"So what did you do with the bracelet, since we know that snake thing lives in it?" Chakotay asked over the rim of his coffee cup.
"I've locked it up nice and safe where it will never bother anyone again." Janeway emptied the rest of the pot into her cup and sat back on the couch. "From the minute I put that thing on I felt something awful."
"I'm just glad you were able to fight it off safely."
"Me too. If it weren't for the help of my spirit guide's encouragements I might not have beaten it at all."
"So you're glad that I introduced you two then?" Chakotay smiled.
"Yes, thank you. In fact, I might try meditating tonight and thank it."
"Be sure to pass on my regards."
.
Later that night, true to her word, Kathryn sat cross-legged in her room with her medicine bundle spread open before her. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing deeply and remembering the place where she had been happiest – that beach-side clifftop. Slowly the sights and sounds of that world materialized around her; the salty air stung her nostrils and the sound of the waves soothed her ears. She opened her inner eyes and looked around, searching for her tiny companion.
She found it sitting on a log, soaking in the sunlight.
"Hi," she greeted it as she sat down beside it. "I want to thank you for your help earlier today. I would have been lost without you."
You would have persevered, the lizard spoke into her mind. You did not need me.
"Still, your help made things easier for me," she said. "And your presence was comforting."
No matter how small you may feel, the little lizard said, you will always have power over others. Use this power well, and you will survive.
The two sat in silence then, watching the waves roll in and clouds blow away.
Eventually, Kathryn inhaled deeply and slowly opened her eyes, allowing her brain to re-adjust to the waking world. A smile slipped across her face as she packed up her things, remembering her small friend. She had no idea how the whole 'spirit guide' thing actually worked scientifically speaking, but she was grateful to Chakotay for showing her nonetheless.
She deposited the medicine bundle in a drawer in the bedroom and went on to the bathroom, slowly undoing her jacket. She tossed it off to the side and looked up.
And she froze.
There, in the mirror, beside the reflection of her was the reflection of a floating black snake.
Remember, it hissed into her mind, you can lock me away but you'll never be rid of me. I'll haunt you for all eternity and beyond.
She swung around and glanced quickly in every direction.
The room was empty.
She breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the mirror. The only reflection she saw was her own. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head.
"It's just a trick of the mind," she said.