We are led into a small room with just a few chairs. James asks us to sit, while he walks over to a big object set against a wall. He presses something.

'This isn't spirits, or magic,' he says. 'It is a television, something that is common in my time. We will be able to see the hazard suit man on it.'

'But how?' I gasp when something appears on the screen, another room, dark, dusty, abandoned.

'You don't have to know how,' he continues. 'You just have to accept it. Now, I'm going to use this,' he waves a stick in the air. 'It is called a microphone, and I'm going to use it to talk to the hazard suit man, to call him so he will talk to us.'

'Okay,' I say, not liking the idea of seeing someone who wasn't really there. 'I guess.'

'I don't like this,' Danug whispers in my ear.

I shake my head. 'Neither do I,' I respond. 'But if it gets us back to where we should be, then we have to try.'

'But surely it must be against the Mother.'

I shrug my shoulders. 'I don't know, but she must still be around now, not just in our time, and if she has allowed the people to have these things, then maybe…'

'It is not against the Mother,' he finishes my sentence.

I nod. 'Though,' I add darkly. 'I haven't heard anyone mention her since we've been here, maybe she doesn't exist anymore.'

Danug gasps and looks around the room nervously. 'So we could be alone? Without her help?'

'I don't know.'

Someone appears on the object that James called a television. It is the bear man. He stands right in front of us, his arms stretched out toward us, his eyes visibility through his bubble, as are his lips which mouth words.

'Help me.'

'Hello,' James says. 'Can you hear me?'

There is the sound of crackling in the room, it sounds to me a bit like wood splitting in a fire.

'Help me.'

'We are trying to help you,' James said.

'Help me, let me die.'

'Who are you?'

'Help me, let me die,' the bear man repeats again. 'Let me die, I long for death. Please.'

'I know your life must have been unimaginable horror for the last twenty odd years,' James starts to say. 'But what if you can live? What if we can save you?'

'You cannot save me. Let me die.'

James sighs. 'We can't reach you,' he says. 'You are in the reactor building, behind a concrete sarcophagus. We can't get to you.'

The bear man nods on the screen. 'I am trapped,' he says.

'But that's just it, you aren't trapped, because you aren't always in the reactor. You go other places too don't you?'

'The people.'

'Yes, the people. You've been going back to cave men,' he glances at me. 'To cave people's time but you have also been visiting this facility but not for the last week. Why?'

The bear man shakes his head. 'Something has happened, someone touched me, and I felt them come into this time. Since then, I've only been to the cave, and spent hours every day there. The people are so afraid of me.'

'I'll bet,' James says under his breath.

'I want to see Irina…'

'Irina? You know Irina?'

'She was a colleague at Chernobyl, I used to watch her sometimes, trying to build up the courage to ask her out. I never did.'

'And that is why you have been coming to this facility? To see Irina?'

'Yes.'

'So why don't you visit her anymore?'

'I do not know, I want to.'

'Could you try?'

'I have tried but something is stopping me getting through. It must be the cave people, the ones that came through. Is that them there?'

He stares at us, at me.

'This is Shana and Danug,' James introduces us. 'Who am I talking to?'

'My name was Viktor Alexandrov.'

'Hello Viktor,' James frowns. 'Are you any relative to Colonel…'

'I have a brother,' Viktor says. 'But he isn't a Colonel or any rank. His son is always saying he's going to join the army when he's older. But he is just a boy.'

'I shouldn't have asked…' James' cheek twitches. 'Viktor, can you tell me what year it is?'

Viktor laughs, but the sound of it isn't happy but sad. 'By now, it must be nearly 1987,' he says. 'Maybe I haven't been trapped here so long, but it seems like months and months have passed. Why do you ask? Do you think being trapped here has sent me mad?'

'No, no, I was just testing your mental capabilities,' James says hurriedly.

'I thought James said it has been years since the accident,' I whisper to Danug. 'More than twenty.'

Danug shrugs. 'Can you imagine having to go through what he's gone through for over twenty years? We should be glad that to him, it just seems like months.'

I nod.

'Now tell me,' James continues. 'Do you know what it is about these two that is stopping you from coming here?'

Viktor shrugs. 'I suppose it is simply they are displaced, they shouldn't be in our time. I don't know how to get around whatever it is.'

'We could pray,' I say.

Danug nods his head. 'Yes, we should pray. The Mother will help us.'

'The Mother?' James turns to look at us. 'Who is the Mother? Don't you mean the Father?'

I shake my head. 'I do not know the word Father.'

'I do,' Danug says. 'When I was staying with the Zelendonii, the Mother spoke to my friend Ayla, she said that the man has a part in forming the new life of a child. And he should be called a father. But I do not know why we would pray to one.' He frowns.

'I have prayed many times to the Father since this happened,' Viktor says. 'But he has never rescued me.'

'The Mother will though,' I say.

'This Mother,' James asks. 'Do you mean Mother Earth? Gaia?'

'There is a people who live near mine who call the Mother Gaia,' Danug says. 'My people call her Mut.'

'Ah, yes. I have heard of Mut. But we worship the Father nowadays. And the son. Though I don't think I should tell you too much about them. If He wanted you to know, you would know. But as to prayer, I think it is our only option so we should pray to whoever our God is, and hope they give us a solution.'

I nod. 'Mother,' I say. 'Wherever you are, help us now.'

'Father,' James puts his hands together, fingers outstretched. 'Help us.'

'Father, please,' Viktor pleads. 'I just want this to end. Save me please,' he voice cracks with emotion.

'Mother, we just want to go home,' Danug adds.

The television flickers, it almost looks like something is pushing Viktor out of the way. The image of a woman appears, surrounded by rocks.

'Ayla,' Danug gasps.

'Mother,' I say. 'But you are dead.'

The woman's eyes are closed but slowly they open. 'Help me,' she says. 'Help me.'

'She is not your mother, or your friend,' says a deep voice, sounding neither male or female. 'She is your grandmother, and your friend's mother. She has been trapped for many years, like Viktor. Two parts of the same problem. My people, why do you mess around with things you do not understand? The radiation leak caused all this, it leached backward in time, and caused an earthquake that stole a child of her mother. And trapped her in a living death. And trapped Viktor in his own death. And changed things, meaning that a group of my people, my ancient people were removed from their own time, and confined. And more of my people, were ensnared in their bodies, never to grow old but never to be allowed to live life. But all this stops now.'

I gasp. 'Is that the voice of the Mother?'

'I am what you call me, the Mother of all, but I am also the Father, the one who sent the Son.'

'So you are both?' James asks.

'I am neither male or female, man or woman, Mother or Father, I am God, the Creator of All. I am everything. I am in control and correct the mistakes of my people. I release the woman from her stony cave. She has entered back into life again, I have sent her to my people's cave. Your cave Shana. I will release Viktor so he can come to you and then, you will help him to find his desire. You will do my work and correct everything else.'

The woman on the screen disappears and then so did the image of the cave, to be replaced with another cave. The woman cuddling a scared child. My sister. She turns to look at us.

And then I realise that Viktor too has gone from the television. I feel a draft behind me and turn to see him standing there. And I reach out to touch him.

And there is a flash of light.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They were in the haunted cave, holding hands and walking to the small cave at the back, the one with the paintings. Druwez carried a lit torch in his hand, that threw shadows against the rough walls, making the place seem alive.

He shivered. 'This is never going to work,' he muttered but carried on walking. He held up the torch as they entered the small cave, its light illuminating the painting.

Danug wasn't there. And neither was the girl who looked like Ayla. And in the painting, the other people were huddled together, peeking out from behind rocks, only their terrified eyes visible and the tops of their heads.

And then the picture changed.

OOOOOOOOOOO

I close my eyes as the world swirls around me. A great roaring rushing over my head, as if a hurricane in blowing. And then there is silence. I open one eye and peek out. The bear man is standing in front of me so I can only see him. I start to turn, hoping I am back in my cave.

'What on Earth happened?' a voice says. It's angry and oh too familiar.

'Colonel,' I gasp, looking at the man.

'Where am I?' he glares at me. 'What is this place? Hell?'

But I don't answer him, because at that moment I hear squealing and see someone running to me.

'Shana? Is it really you?' says the girl, throwing her arms around me.

'Shala?' I stare at her face, and bend down and kiss her cheek. 'Oh Shala, I am so glad to see you.'

'Where have you been Shana? You've been gone for ages.'

'I know Shala, but I'm back now.' I hug her.

A woman steps forward and she looks so like my mother did, that it makes me want to cry.

'This is Grandma Shayla,' Shala says. 'She appeared earlier but she's been telling me that she used to live in this cave. She was our mother's mother.'

'The one who left?'

'Shana,' she takes hold of my hands. 'You are the girl I saw in the vision aren't you? When the Mother released me and brought me back here?'

'That was you?' I laugh. 'That was you. How are you feeling?'

'Good,' she says. 'Better than I have for years. But I must tell you, I didn't leave. I always meant to come back but we travelled a long way, and it took a long time. And then the Earthquake happened.'

'We?'

'Myself and my daughter Shaylana. Your aunt. I don't know what happened to her.'

'I do,' said a voice. 'She was adopted by a group of people living nearby but eventually found her way to my people. But she left to journey along the Mother River, and beyond, and now lives with a group called the Zelendonii with her mate and daughter. She's known as Ayla now. My cousin and I were just going back to our people after visiting her.'

'Ayla,' the woman said. 'And she is happy?'

Danug hesitated and then nodded. 'Yes, she is happy.'

'Then I am glad.' She smiled. 'Though I was saddened to hear my first daughter walks the land of the spirits now and that my granddaughters are trapped in this place.'

'Well hopefully not for too long,' yet another person spoke. 'Hi, I'm James,' the man who had been supporting us for the last week held his hand out to my grandmother.

'But what is this place?' the colonel asks. 'Where am I?'

I sigh. 'You are in my cave,' I tell him. 'In my time.'

'What? How is that possible? I want to go home.'

James grimaced. 'Well you can't go home, not yet anyway. You are stuck here as much as we are, and as much as these people surrounding us are.'

'Savages.' He spat on the floor.

I hear the pounding of heavy feet and look to see the bear man plodding toward a log seat. He sits down and takes the bubble off his head to reveal curly blonde hair and a young face. He groans and rubs his temples.

'Are you feeling ill?' I ask as I run over to him.

'I'm always feeling ill,' he admits. 'I've felt really bad ever since the accident. My head hurts, my bones ache, my teeth feel like someone has stuck red hot pokers in them. And I'm tired, so tired.' He closes his eyes.

'Maybe I can get you something that will ease the pain,' I say. 'I am a healer.'

He shakes his head. 'There is no cure for what is making me ill. Well, only the ultimate cure.'

'What's that? Maybe I have it.'

He grins and then groans, squeezing his eyes tight. 'You can't do anything for me, I'm dying. But I still live. I should have died ages ago, I know I should but I don't seem to be able to. I wish I could.'

'Don't say that.'

'Why not? I deserve to die anyway. The accident was my fault.'

'What?' James frowns. 'What do you mean?'

'I thought the reactors were too slow in coming online, so I'd suggested we do some experiments to increase their proficiency. There were many of us worried about the water cooling systems if there was a power strike so the idea was to try to make Chernobyl work better. An initial test was carried out in nineteen eighty two, and then again in nineteen eighty four and nineteen eighty five. But all of the tests didn't work too well and it was decided that we would try again in April nineteen eighty six on a day during the maintenance of the shutdown of Reactor Four. But yet again, the test didn't work, and we didn't manage to reduce the start-up time of the reactor. I suggested that we boost the reactor output once the test was underway, and that is when things went wrong. I left the control room then, and after putting a hazard suit on, ran down to the reactor. I tried to do emergency shutdown there. After that, things got hazy, there was a flash of light, I was sure it was an explosion, I felt a wave of something blasting me. And then I found myself in another place. In this cave. Since then I've spent my time in the reactor and here, and visiting Irina. But I know why she's in there, I know why they are all in there, I can tell from the burns and the missing limbs. I caused Chernobyl to explode, I caused a release of radiation and am to blame for these people being trapped here.'

'You know we are trapped?' I gasp. 'Do you know how we can make everything normal again?'

He shrugs. 'I guess everything will go back once I am dead, and I think the Father has already started our release from our prisons.'

'But Viktor, you can't die,' James says.

'Viktor?' the Colonel steps forward. He looks at Viktor's face. 'It is you, isn't it?'

Viktor frowns. 'Do I know you?'

The Colonel nods. He reaches out and tries to grab Viktor's coated hand. 'Is is me, little Andrei Alexandrov. I'm your nephew,' he says. 'And you are my Uncle Viktor. Father always wondered what had happedn to you.'

'My brother?'

The Colonel nods. 'Yes, your brother.' He tries to touch Viktor again.

'Don't touch me,' he warns. 'You could end up in the reactor.'

The Colonel immediately steps away. 'You really have been trapped in the reactor for all thse years?'

'Years? Surely its been months.' He stares at the Colonel and then groans. 'But if it was, then you would still be a boy, not a man. How long has it been since the explosion?'

'Twenty five years.'

'Twenty five years? I've been trapped for that long? I've been longing for death for twenty five years?'

The Colonel gulps but doesn't reply. There are no words he can say.

'I can't go on like this,' Viktor says. 'I need to be free. Please,' he looks at me now. 'Please, help me. I need to be free, I need to die. I'm dead already, I can feel the radiation in my body, I should be dead already but this time warp, for that is what it must be, somehow keeps me alive. But I need to die and be free. Please, help me.'

'But how can we help you?' I ask. 'How can we help him?' I ask them all.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Druwez gave the torch to Bretie and then uncoiled the rope around his waist. He walked over to the far wall of the small cave and tied it around a large stone situated there.

'That must be where the Pripyiah of this cave used to sit when he was meditating,' Bretie commented.

Druwez nodded his head and checked to see if the rope was tight enough.

'Come and hold this then,' he said to Bretie.

Bretie gripped the end of the rope near the stone. 'I hope this works,' she said.

'So do I,' Druwez said, though he was shaking his head. 'I don't see how it will work but the ways of the Mother are mysterious and many.' He took hold of the loose end of the rope, and wrapped it around his hand. 'Are you ready?'

Bretie gulped but then nodded her head.

Druwez turned to look back at the picture that now showed his cousin again, it also showed someone who looked like Ayla, some people dressed very strangely and a bear with the head of a man. The people of the cave were still mostly peeking out from behind rocks, obviously terrified.

'Wish me luck,' he said as he started to reach toward the painting.

'Good luck Druwez,' Bretie said.

Druwez touched the painting, and a flash of light filled the cave.

Bretie closed her eyes, but when the light decreased, she opened them again to see she was now alone. And there was another figure in the painting.

'Go with the Mother Druwez,' she whispered. 'Mother, please bring him back. Bring them all back.'

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I hear a noise and turn to see a young man walking toward us, someone I do not know.

'Druwez,' Danug shouts and runs up to him. 'Is it really you?'

The man nods and looks around. 'Is this the spirit world?' he asks, a tremor in his voice.

'I don't think so,' Danug replies. 'I don't really understand what is happening here, but I don't think this place is the land of the dead. I think it is just somewhere that has been removed from the land of the living.'

The young man blinks. 'How is that possible?'

Danug shrugs. 'But it is great to see you, I've missed you. Here, let me introduce you to everyone.'

He is dragged toward me, and I notice a rope trailing from his hand, and going back into the cave Pripyiah used to meditate in, before he lost his faith.

'This is Shana,' he says, smiling at me.

'She looks like Ayla.'

Danug nods. 'That is because she is his niece.'

The young man stares at Danug. 'What? She's…'

Danug nods.

'But how?'

'It's a long story, one that I will tell you when life is less stressed but for now, you just have to trust that she is Ayla's niece as is the little girl, Shala. And the lady over there, though she doesn't look old enough, is Ayla's long lost mother Shayla.'

The young man's eyes got bigger.

'Shana, this is Druwez of the Mamutoi. My cousin.'

'Welcome Druwez,' I say, stretching my hands out toward him in greeting. 'It is good to finally meet you, though I would have preferred to have met you outside. With everything back to normal.'

'Back to normal?'

'We're trapped here Druwez,' Danug tells him. 'We can't leave the cave.'

'But,' Druwez grins. 'I think I might know a way out.' He lifts his hand up, the rope dangling from it. 'I don't know if it will work, but this rope, it disappears into the wall in the small cave, the other end of it is being looked after by a friend of mine, Bretie. She's waiting for us.'

I look at him. 'We can get out?'

Danug shrugs. 'I suppose it is worth a go though.'

'But anything could happen,' the Colonel points out. 'Maybe we should stay here, or touch my uncle again to get back to the future.'

'I told you,' Viktor says. 'If you touch me, then you could end up in the reactor.' He looks at me. 'Could I try? I think if I was free, then the time warp would end.'

I nod.

'He shouldn't try,' the Colonel says. 'He could make the rope disappear, and Druwez with it. Anyway, even if he does manage to get outside, his radiation levels are sure to make the primitives ill.'

'Bretie and I were put on a special diet by her Pripyiah, that he said would protect us from the spirits that have caused this,' Druwez says. 'I think we are safe.'

'And we have been giving Shana and Danug radiation pills.'

'I think Viktor should try,' I say.

'No.' The Colonel glares at me. 'No, he has to go back, back to the reactor. Where he belongs.'

Viktor frowns. 'You want me to go back to the reactor? You want me to be endlessly alive when I am really dead?'

'No, I um…' He looks around at us. 'Yes. I want you to go back to the reactor. It is what you deserve.'

'For being the one who started the experiment,' Viktor lowers his head. 'I understand…'

'No, you don't understand. You should be punished but not because of the explosion and the radiation leakage. You should be punished because of what your disappearance did to my father. He couldn't cope with it, and it sent him mad. He killed himself.' The Colonel starts to shout. 'He killed himself and it is your fault.'

'What? No!' Viktor put his head in his hands.

'You know, I was stationed at the radiation exclusion zone camp not long after his death. One night I was alone and was idly looking at the images stored from the cameras within reactor four, and I saw something. Zooming in, I realised it was a man dressed in a hazard suit. I got myself assigned to security for a while, and was able to view the images as they were filmed. And I saw you. And I realised who you were, one image was a close up of your face, I recognised you.'

'Why did you not say anything?'

'Why should I have done? I knew it was him, and that I hated him and wanted him to suffer, so I never told anyone. It's been thirteen years now, and you are all the first people I've told.'

'Thirteen years,' Viktor groans. 'You could have tried to release me thirteen years ago but you decided I needed punishing because your father killed himself?'

The Colonel nods. 'And I intend to make sure you go back and stay forever in that reactor.' He steps toward him.

'No,' Viktor screams. 'I won't go back there.' He runs, heavy though he is in the hazard suit and grabs the rope in Druwez' hand just as the Colonel reaches it. A flash of light seems to travel up it, and passing Viktor by, starts to pulse around the Colonel.

Viktor pulls him away and then stares at his hands. 'I'm still here, you are still here, he says to his nephew. 'How is that possible?'

'I…' the Colonel shakes his head like he's trying to clear it. 'I was burning,' he finally says. 'I was burning alive, but you pulled me to safety.' He looks at Viktor. 'You saved me, you saved me from burning.'

'And I would save you again,' Viktor says. 'You are my nephew and I love you.'

'But…'

Viktor turns to James. 'Did you see that? I touched him but we are still here.' He smiles. 'I think the Father is finally answering my prayer.'

James nods. 'I think you are right.'

'Let's get him to Pripyiah's cave,' I say. 'Then if we all touch the rope, we can get him free and hopefully stop this curse.'

'But it will burn us,' Danug says.

'I wasn't burned,' Druwez says. 'I think it is safe, but because this plan is from the Mother, those that touch the rope with anger in their hearts are consumed.'

'Are you sure?'

'Not really, but I just have a feeling that what I said is true.'

'Okay.' James nods. Who's going to go with him?'

'I think Druwez should,' I say. 'And because you and the Colonel are not from this time period, you should go too, because otherwise, the time warp might not be broken. And Danug and I too, we have been to the future. And Shayla because she was in the time warp too.'

'Can I come?' Shala asks.

I shake my head.

'She will be okay,' my grandmother says. 'I will look after her.'

I sigh. 'Okay, she can come too. If we manage to get outside, then hopefully with us all gone, the cave with go back to the outside too. And will no longer be a trap.'

'Let's hope so,' Danug says, as he helps Viktor stand. 'Is everyone ready?'

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Danug and James helps Viktor to stand and walks with him into the small cave which is filled with light from the wall where the rope suddenly appears. In fact, it doesn't even look like a wall, it looks more like the membrane of an egg, I can see through it.

'Is that your friend?' Danug asks, nodding to where a girl is sat on the other side.

'Yes,' Druwez says. 'That is Bretie. She looks scared so I think we should hurry.'

I nod and take my Shala's hand in mine. 'Everyone hold hands,' I advise. 'Danug should hold his cousin's hand, and the Colonel's who should hold James'.

'Whose hand do I hold?' my grandmother asks.

'You should hold Shala's hand and James.'

She nods and shyly takes James' hand in hers. 'Is everyone is holding two people's hand?' I ask.

'Everyone but you and Druwez,' Shala giggles. 'You will have to hold hands.'

'Yes,' I agree, and that will close the circle and keep us safe. Is everyone ready?'

'I am holding no one's hand,' Viktor says.

'We are going to form a circle around you, holding hands but touching you with our bodies, we will huddle together.'

Viktor walks into the centre of the unclosed circle, and everyone closes in around him.

I reach out and take Druwez' hand in mine.

A flash of light fills my eyes, but it is different this time, goes on for what seems like forever but it doesn't blind my eyes, I am able to keep them open. And I see around us, around the circle, people, spirits walking around, reaching out to us. They are golden, and have white wings like a bird and oh so tall. And their faces are so peaceful, I can't be afraid of them, in fact, the sight of them makes my heart swell with joy.

And in amidst them comes walking a new spirit but he looks more like a man. He has long brown hair and soft brown eyes. There are scratches on his forehead and small holes in his arms and legs. But his face is so good, so pure, so beautiful, it astounds me.

'It is the Lord,' Viktor says from within our circle. 'Lord, please take me.'

'Soon,' the man promises. 'Soon, you will have your reward.'

'But…' the Colonel twists his head to look at the man. 'He's caused so much suffering. Should he not…'

The man looks at the Colonel who starts to sob.

'Son,' the man says. 'You have to forgive and you have to forget.' He touches the Colonel on the head. 'It is time for you to go home.'

The Colenel immediately starts to flicker, like he is a spirit himself, and then he is gone and the circle is open. The man walks to Viktor and takes his hand and walks him out of the circle. Danug and James just manage to grab hold of him and we are all pulled along.

'Where did you send my nephew?' Viktor asks.

'I sent him home,' the man says. 'He needed to return and see to the people that have been in isolation.'

'But I will do that,' James says. 'When I get back.'

The man turns to look at him. 'My will for you is different,' he says, glancing at my grandmother. 'The lands of the Pripyia will be your new home.'

'But…'

The man puts a finger to his lips. 'Hush,' he says. 'Just trust me.'

We stop walking and stand in front of a wall, the same one from the cave but it is even more clear now, I can see the girl so clearly.

'Go through the wall,' the man says to me, touching me as I walk through.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

I stumbled on a loose stone on the floor on the other side, making the girl Bretie jump up.

'Who are you?' she asked. 'Where's Druwez?'

'He's coming,' I answered, stepping away from the wall as more came through.

Shala, her face a picture of terror, our grandmother comforting her. James looking all around him, an interested look on his face, Danug striding in, followed by Druwez who looked toward the wall.

'Come on,' he said. 'Where are you Viktor?'

And then Viktor stepped through, causing Bretie to scream. She ran from the cave and then screamed again.

'People,' she said. 'There are people in the cave.'

I hurried out and saw the people that I'd spent my whole life with, they were milling around, looking confused. I walked to the mouth of the cave, and went outside, walking to the path. Taking a deep breath, I put my foot onto the slope and smiled. 'Look,' I shouted, running up and down the path. 'I can get outside, we're free. Come on everyone.'

I watched as my people stepped onto the path, the looks of terror on their faces quickly replaced with joy. They ran down the path and into the valley.

'We are free,' they screamed and shrieked, falling down on their knees on the snow.

I ran back up the path, and into the cave, looking around, I saw there was no one left, but I hadn't seen those who had come through the wall with me. I hurried into the small cave at the back to see them kneeling next to Viktor.

He looked at me as I approached. 'Gentle girl,' he said. 'You are free as I am free now.' He smiled and closed his eyes. Slowly his breathing stilled.

'He's gone,' my grandmother said. She hugged Shala, and then standing up, drew me too into the hug.

'Who was he?' Bretie whispered. 'He looks a bit like a bear but his head is that of a man.'

'That's because he was a man,' Danug said.

'A man who suffered more than anyone should suffer,' James added. 'But he is free now, and gone to the Lord.'

'The Lord?'

'The man we saw, He is the Lord, He is the one who ended the time warp.'

'But wasn't it the Mother?' Druwez asked.

'The Lord is many things, a mother and a father, a spirit and a son. He has taken this poor man's spirit to heaven now, where there are no more tears or sorrows.'

'What will we do with him?' I asked.

'We will bury him,' James said. 'Give him a funeral worthy of a servant of the Lord.'

'And what about you?'

James shrugged. 'It seems I am supposed to stay here.'

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

We stood around a mound of soil, the Pripyia and our visitors and new friends. James had attached two piece of tree branches together with the strands of the rope we had used to escape and placed them by where Viktor's head was, far below.

'For as much as it has pleased The Lord in His great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ.'

'What does that mean?' I asked Danug.

'No idea,' he whispered back.

I watched as James picked up some soil and threw it on the grave.

'Goodbye Viktor,' he said. 'You have your reward now.'

OOOOOOOOOOO

I didn't return to the cave I had grown up in, no one did, no one wanted to go near it, fearful that it would once again trap them. Our people split up between the caves but for me there was another plan.

It was spring when he asked.

'Shana, I need to return to the Mamutoi,' Danug said. 'But I want you to come back with us, as my mate.'

Druwez had already asked Bretie the same question but I had more to think about.

'What about Shala, and my grandmother?'

'They could come too. My people would welcome them.'

'And James? You know how close he has grown to Shayla.'

Danug laughed. 'I've noticed. I would really like for him to come too. I think he would really enjoy to see how my people live.'

I nodded. 'maybe you should ask him.'

'To mate me? No, I would rather join with you.'

'No silly,' I slapped him. 'You should ask him to come.'

'Okay, I will but only when I know your answer?'

'I will mate you, if you can convince my grandmother and James to come.'

'And if I can't?'

I sighed. 'I can't leave them behind.'

He looked at his feet. 'So you don't want to mate me?'

'I…'

'If I stayed here, would you mate me then?'

'Yes,' I said, smiling at him. 'Yes, I would. In a heartbeat.'

He grinned at me. 'That is all I need to know,' he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up and swung me around. Then he placed me back on my feet and leant down and kissed me on the lips. 'That is all I need to know,' he whispered. 'I love you Shana.'

My heart skipped a beat, jerking around in my chest and for a moment I was speechless but I knew what I had to say. 'Danug,' I said, holding his face in my hands. 'I would really like to be your mate because I love you too. Now go and convince the others to come with us.'

He put his arm around my waist. 'We will convince them together.'

The End.