his efforts, nothing happened. The gate stood silently mocking his solitary existence. But the young man was determined. He knew that patience was the key. And so, he waited, hoping for a miracle.