When Rick opened his eyes, he found himself in the desert next to Ardeth. It was daylight, and the sudden heat made Rick take off his coat.
"Where are we?" he asked, looking around. They were in a small village, one that looked vaguely familar. He knew he had been there before, but he couldn't remember when.
"Do you not recognize this place, my friend? You came here several years ago."
"Uh, I can't remember, lemme think a sec--" Rick stopped when he heard the sound of his own voice. He turned and saw himself with Jonathan. Evelyn was no where to be seen, however. Rick wondered where she was, but continued to quietly watch what was happening.
It seemed that he and Jonathan were trying to buy a few camels. . . .
Why would they need camels? Rick thought.
Suddenly, the memory came rushing back to him.
He was back in the Bedouin village. Where he, Evelyn, and Jonathan had stopped on their way to Hamunaptra. While he was comtemplating the events, he was jerked out of his thoughts again by his own voice.
"Ya know, we coulda got 'em for free. . . .all we had to do was give 'im your sister." he heard himself say.
Rick knew at once what was coming next. He whipped around just in time to see Evelyn emerge from the tent she had been in.
Rick's breath caught in his throat as he watched himself, 12 years ago, see Evelyn in new light.
She looked so beautiful. So pure. So wonderful. He suddenly remembered how he felt at that precise moment in his life as he watched himself help Evelyn up onto the camel and lead the group out of the village.
Rick turned to Ardeth.
"She looked so beautiful, I didn't know what to say. . . .Please take me somewhere else now, I want to see her again."
Ardeth nodded.
"Our journey has just begun my friend." He quickly drew his cape again, and in a flash he and Rick were outside a church.
It took Rick no time to realize where they were. They were at the church he and Evelyn were married in.
"Oh, God, can we go in?" Rick begged.
"No, my friend, the ceremony has already started, we cannot. But you may look in the window."
Rick immediately turned and ran for the nearest window and looked in. He took a sharp breath as he saw Evelyn walking down the aisle.
He looked at himself, grinning widely at the altar.
Rick shook his head. He had been so happy, so in love. Why did he not feel that anymore? They were so happy together, why was it not like that anymore. He began to watch the ceremony, but Ardeth came up behind him quickly.
"It is time to go somewhere else, O'Connell," he said darkly. Before Rick had a chance to protest, he was being swept away to another location.
Rick looked around. They were back in the desert again. They were outside a large pyramid. With a deep sense of dread, Rick recognized the golden pyramid.
They weren't just in the desert. They were back in Ahm Shere. He looked at Ardeth, and was about to ask him why they were there when he heard a voice yell out, in seeming protest. It was his voice that had yelled. Rick turned and saw himself running out of the pyramid as fast as possible.
Rick whipped back to Ardeth, realization setting in. Ardeth nodded, and gestured for Rick to watch.
As much as he didn't want to, he looked over to where his past self had run.
He saw himself lowering Evie to the ground. She had been stabbed. She was dying. Rick turned, unable to watch. But he knew he must.
He saw himself openly crying. His son and Jonathan watching on in shock and horror. He saw Evelyn slowly but surely slipping away.
Rick edged closer to the scene. He came around behind himself so he could look into Evie's face. Her sparkling hazel eyes were fading, her life was draining from her.
Rick closed his eyes, the pain was coming back. He remembered how he had felt at this moment in his life. He felt like he was losing his whole world, the one he loved most was leaving him forever.
Rick knew how the day ended; Evie did come back to life again, but the pain of watching her die again came back and he started to tear up again. He turned away as he saw Evelyn take her last breath. He ran back to Ardeth, unable to bear anymore.
"Why did you show me this?" he asked angrily.
"My friend," Ardeth explained. "Look at how much you loved her. See how you felt your own life slip away along with hers. You had so much love for her you did not know what you were going to do. Yes, she did come back to you, but what if she hadn't? Then what would you have done?"
Rick turned away from his friend.
"I did love her. But somehow she is just to. . . . .I don't know, but it's not the same anymore. Take me back home, Ardeth. I don't want to see anymore."
Much to Rick's surprise, Ardeth gave a quick nod. And before he knew it, he was back in the park in London, sitting in the snow.
He shook his head, unable to believe what had just happened to him. He closed his eyes and blinked several times, just trying to make sense of it all.
Then he heard another noise. He turned to see Ardeth there.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you came back with me." Rick said. But then he looked closer. Ardeth had aged in a matter of seconds. He now looked like the Ardeth Rick knew now, how he had looked during the Ahm Shere disaster.
"Hey, what happened to you?" Rick asked. "I thought you had gotten younger!"
Ardeth shook his head.
"That was not the same Ardeth, O'Connell. I am the Ardeth that you know now. I need to show you what is going on at your home."
"What do you mean, show me what's going on at home? I just left there, I know what's going on. Evelyn is wrapping Alex's gifts, Jonathan's gone, and Alex is asleep. Why do I need to see that?"
"O'Connell, that is how it was before you and your wife argued. You are not at all aware of what your wife is doing at this moment."
And with that and a quick flick of his long black cape, Ardeth took Rick back to the manor. . . . .
"Where are we?" he asked, looking around. They were in a small village, one that looked vaguely familar. He knew he had been there before, but he couldn't remember when.
"Do you not recognize this place, my friend? You came here several years ago."
"Uh, I can't remember, lemme think a sec--" Rick stopped when he heard the sound of his own voice. He turned and saw himself with Jonathan. Evelyn was no where to be seen, however. Rick wondered where she was, but continued to quietly watch what was happening.
It seemed that he and Jonathan were trying to buy a few camels. . . .
Why would they need camels? Rick thought.
Suddenly, the memory came rushing back to him.
He was back in the Bedouin village. Where he, Evelyn, and Jonathan had stopped on their way to Hamunaptra. While he was comtemplating the events, he was jerked out of his thoughts again by his own voice.
"Ya know, we coulda got 'em for free. . . .all we had to do was give 'im your sister." he heard himself say.
Rick knew at once what was coming next. He whipped around just in time to see Evelyn emerge from the tent she had been in.
Rick's breath caught in his throat as he watched himself, 12 years ago, see Evelyn in new light.
She looked so beautiful. So pure. So wonderful. He suddenly remembered how he felt at that precise moment in his life as he watched himself help Evelyn up onto the camel and lead the group out of the village.
Rick turned to Ardeth.
"She looked so beautiful, I didn't know what to say. . . .Please take me somewhere else now, I want to see her again."
Ardeth nodded.
"Our journey has just begun my friend." He quickly drew his cape again, and in a flash he and Rick were outside a church.
It took Rick no time to realize where they were. They were at the church he and Evelyn were married in.
"Oh, God, can we go in?" Rick begged.
"No, my friend, the ceremony has already started, we cannot. But you may look in the window."
Rick immediately turned and ran for the nearest window and looked in. He took a sharp breath as he saw Evelyn walking down the aisle.
He looked at himself, grinning widely at the altar.
Rick shook his head. He had been so happy, so in love. Why did he not feel that anymore? They were so happy together, why was it not like that anymore. He began to watch the ceremony, but Ardeth came up behind him quickly.
"It is time to go somewhere else, O'Connell," he said darkly. Before Rick had a chance to protest, he was being swept away to another location.
Rick looked around. They were back in the desert again. They were outside a large pyramid. With a deep sense of dread, Rick recognized the golden pyramid.
They weren't just in the desert. They were back in Ahm Shere. He looked at Ardeth, and was about to ask him why they were there when he heard a voice yell out, in seeming protest. It was his voice that had yelled. Rick turned and saw himself running out of the pyramid as fast as possible.
Rick whipped back to Ardeth, realization setting in. Ardeth nodded, and gestured for Rick to watch.
As much as he didn't want to, he looked over to where his past self had run.
He saw himself lowering Evie to the ground. She had been stabbed. She was dying. Rick turned, unable to watch. But he knew he must.
He saw himself openly crying. His son and Jonathan watching on in shock and horror. He saw Evelyn slowly but surely slipping away.
Rick edged closer to the scene. He came around behind himself so he could look into Evie's face. Her sparkling hazel eyes were fading, her life was draining from her.
Rick closed his eyes, the pain was coming back. He remembered how he had felt at this moment in his life. He felt like he was losing his whole world, the one he loved most was leaving him forever.
Rick knew how the day ended; Evie did come back to life again, but the pain of watching her die again came back and he started to tear up again. He turned away as he saw Evelyn take her last breath. He ran back to Ardeth, unable to bear anymore.
"Why did you show me this?" he asked angrily.
"My friend," Ardeth explained. "Look at how much you loved her. See how you felt your own life slip away along with hers. You had so much love for her you did not know what you were going to do. Yes, she did come back to you, but what if she hadn't? Then what would you have done?"
Rick turned away from his friend.
"I did love her. But somehow she is just to. . . . .I don't know, but it's not the same anymore. Take me back home, Ardeth. I don't want to see anymore."
Much to Rick's surprise, Ardeth gave a quick nod. And before he knew it, he was back in the park in London, sitting in the snow.
He shook his head, unable to believe what had just happened to him. He closed his eyes and blinked several times, just trying to make sense of it all.
Then he heard another noise. He turned to see Ardeth there.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you came back with me." Rick said. But then he looked closer. Ardeth had aged in a matter of seconds. He now looked like the Ardeth Rick knew now, how he had looked during the Ahm Shere disaster.
"Hey, what happened to you?" Rick asked. "I thought you had gotten younger!"
Ardeth shook his head.
"That was not the same Ardeth, O'Connell. I am the Ardeth that you know now. I need to show you what is going on at your home."
"What do you mean, show me what's going on at home? I just left there, I know what's going on. Evelyn is wrapping Alex's gifts, Jonathan's gone, and Alex is asleep. Why do I need to see that?"
"O'Connell, that is how it was before you and your wife argued. You are not at all aware of what your wife is doing at this moment."
And with that and a quick flick of his long black cape, Ardeth took Rick back to the manor. . . . .
