Robert, Tribbon, and Angenog watched from
the ledge as the events unfolded at the edge of the oil pool. The torch had continued walking after the
other figure had climbed out of the pool. After a moment the flame stopped and the two figures began to talk,
though they tree men couldn't hear what was being said. "I don't understand who they could be," said
Robert, "Are there still people living in this cavern?"
"I don't think so," said Angenog, though he
didn't sound convinced.
At that moment, one figure grabbed the other
and they both were hurled into the pool. Robert and Tribbon gasped as the torch lit the entire surface of the
pool on fire and the two men thrashed about in the pool before disappearing into
the pool's blackness. "What can we do?"
asked Tribbon.
"Nothing, I expect," said Robert.
"I agree," said Angenog, plainly.
After a moment, Robert turned to Angenog,
"Just out of curiosity, what is it you were doing here when we came out?"
Angenog looked at Robert and smiled,
"Playing snakes and ladders with the Earth, of course," and promptly
disappeared.
"Does he always do that?" asked Tribbon.
"What? Disappear, or play strange games with
the elements?"
Tribbon thought for a moment, but Robert
didn't give him a chance to respond, "Let's get out of this cave," he said.
They made their way back through the
building and climbed down the rope. They followed their own footprints, though doubled by the footprints of
their followers, until they found their way back to the pool leading to the
passage out of the cavern. After
another long swim that seemed well beyond explanation, Tribbon and Robert
emerged in the pool under the waterfall.
Night had fallen at some point or another
and both men were unsure of how long they had been in the cavern. They found the camp of the Hobble hunters
nearby and were welcomed in, though the four men were unsure of what to make of
them. Here they were, two strange men
appearing in the Chainsaw Mountains during the hunt, suspiciously when two of
the hunters are missing. Three days had
passed since they had first entered the underwater passage, and this surprised
Robert; he had thought it had been less. Robert learned quickly that Morgan and Jeffan Fritz had ventured into
the pool for some reason or another and after making a quick assumption, Robert
reported the two men's deaths.
The next day, the camp was packed up and the
group returned to This Place with only four Hobbles and two men short. Tribbon provided Robert with a room in his
home and happily allowed him to stay the night. Robert had never seen the Hobble-Gobble Hogwash take place and
was interested to see what it was all about.
The day after their arrival in This Place,
the ring had been set up and flooded, and the entire town gathered around to
watch as the Hobbles fought with the hogs. Robert thought the activity to be rather pointless and barbaric, but
somehow he couldn't pull himself away from the fight. In the end, one Hobble lost the fight while the other three
defeated the hogs and one of the three finished off the fourth pig. After the fight was over, Robert said
farewell to Tribbon, "Well, at first I thought your company would be the end of
me, but you surprised me. I'm glad to
have you as a friend."
Tribbon blushed, pushed Robert's waiting
handshake aside, and embraced him for a short hug. "What will you do now," asked Tribbon after releasing Robert from
the hug.
"I'm not sure. I need to tell Mother Earth what happened; I suppose that's the
first thing I'll do. Then, I thought
I'd go back to a cave I once visited. Two very strange old men inhabit it, but I might be able to help them
out in some way. You never know, maybe
I'll become a very strange old man myself."
Tribbon smiled and patted Robert on the
shoulder, "I'll see you around hermit," he said.
Robert smiled, turned, and walked away from This Place. That was the last time he ever went there; he didn't want to spoil the memory.
