Two Roads Diverged
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And look down both as far I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
'Why am I here? What am I doing here? I can't keep these thoughts out of my head. Ever since we escaped from that caldera, I've wondered what my future held. I had thought that it was with Veronica. Then I met Aleece. Everything snowballed from there. Veronica said she didn't love me, Aleece was murdered, and to top it all of, Veronica and the balloon were lost. Then, since that incident with the poison, I don't know what to think anymore. I have to sort everything out. I can't let Haskell's sacrifice be in vain. I can't let them have saved me for this, a life of watching and waiting, never taking my chance. I have two choices; to continue my life as it is now, or to take charge of my destiny, set out on my own. I have to choose.'
Then took the other, as just as fair
And perhaps having a better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
"I can't believe he left us. What could have possessed him to do that?"
"We found this in his room, Marguerite. That page was open. It was as if he had put it there for us to find it."
"In all probability, Roxton, he was working on it right before he left."
"No, he's more organized than that. Whenever I stole- I mean looked at them before, they had always been closed. No, this was deliberate. He wanted us to know what he was feeling."
"That probably is the only way he could express his inner workings."
Though as for the passing there
Had worn them both the same,
And in the morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
"Tol'ra ho maho nae, Tonamalohn?" *Have you enjoyed your stay, Mr. Malone?*
"Uh, pliareesae te- uh, te… te'homaha. Pliareesae te'homaha, Tchohepalhean." *It has been pleasurable, Elder Palhean.*
Another voice interrupted the two friends' parting scene.
"Tonamalohn! Leaving now, you are not, are you? Without telling goodbye to me?"
"Uh, Semilae. I uh, well, uh, have to go now. I, uh, something's come up."
"Can I come, too?"
"No, it's of a personal nature."
"But we have not been alone together yet."
"Um, well, maybe next time."
"When will you be back?"
"I don't know. Maybe never."
"But-"
"Good-bye, Semi!"
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way comes to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
*I'll never be back. I never stay in one place too long, haven't they figured that out by now? Not since I left. It's just another point on Challenger's map. But, what if I had never left? How might I have changed? Is she back yet? Oh, well. Gotta find a new supply village now.*
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"He's been gone for five months, Veronica. He isn't coming back."
Veronica turned away from the balcony she stood at; where she and Malone had shared their presences several times. Every day she stood there, staring out at the jungle.
"I can't believe you've given up hope already."
"Veronica, you don't even know if he's still alive. He could have been killed by raptors, or headhunters, or one of Challenger's 'shifting planes of reality'."
"How can you say that?! He's still alive, I can feel it!"
"Veronica, if he wanted to come back, he would have."
"What do you mean?"
"It's time we showed you something."
'Why am I here? What am I doing here? I can't keep these thoughts out of my head. Ever since we escaped from that caldera, I've wondered what my future held. I had thought that it was with Veronica. Then I met Aleece. Everything snowballed from there. Veronica said she didn't love me, Aleece was murdered, and to top it all of, Veronica and the balloon were lost. Then, since that incident with the poison, I don't know what to think anymore. I have to sort everything out. I can't let Haskell's sacrifice be in vain. I can't let them have saved me for this, a life of watching and waiting, never taking my chance. I have two choices; to continue my life as it is now, or to take charge of my destiny, set out on my own. I have to choose.'
'I'm leaving. I can't be here when Veronica gets back. If she ever does. I just have too much stuff to sort out, and frankly, her being here will bring up bad feelings. Marguerite, Roxton, Challenger, I know you're going to read this. I want you to know that you are the best family a man could ever hope to have. And Veronica, if you ever read this, I want you to know something. I love you. I always will.'
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages since:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.