Up close, the gate doesn't look different — the same dark-brown 2×6 plates Max pressed into position with both thumbs on a winter evening, mortar lines catching the flat morning light. He stands in front of his own construction and does not knock, because knocking would imply a question, and Max is not asking.

The two wall-top guards see him from the moment he crosses the field. They look down, look back into the town, look down again. Bracket arrives without a sound and stands beside him, staff upright — no announcement, just a man who has chosen his side. The baker's apprentice comes next, carefully, the word exactly right. Then the teacher, the merchant with both hands free, two former guards with their insignia turned inward, the carpenter, the trader.

Nobody organizes it. They find their places the way stones find them in moving water — by weight, by space. Lensa reads the wall from the far end of the line. Then the sound comes through the gate itself — fragments of voices from the town: "...had the times cross-referenced—" "...knew about the monster, always knew—" "...the Builder has returned—" "...he was feeding it the whole time."

One guard leans over the parapet, looks at Max directly, works something out. He says a short word to the second guard. They move together to the gear-train Max designed on a Sunday afternoon. The gate opens from both sides. Max walks through.

Brickhaven is a serialized LEGO adventure story for boys 8-18 — a ten-year-old wakes up shrunk to minifig size inside the LEGO town he built, where the champion he designed now rules as a tyrant.

Perfect for kids, tweens, and teens who love building, puzzles, and adventure. For fans of The LEGO Movie, a kids' edition of Ready Player One, and classic portal-fantasy stories where an ordinary kid is the only one who can save the world.

📚 Grab your copy of Brickhaven: The Fall (Book 1) — available now on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

New chapters every Monday. Follow us now!

00:00:00 — The gate up close — the same plates Max pressed in himself
00:01:30 — Max does not knock — because knocking would be a question
00:03:00 — The wall-top guards see him — and start looking back into town
00:04:30 — Bracket arrives without a sound — staff upright, a side chosen
00:06:00 — The baker's apprentice, the teacher, the merchant, the exiles
00:07:30 — They find their places the way stones do in moving water
00:09:00 — Lensa reads the wall from the far end of the line
00:10:30 — The sound comes through the gate — fragments of voices
00:12:30 — "He was feeding it the whole time."
00:14:00 — The guard leans over the parapet — works something out
00:15:30 — They move to the gear-train Max designed on a Sunday
00:17:00 — The gate opens from both sides
00:18:00 — Max walks through
00:19:00 — CH 14 — What Comes Next

Send us Fan Mail

I am the author of serialized fiction books for kids, teens, tweens and young adults, including:

- Brickhaven: A Bricks Fan Fiction Adventure

- Colony In Danger: A Fire Ant Adventure

- Eagle's Edge: A Story of Rome, Gaul and the Making of a Soldier

- Treasure Island: A Classic Adaptation

- Iron Rails & Ruin: A Novel of Steam, Sorcery and the Lawless Montana Territory

📚 All five books -- are now available on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

📖 Wanna check out all five series for yourself? Get all five Chapter 1s free: https://compass-codex.kit.com/middle-school-reader-group

Thank you for listening! This is Reed Sterling. Remember: Never stop exploring unknown worlds.