20

[Due to some confusion over the origins of the cyborg monk in this chapter, I figure I'd let everyone know, I didn't create this guy. He's Kishiro's creation, from the Last Order story arch of the Battle Angel Alita manga.]

There's a bright light all around me, a faint rushing sound in my ears. The light resolves itself into a white vista. I'm on the back of a snowsled being pulled by a team of four Husky sled dogs. The rushing sound is the runners of the sled moving over the snow and ice.

Overhead, the sun shines down from a crystal-clear blue sky and reflects in almost blinding brilliance off the snow covering the landscape. The cold air rushes over the exposed skin of my face. I feel young again. This place reminds me of Alaska, on one of it's frozen lakes surrounded by rolling hills. Sparse forests of pine trees dot the landscape. There's no Zalem, no Iron City, my body is whole again. Everything else is outside of my concerns now.

Off in the distance, partially obscured by low-hanging clouds, is a large range of mountains. A blanket of brilliant white snow lays across them, crags of dark rock showing here and there. Those mountains are my destination, or more precisely, what's on the other side of them. The only other sounds are from the four sled dogs, the muted footfalls of their paws digging into the snow and their steady panting as they run at a fairly swift pace. It's kind of difficult to breath, but I attribute that to the scarf wrapped tightly around my mouth and nose. Strangely, I feel no compunction to move it. Other than that, I feel great. Even the below-freezing temperatures don't bother me and I normally don't care for the cold, but here? This is just beautiful, peaceful.

We travel for what seems like hours, the snow-covered frozen lake turning into a wide river. As the hills part I can see that the river goes all the way to the base of the mountains off in the distance. That's where home is. That's where Vanessa and the kids are. The thought brings a smile to my face. By the time we reach the foothills at the base of the mountains, the sun sets. I decide this is a good place to camp for the night. Directing the dog team to the river bank, I then stop the sled, setting the anchor down and stepping on it to press it into the snow.

As I prepare an area for the dog team once I've unhooked them, it occurs to me that I probably didn't need to bother with the anchor, the dogs are remarkably well-behaved. They don't strain at their leads, excitedly trying to get moving again, like many of the sled dogs my family once owned when we lived in Alaska. I unhook each one from the sled and can't help but playfully ruffle their neck fur and firmly scritch them behind the ears, feeling their thick fur even through my gloves.

I speak to them as I pet them and their ears perk up, tails wagging. Then I fasten each of their leads to a nearby tree before feeding and watering them. As I'm about to unload supplies from the sled, I stop for a moment and look around. Despite the snow and ice, the weather now feels almost warm, pleasant. After starting a fire, I set a pan of water to boil. Then I toss a handful of pine needles stripped from a tree branch into the water to let it steep, moving the pot away from the heat so as to just keep it warm.

By now, the sun has fully set and the sky has darkened to night. After letting the pine needles steep for a while, I pour some of the tea into a small cup with a bit of sweetener. Then I sit back in the cargo bed of the sled and look up at the night sky. Stars are scattered acrossed it, like luminous diamonds on black felt. I remove my scarf and sip at the hot, pine-flavored tea while staring up in wonder at the star-filled void. My Dad and brother were always the outdoorsmen in the family. I tend to take after Mom in that I prefer warmer weather and the indoors. But right now I can't help but smile as I sit reclined in the cargo bed of the snow sled by the fire, sipping hot pine tea while I gaze up at the star-flecked sky.

. . . . . .

There are voices.

Hesitantly, I move towards them, straining to hear what they're saying. The words are still indestinct, though I can recognize the voices themselves. Gerhad, close by, sounding weary and pained. Then Ido's, sounding angry, concerned, fearful. Then Koyomi and Alita, sounding much the same as Ido, though I can detect a hint of horror from Koyomi. Perhaps the condition of my body caught her off-guard? Well, what's left of my body.

I'm glad the others are there now, and Gerhad's no longer alone. They'll take care of her, no need for me to stay any longer. Letting go, I drift away, and it all begins fading into the distance. Awareness sinks into a warm, comfortable darkness.

. . . . . .

The world brightens and I'm looking up at the saphire-blue heavens lit by a mid-morning sun. Still lying in the cargo bed of the sled, I look around at the wintry, Alaska-like landscape again. The dogs are nowhere to be seen but my mind doesn't see their absence as cause for concern.

Pulling myself out of the snow sled, I look down the flat, snow-covered, frozen river winding it's way towards the mountain range in the distance. Normally, traveling along a frozen river isn't something I'd ever do, as the moving water might not freeze to a safe thickness, but this river seems perfectly safe. I know it in the same way I know that the mountain pass that the river leads to will take me home.

A dot in the middle of the river off in the distance catches my eye. The distant dot rapidly moves closer, resolving itself into a figure wearing a light grey robe, their face hidden in the shadows of a hood. They don't appear to be running, yet they cover a great deal of distance with each step. Finally, they come to a stop several meters away, and wait. Feeling my lips turn up in a faint smile, I approach the waiting figure.

When I get to within a few meters, I stop. Their face is still hidden inside the shadowed hood but something about them, the way they hold themselves, conveys unwelcome news. A sinking feeling comes over me as I ask the figure, "You're not here to take me through the pass, are you?"

The figure slowly shakes their head and says in a voice like warm brass, "It's not your time yet." A simple statement of fact.

Time stretches as I stand there, unsure of what to do. Then, almost plaintively, I say, "I don't want to go back."

The figure's tone takes on a note of sympathy, even sounding a little apologetic, as it responds softly, "The way is not prepared for you. Not yet." There's a change in the figure's aspect, and it becomes clear that there's nothing more to be said.

Turning away from the figure, I look out over the serene, snow-covered landscape to consider what that means. It means going back to a broken body. It means returning to a mental illness that drags at me every waking hour, that I have to fight against like a constant current trying to pull me under. Every morning trying to find a reason to keep going, even though I seem to have even less reason now.

Considering some of the things I've done, or failed to do in my life, I'm probably lucky that 'not yet' is the worst I'm greeted with. After all, I wasn't outright refused entry, just told that this wasn't the right time. All this passes through my mind in a heartbeat.

Returning my attention to the lone figure, I find that they're gone. No footprints in the snow, nothing to indicate they were ever there. The river itself ends in a small lake now, a forboding forest beyond. The mountains still loom in the distance, but somehow they look so much farther than before. I stand there under a clear blue sky, unsure of what to do, and unwilling to leave this beautiful place just yet.

"Would you care for some tea?"

Quickly turning around at the sound of the voice, I see a very large figure sitting on what looks to be a big block of wood by the still-burning fire of my campsite. The person sitting there is a very powerfully built cyborg, a veritable giant. Their skin is the color of pale sand and their head is so broad that they don't seem to have a neck. Cybernetic eyes with white pupils and dark irises look at me from under thick, armored-looking brows. This cyborg's face is divided by a nose that has an armored, horn-like protrusion extending upwards from it, leaning outward a few degrees. A broad mouth sits under that unusual nose, currently opened in a friendly-looking grin.

The stranger is dressed in a dark blue robe adorned with stylized cloud symbols. Around his neck is a string of what look like prayer beads, each bead nearly the size of a billiard ball. When standing, this man must be as big as a fully grown grizzly bear. He seems to exude an almost zen-like calm as he sits, holding a small cup of steaming liquid that I assume to be the aforementioned tea.

My mind fumbles with what to make of this new arrival. I don't think he's really supposed to be here.

The stranger gestures with a broadly-built hand to a small section of tree trunk, cut to make a sort of primitive stool on the opposite side of the fire from him. "Please, have a seat," he rumbles in a pleasant voice.

I look around at the snow-covered landscape, then back to the strange cyborg sitting by my fire. "Uh... thank you, but I think I should be going."

Smiling broadly he glances into the distance behind me, "If you wish, though I don't see the urgency in leaving right now." Again, the stranger gestures to the block of tree trunk opposite him. "Please. Stay a moment, join me for some tea."

Briefly, I wonder if this is some kind of trick, but there's no sense of duplicity from the stranger. I take a lingering glance back at the mountains, majestic and silent. Then I look back along the way I've come to get here, taking a moment to think this all over, as the stranger waits patiently.

With a mental shrug, I walk over and carefully sit on the indicated block of wood. There's a second small aluminum cup by the fire. I pick it up and pour some hot tea from the pan sitting on the fire's edge. Settling back on the primitive stool, I look over at the stranger.

Before I get the chance to say anything he asks, "What sort of tea is this? I've never tasted anything like it."

"It's made with pine needles," I answer quietly, with a gesture at the trees around us.

"It's very refreshing. Where did you learn to make it?"

"While camping in Alaska, when I was a kid." I give the stranger a bit of a sidelong look and ask, "You're not an angel or something, are you?"

The stranger seems to nearly choke on his tea as he stifles a laugh. "No, I'm nothing of the sort." He pauses to let a few rumbling chuckles pass. "I'm merely a humble traveler, like yourself."

'A humble traveler, huh?' Nodding politely, I conceal my doubt. "Uh huh. So, what brings a full conversion cyborg out this way to sit down with me of all people?"

Humble Traveler pauses mid-sip to give me an odd look. Lowering his cup, he asks, "Full conversion?"

"Uh," I shake my head to rid myself of a sudden twinge of confusion, "total replacement." I sigh sharply in exasperation, "Sorry."

"No need to appologize. I just thought it was an interesting turn of phrase. As to what brings me here? Well, I'm attempting to investigate something of a mystery. My investigation brought me near here, and I noticed that this place was very different from anywhere else I've been, and I've been to a great many places." His eyes flicker slightly as if glancing at the mountains and forest behind me. Otherwise he sips his tea, gazing at me steadily. "Then I noticed you. You seemed out of place."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "You can tell that just by looking at me?"

"Indeed. Just as I can tell you've had some small amount of martial arts training from the way you moved a little bit ago. What did you train in, if I may ask?"

I can't help but smile a little, impressed at his observational skills, or whatever it is that allows him to read someone like that. "Aikido. But that was years ago, and it turns out I wasn't being taught properly, so it wouldn't have really done me any good in a fight."

He nods slowly. "Hm. Still, you seem to have at least learned some basics. Where did you train?"

"Sacramento, California."

He looks at me curiously. "That's somewhere on Earth, I take it?"

"It was, five-hundred years ago. Give or take."

Humble Traveler seems to scrutinize me for a few seconds. "Fascinating. Temporal displacement, no wonder you seem so oddly out of place. Although, there's a strange resonance to you that seems to indicate more to your anomalous appearance."

"What do you mean?" Do I look like something other than human to him?

"Well, over all you appear rather normal, but under the surface I can see something rather unusual."

"Under the surface? What's so unusual about me?" My brows come down over my eyes as I look at him in confusion.

The stranger is silent for a moment as he contemplates his tea. Then he looks up at me, his smile faded, "Every living thing has a certain energy associated with it. That energy shares a certain syncronization with the energy of the universe in which it inhabits. You're energy, however, is very different. It doesn't appear to be native to the dimension your body is currently lying in."

I stare at him openly. Incredulously, I ask, "What are you saying? I come from another dimension or something?"

His expression becomes serene. "If I had to guess, perhaps a parallel Earth dimension."

I feel like that should be a bit more shocking to me. Deciding to press for more answers, I ask, "And how exactly is it you're able to see all this?"

He smiles faintly, but the sheer size of him makes it look more like a broad smile. "That's a bit of a long story, but suffice to say, my body has been enhanced with an unusual piece of technology. I'm not sure how much of it you'll understand, so let's just say it has allowed me to develop some equally unusual skills, such as perceiving and even manipulating dimensional energies."

Feeling my eyebrows climb up my forehead, I struggle to make sense of that. "Okay. That's really impressive. I didn't know something like that could even exist."

"It's a unique piece of technology, however it's mere existence was capable of destroying the very fabric of space-time." Waving a huge hand dismissively, he goes on, "But of a more immediate concern to me, at the moment, is what it allowed me to detect. Some time ago, I felt an energy wave ripple outward from Earth. I came to investigate. My search led me to an unusual grove of trees, not far from the city in which you're physical body now lies."

There's a mild shock of surprise at that. "You saw the circle I arrived in?" Then his manner of speaking strikes me, as if he's a stranger to the city he refers to, "Wait, aren't you from Iron City, or Zalem, or something?"

"I did see the circle, yes. And no, I'm not native to Earth. As for the circle, you share it's dimensional energy signature, meaning that you are somehow involved with it's being there." He takes a sip of his tea during my silence as I process what he's told me. "Would you tell me about the events that brought you to your current situation?"

Not really seeing much of a reason to keep it to myself, I do so. From packing some things into my truck, to suddenly finding myself in a jungle, all the way up to my current memories of what happened in the basement of the clinic. Through it all, the stranger sits and listens patiently, asking only a few questions to clear up a detail here and there.

After I finish, the Traveler reaches down to take up the pan of tea and refills his cup. When he sets the pan back down, he takes a sip, doing it all in an almost ceramonial fashion. "Hmm," he rumbles. "That is an unfortunate bit of luck, ending up in the path of that disruption."

"Yeah," I say with a sigh. "If it had appeared just a few seconds later, I wouldn't be in this mess."

"True, but if this anomaly is what I think it is, it would have been far more unfortunate if it hadn't appeared where and when it did." Something in his voice carries a heavy note of forboding.

"What do you mean?"

"The technology I use to cross dimensions, was intended for peaceful purposes, before it's inherent dangers began to manifest themselves. However, it's based, at least in part on an older technology that was experimented with during the great war that led to the Fall. Towards the end of the war an organization or government, I'm unsure of the details, became profoundly desperate to destroy their enemy before they themselves were destroyed. To this end, they began experimenting with forces that they didn't quite understand but were able to partially harness."

narrowing my eyes, I look out at the sunny sky. His words stir a memory, and I comment, "Sounds kinda like the Manhatten Project."

"Oh? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that."

"Centuries ago during the Second World War, my country worked at developing the first atomic weapon. We weren't in any danger of losing the war, but apparently my government was desperate to get it before any other major power did. So, despite some theories that the detonation might ignite a portion of Earth's atmosphere and destroy life on the planet, they dismissed the concerns and went ahead with using it."

The stranger pauses to look up at the sky before taking a slow sip of his tea. "Desperation and lust for power, leading to the disregard of possible risks. Hm." He briefly closes his eyes and gives a slow shake of his head. "It seems some lessons will never be learned by those with far more power than wisdom."

I silently nod in agreement and wait for him to continue.

"But as I was saying," he says, steering us back on track, "there were indeed dangers with this new power. And, like this Manhattan Project that you mentioned, those theorized risks were ignored. Fortunately their first test of the weapon was also their last when the weapon itself disappeared. Very shortly after that, the war ended."

With mild sarcasm, I say, "I take it that a disappearing weapon wasn't what they were going for."

"Indeed, they were trying to annihilate a distant target, using reality-bending energies against which there was no defense."

I quietly let that soak in for a brief moment. "Okay, complete annihilation sounds bad, but an area of affect less than three-hundred meters across doesn't really sound all that effective, considering," I say with a bemused shrug. "After all, you can do far more damage with an air-burst nuke than with what I've seen from this experimental weapon, assuming that's what created that circle of trees."

"True, but was the first atomic bomb the biggest they ever made?" he asks with an even look.

The thought of a disintegration weapon like that capable of affecting an entire city hits me. Like some kind of reality eraser, the whole city, people and all would simply cease to be. A feeling of chill dread passes through me. "I see what you mean," I say dryly.

"I examined the area that was hit on my Earth. If what I saw here holds true for your Earth as well, and I have every reason to believe that it does, then in all likelyhood both worlds narrowly escaped catastrophic damage." The stranger takes a deliberate sip of tea, as he studies my confused expression. "I'm afraid I'm not really sure how to explain it to you, I think you'd need to be able to see it as I do, to really understand. When it was fired, the weapon created a dimensional shockwave that propogated through space and time, across my home dimension and a nearby one, yours. But by ending up where it appeared, and striking in the manner that it did, the energy wave was allowed to collapse and dissipate without causing any real harm. Like a lightning bolt hitting a grounding rod. Otherwise, that energy might have cascaded across your Earth and it would have suffered incalculable damage over a good portion of it's surface."

"Well, guess it is a good thing it hit like it did, then," I say. Suddenly, despite my best efforts, frustration and anger bubble up in me. Not expecting a real answer, I say angrily, "But why did I have to get caught up in it? Why did I have to get taken from my home?"

The Traveler just looks at me serenely, a trace of sympathy visible in his eyes. "You just happened to pass through the point at which it appeared, at the moment it struck your world."

I recall that damned Kindle, and how I just had to go back for it. Unable to suppress lingering bitterness I say, "Yeah. If I hadn't let myself get distracted, if I'd gotten there just a few seconds ahead of it-" My voice falters. It seems useless to bother going on about it now.

Somewhere far away in time and space, someone pulled the trigger on some terrible new weapon that they barely understood. And I blundered into it's path. If what this stranger is telling me is true, and in this place it has an undeniable ring of truth to it, then my world narrowly escaped destruction. It was just a terrible coincidence that I was traded for that salvation. Well, terrible for me, at any rate.

That thought is quickly drowned out by Koyomi's words during our visit out to my wrecked truck. 'You don't know how lucky you are.' And she was right. I landed in the one clinic in all of Iron City where I was likely to actually recieve the help I needed when I needed it most, by the only doctor willing to treat patients regardless of their financial standing. As for the anomaly, it was probably the best outcome that could be managed. That one lone soul unfortunately chose to zig instead of zag? Perhaps circumstances were altered and stretched as far as they would go to accommodate that one random element and still have the outcome of preventing some terrible catastrophe.

My world was spared, as were Vanessa, the kids, Mom and my brother. Even with everything that's happened, everything I lost, it wasn't all bad was it? I've seen incredible things that I never thought I'd see in my lifetime. I've met extraordinary people, and can even count some of them as friends.

I sit there, holding my tea between my knees as I stare into the little fire. Thinking about it not in terms of losing the people I care about, but that the people I care about were saved, turns the whole thing on it's head.

"Has your paradigm shifted?" the Traveler asks.

I look up at him a little confused. "Pardon?"

He smiles broadly and says with a dismissive wave of a hand, "Sorry, a private joke." Then he comments, "It seems as though you have found a new perspective."

Straightening up on my little stool, I take a deep breath, savoring the smell of the pines and the cold, clean air. "I suppose I have. I never thought about it in terms of the people I care about being saved. I guess, if I had to end up here in order for them to be kept safe, then that's something I'm willing to live with."

"I suppose, from a certain point of view, you're right," he says with an enigmatic smile.

I quietly chuckle. "Yeah. So, did you just happen to come all this way to change my point of view?"

"No," he says with a slight shake of his head, "it's just as I told you. I was drawn to this place out of curiosity when I sensed both it's unusual nature, and what turned out to be your presence. However, it could be that doing so has fullfulled some purpose beyond that." He shrugs his expansive shoulders, "The universe works in mysterious ways sometimes."

With a nod, I glance at the mountains behind me, "yeah, it can do that."

After a moment's quiet, he looks over at me with those peircing eyes, "If I may ask, one dimesion traveler to another, what your plans are? I would imagine that, having landed in a place like Iron City, you've got quite a bit of work ahead of you if you're going to carve out a new life."

Frowning slightly, I nod, "I think that's quite an understatement. And no, I have no idea what I'm going to do." Looking up into this face, I decide with some trepidation to ask this friendly giant, "You wouldn't be willing to help me in some way, would you?"

There's a quiet rumbling as he chuckles, "I suspect you mean physical aid, so I'm afraid not. For me to manifest in the so-called 'physical' world requires an immense amount of energy, and runs some risk of damaging the fabric of reality if I do it too often."

"How often have you done it?"

He shrugs his immense shoulders, "Depending on where in the timeline you are, I'll be doing it several years from now, when the need is paramount. The fate of worlds will hang in the balance. It's also when I first meet your new friend, Alita."

My brain does a double-take, "You- say what?"

He merely smiles serenely.

Taken a bit aback at this unexpected revelation, I blink at him in surprise. "How is that possible, exactly? Are you some kind of time traveler?"

"Oh, nothing like that." The Traveler gestures expansively around us at the snow-covered landscape, and I suspect well beyond, "In this place, time has no meaning. At least, not the way you are accustomed to."

Strange that the revelation that this traveler and Alita will meet in the future surprised me when the other revelation about me being from a parallel Earth didn't really phase me. Could I have already known about the parallel Earth on some subconscious level?

I think over his answer for a second before asking him, "Aren't you worried I might reveal something about her future to her, or something like that?"

He shakes his massive head, "When you return to your body, all of this will just have been a pleasant dream that will be half-remembered."

I let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, I guess I shoulda seen that coming."

"Speaking of Alita," he ventures, "is there some reason you can't get help from her? Even at this point in her life, rediscovering who she is, she's an incredibly powerful warrior. Her help would be invaluable to someone in your position."

Waving away his suggestion dismissively, I shrug, "She's got more important things to do."

The Traveler raises his thick brows at me, "More important than helping a friend in need?"

"Certainly more important than wasting her time with one old man past his expiration date," I toss out off-handedly, hiding the prickling of irritation that seems to come from nowhere.

He studies me for a moment. "You seem rather quick to dismiss the idea of her helping you. If it were someone else, I'd think it was pride. But with you, I don't really get that impression." He takes a sip of tea. "So, why don't you want her help?"

Letting go a quick sigh, I tell him, "I'm not lookin' to be trained in some kind of 'way of the warrior'. I have no doubt that she could give me all kinds of effective training in how to defend myself. I'm also certain that she really does have better things to do." Reaching down, I pick up the pan of tea and refresh my cup, "And when I get new limbs, I'll have better things to do, as well. Like having to work for a living." Setting the pan back by the fire, "Ain't gonna be a lot of free time for me, if I wanna keep from going hungry."

Traveler smiles vaguely, nodding, "Ah yes, in a place like Iron City, that is certain to be a concern." He aims his gaze more directly at me, "But, you have a unique opportunity. The forces of destiny, however you may think of such things, are strong around Alita. She's destined for great things. With her help, you could reach great heights as well." Something about his manner suggests that he's testing me in some way.

Looking up at him, meeting his gaze, a slow smile spreads across my face. Then a quiet chuckle escapes me. "Great heights, huh?" Gesturing at the scenic land around us, "I already reached great heights, the only heights that ever mattered to me." Pausing for a quick sip of hot tea, I then go on, "The chance to be reunited with my family. The chance at everlasting life. And that's for starters. I mean, who knows what else is waiting for me on the other side of that pass."

"In time, yes," he rumbles in response. "But for now, you must return. And what kind of life will you return to? Will you settle into the Iron City equivelent of an ordinary life, when you have the opportunity to be so much more?"

Chuckling humorlessly, I sip at my tea again. This is like listening to someone trying to tell me to believe in children's fairytales. Cradling the cup gently in my hands as I rest my forearms on my knees, I shake my head, "Buddy, you seem to be laboring under a misconception."

"Oh? Well, please, enlighten me," Traveler responds pleasantly.

Looking up at the massive cyborg, I state plainly, "My life is not some kind of 'Hero's Journey'. Alita may be destined for great things, whatever those things may be, but that's because she's exceptional in a way someone like me could never be. She's exceptional because she's the exception."

"The exception? To what, precisely?"

"To the rule," I respond firmly, leaning forward on my stool. "People like me, we are the rule. We did not win whatever lottery it was that endowed those like Alita with... whatever it is that makes them the exception. Sure, I could become better tomorrow than I am today, we can always improve. But to be truly exceptional, in the way someone like her is? That requires something that the everyday person will never have, no matter how much they might fantasize about it. And it's simple arrogance to believe otherwise."

There's an odd gleam in his eye, as he says in that pleasant tone, "So, back to a more mundane life? Live out the remainder of your days, until you manage to find your way back here?"

Challengingly, I return, "Back to a more mundane life in which I work to try to make my corner of the world a little better than when I found it. Where I work to try to improve the lives of those around me. You know, the kind of work that, as a Christian it is my duty to strive for." A faint anger kindles as his words about 'destiny' and 'great things' echoes in my mind. "What I will not be doing," I say somewhat derisively, "is some 'great thing'. 'Great Things' are what got my homeworld turned into a planetary mass grave. 'Great Things' are what got Nova, whoever the hell he is, into position as Lord High Muckety-Muck of the remnants of the human race on Earth."

My tone grows more derisive as anger seeps in, "'Great Things' tend to forget that there are human lives under foot. And 'Great Things' have a distressing tendency to burn those lives on the altar of selfish ambition." The Traveler continues to sit, watching me serenely, and my own emotions begin to smooth out as if in response. "So, yeah, I will be going back to my boring, mundane life where I do little more than try to make my corner of the world a better place. If you don't find that impressive enough, well that's tough. I wasn't put on this Earth to impress you or anyone else."

The Traveler's response to all that, is to simply smile that friendly smile, and say pleasantly, "Well, alright then." He serenely sips his tea. "True enough. You're purpose isn't to impress others, it's simply to be what you are."

The man's friendly and matter-of-fact tone leave me disarmed, feeling a little foolish for my rather angry rant. Instead of answering him directly, I cast my gaze off to the side, somewhat embarrassed

"Ultimately, the choice of what you do upon your return is yours." His expression seems to perk up a bit, as if something occurs to him, "Oh, if I may, I'd like to show you something that might help you in whatever time remains for you in Iron City."

With a slight shrug, I reply, "Uh, sure. What is it?"

Downing the remains of his tea, he sets the cup near the fire, then seems to assume a meditative posture. "It's a meditation trick, one that I think might be of particular use to you. Along with the medication that Ido is providing, it might help you to keep your illness under control." His tone becomes slightly teasing, "Considering your new home, I think you can use all the help you can get."

A snort of laughter surprises me, as his jest strikes me as funnier than I'd expected. "Yeah, I can't argue with you, there." I set my own cup down near the fire. "Alright. Uh, what do I do?"

I've never been all that into meditation and such, though I have used meditative techniques once in a while to help get through anxiety attacks. In this particular instance, something about the Traveler's offer strikes me as particularly intriguing. It's not something I'm able to put my finger on.

Following his simple instructions, I sit across the fire from him, both of us in meditative postures. It isn't just simple breathing excersizes he instructs me in, but also little thought excersizes.

"Patterns of thought can affect one's energy," he explains quietly, as I sit with my eyes closed. "These alterations in energy can ripple outward, affecting the environment around you. Have you ever been in a crowded room, and felt someone watching you, and you were able to turn to see the very person who's eyes were on you?"

At first, I nod, then I remember he's also got his eyes closed. I grunt affirmative.

"Like that. The watcher's energy affected you in subtle ways, alerting you to their observation. This meditation will, hopefully, allow you to adjust your own energies subtly. It will give you a calm and focus that helps you cope with the difficulties ahead."

We sit like that for some time, as I listen to his instruction, as well as the quiet crackling of the little campfire. After an indeterminate amount of time, he brings the lesson to an end.

He gives me an appraising look. "I think you've got a good handle on it, now. Just remember to do it daily." His gaze becomes strangely earnest, "Trust me, even if there's no immediate benefit, it may help more than you realize."

Momentarily mesmerized by the intensity of his gaze, I slowly nod. "Uh, okay." Shaking myself back to a more fully alert state, "Thanks, for teaching me. Like you said, I'll probably need all the help I can get."

Smiling cheerfully, the stranger chuckles. "Well, I must be going. Thank you for talking with me, it was rather enlightening." He stands up, and sure enough he's almost as tall as an adult grizzly bear on it's hind legs. An aura of serene power emenates from him.

I stand up as well, setting my cup on the block of wood I just vacated. "You're quite welcome." Letting some of my confusion at this little gathering show, "It was certainly interesting. And different."

Traveler laughs, then his easy smile fades a bit, "This world you now live in is more dangerous than you realize, I think. I do hope you can survive this path you now find yourself on."

Shifting uneasily on my feet, I stare momentarily into the fire, "Yeah, well... I guess there's only one way to find out."

The Traveler takes a short step, moving to my side of the fire. Placing one hand big enough to engulf my whole head gently on my shoulder, he says, "I wish you well, Mister Deshane. Good bye." Then he heads off into the snowy wilderness.

Once he's gone, I feel a little heavier, as if gravity has increased. Looking around, I see that everything looks a bit dimmer, and even the sky is now clouded over. Things don't seem quite so vibrant all of a sudden.

Turning towards the distant mountains, I ask aloud, "Is there something I'm supposed to do? If I'm just going to die there anyway, why am I going back now?"

The only answer is the quiet whispering of wind through tree branches. I didn't really expect anything else. A feeling comes over me, as if there's a massive weight trying to drive me to my knees. Kicking snow over the fire to extinguish it, I watch as the flames sputter and die. Then, I turn and begin walking away as the cold deepens and the snowfall becomes heavier, closing around me like ever-thickening lace curtains.