Epilogue

Rich, Bill, and John returned from the Lost City profoundly affected by their adventure. Their longtime enemy was gone, presumably forever. When Rich fired the device at Enik, he knew the effects were not instantaneous because S'Latch had warned him. The original plan was to use it on Holly before the 12 hours ran out. In the seconds she would have had before the device took effect, Rich would have opened the doorway to the Beige Universe. Holly would have entered the portal, and her body would have safely transitioned while she was in neutral territory. S'Latch's device would have been the fastest and most efficient way to get her back to her own reality.

As Holly's body was already restored so that she could survive in her home universe, he improvised and chose to shoot Enik to neutralize him as a threat to his family. Rich knew that Enik would rush for the portal. He watched with pleasure as Holly trapped him from the other side as he knew in his heart that she would, allowing for the perfect outcome. Despite all Enik had done to his family, Rich was no killer, though the idea of the black Sleestak stuck between universes seemed like a just sentence.

"Hey Dad," Bill said, "With Enik gone, you think we can go back to his cave and experiment?"
"I don't see any reason why not, son," Rich replied. "The Sleestak are still there, and the doorway is still damaged, but with S'Latch's help and a little luck, maybe we can fix it. With Enik out of the way, we'll still have to be careful, but I think experimenting is a good idea."
"It sure is," said John, "I've always wanted to explore the inside of this Lost City of yours. This little adventure only makes me want to look around there more. And with some trial and error, I bet we'll find a doorway home in no time."

"Yeah," Bill said, smiling, "and we'll get back to Mom and Holly."

Bill saw the expression on his father's face turn serious at the mention of his sister, but this time, his mood looked a little brighter. "You okay, Dad?" he asked.

Rich turned to his son. The adventure with his daughter's double had softened his guilt. "Bill, ever since we fell down that waterfall, I felt responsible for getting you and your sister, and later your uncle, into this mess. And when your sister went home, I could not get over the thought of not being able to raise my little girl. I feel like I let you both down as a father."

Bill was about to speak up, since he never blamed his father for what happened, but Rich held up his hand and continued. "I still feel guilty, but seeing your sister's double made me realize a few things."

"Like what?" Bill asked.

Rich began to smile. "First, your sister's double was alive, well, and healthy. She was surviving, without her father, for years in a much worse environment than where our Holly is. Second, I've been thinking a bit about my double. What if I returned to Earth instead of Holly? I would be home and you and Holly wouldn't be with me. The guilt I feel is nothing compared to how I would feel if I left the two of you here. And the thought of John getting trapped in this place while I was home would only make things worse. Plus, my double doesn't even have his wife. I guess I should thank my lucky stars that Holly is home and worry more about joining her."

John walked toward his family. "Well, with all this talk about going home, why don't we pay S'Latch a visit tomorrow?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Rich answered. And with that thought, the Marshall men sat back and thought about the one thing that had kept them going for years—the hope of getting home.

In the Beige Universe, Holly told Jack, Will and Chaka the whole story, as they all sat, amazed.

"What was it like seeing Dad again?" Will asked.

"Well, it was weird. It was Dad, but it wasn't. But when the going got tough, he sure acted like Daddy." Holly felt like a kid again just talking about Rick.

"And why not? He's a Marshall," Jack chimed in.

"I'll say this," Will added, "I'm glad they're on our side. I just wish I could thank them in person."

"Well, it sounds like these Marshalls are a lot like us. Believe me, they know darn well we're grateful," said Jack.

"Will, how often do you think about Dad?" asked Holly.

"Pretty much every day. I'm sure it's killing him to be home with all of us still stuck here."

"I know. I just wish I could do something to help him. Dad must be knocking his brains out trying to save us," Holly speculated.

"I'm sure of it," Will responded, both taking comfort and feeling some sadness at the thought.

"Well, until that happens, we're going to have to stick together and try to get home on our own," said Jack.

Will and Holly both nodded. Both were thinking of their father. Since Rick returned home, Holly had missed him terribly, but until this latest adventure, she had only thought of the situation from her own point of view. Meeting her father's double, even briefly, gave her a glimpse of what Rick must be feeling after all this time away from his children. The concern Rich showed her must have mirrored his concern for his Holly, who made it home. If Rich's anguish was any indication, she could only imagine what Rick felt knowing his children were still here. But Rich's passion also renewed her spirit that somehow, someday, Rick would figure out a way to come back and help them. While the Marshalls would hardly depend on Rick and they would still try to find a time doorway themselves, they knew that he would never give up on them and Holly found that thought very comforting. Despite practically growing up in the Land of the Lost, Holly had a renewed hope that somehow, someday, she would get home.

COPYRIGHT 2000, 2001, 2021 by Marc C. Land of the Lost is property of Krofft Industries. No infringement on that copyright is intended, and all original work may not be reproduced or used without the express consent of the author. Note that much of the dialogue in Chapters 10-11 of this story is taken directly from the Land of the Lost episode, SPLIT PERSONALITY, written by Larry Niven. Portions of this story were based on TIMESTOP, written by Tom Swale and PYLON EXPRESS, written by Theodore Sturgeon. All work to the extent not directly used on the television series is original work, and property of the author.