Progressive 20
Meeting at the Gate
Every summer, Jack and Lucy visited their grandmother’s house. They loved her cookies and stories, but mostly they loved the rusty, vine-covered gate in her garden. The gate led to something amazing—a cartoon world.
One sunny afternoon, Jack, eight, and Lucy, six, were chasing butterflies in the yard. Jack pushed open the gate, and instead of the neighbor’s field, they stepped onto a bright yellow brick path. It twisted through a world of huge mushrooms, talking flowers, and hills with smiling faces.
“Jack, look!” Lucy squealed, pointing at a tree with ice cream cones for leaves.
Jack grinned. “Come on! Let’s see more.”
The sky was deep blue with clouds like cotton candy. Birds whistled cheerful tunes. The ground was springy, like rubber.
They met cheerful ducks wearing bow ties, who invited them to a picnic. Sandwiches were enormous, and the lemonade bubbled like soda. Lucy loved the talking squirrels who traded nut-shaped coins for jokes. Jack laughed at a grumpy frog who said he was king of the puddle and made them bow every time they passed.
They explored all afternoon. When the sun in the cartoon sky began to set—making a loud “Ahhhh!”—they heard Grandma calling for dinner. Back through the gate, the cartoon world vanished, replaced by her neat backyard.
“Did you two have fun?” Grandma asked as she set bowls of soup on the table.
Jack and Lucy exchanged wide-eyed looks but said nothing. They weren’t sure if she knew about the cartoon world.
Each day, they returned to the gate. One day, they helped penguins build a roller coaster out of rainbow slides. Another day, they raced cheetahs on skateboards. They dodged wacky pies and hopped across rivers of jellybeans.
When they told their parents, their mother smiled while typing, and their dad nodded, busy with papers. Jack shrugged at Lucy. “They don’t get it.”
“They don’t need to,” Lucy said, tugging his sleeve. “Let’s go back!”
On the last day, after packing, Jack grabbed Lucy’s hand. “One more time!” They dashed to the garden, pushed open the gate, and went on one final adventure.
They climbed a giant pancake stack, slid down syrup rivers, and watched elephants play trumpets in a parade.
At the end, Grandma was waiting on the other side of the gate. “You’ve been giggling a lot this summer,” she said.
Jack froze. “You know about this?”
Grandma smiled. “Of course. I visited the cartoon world when I was your age. It’s always here for someone with imagination.”
Lucy hugged her. “It’s the best place ever!”
Grandma nodded. “Remember, it’s not magic—it’s your imagination that makes it special.”
That night, on the drive home, Lucy whispered, “Do you think it’ll be there next summer?”
Jack smiled. “It will. We just have to open it.”
Comprehension Questions
Where did the gate in Grandma’s garden lead?
What did Jack and Lucy see in the cartoon world?
Who did they meet on their first visit beyond the gate?
How did Grandma explain the cartoon world?
What lesson did Jack and Lucy learn about imagination?
Your Thoughts
If you could create your own cartoon world, what would it look like?
Why do you think the cartoon world disappeared when they left the gate?
How can imagination make everyday life more fun?
