Chapter 6
Note: This chapter was inspired from a scene from the remake of Beauty and The Beast and a song (How Does a Moment Last Forever Montmatre) from the movie is featured in this chapter with a little twist of course.
The three of us walked together in the woods until we saw entrance to a cave. Balto stepped forward and sniffed the entrance in case of danger or trouble.
"No one is here, we're good." Balto assured us. Jenna followed him inside and I was still confused about going to a empty cave for escaping. Balto came out and saw me standing there like a newt.
"Are you coming?" he asked. I took a deep breath and entered the cave.
The cave was a bit dark, gloomy, and with little light. As we walked deeper into the cave, I saw some mysterious light shining dim. The light grew a bit brighter, as we walked towards close to it. Until we made it, the lights were mineral crystals that were hanging from the stone, rock walls, like chandeliers hanging in a stateroom. A sudden feeling of a prescience drew me towards some carvings on the walls like they were from Natives. However, I could only see wolf carvings and wolf pack carvings. Surprisingly I saw the same wolf that I came across last night. She was all in white and her face was the similar depiction that I saw.
"What is this place?" I asked.
Balto knew I was a bit misunderstood about escaping. "I was shown to this from a elder wolf named Nava, who was a shaman. We came across each other one day and knew I missed Aleu. He than showed me this cave we went to see her." I looked at Jenna with my shoulders raised up. She smiled and understands that I was confused. She placed the bag onto the ground and Balto opened it up to reveal broken bottles.
"What's the point of broken bottles?" I asked.
"They're polar ice caps." Jenna answered as she turned towards her mate with a smile.
"What would say about the mineral crystals in the ceiling?" I asked again.
"The sun." Balto answered. He manages to fix the bottles pointing towards the northern direction. The lights from the crystals transferred to the bottles and shine on the carvings in all colors.
"Like the aurora borealis." I gasped in amazement. Balto and Jenna walked towards.
"Since we don't use it as much since we have our own better escaping moments. You should have experience." Balto said as he placed his paw on my hand as Jenna followed. I placed on my hand on the blazing carvings as they placed their paws on mine hand.
"Think of something you always remembered seeing something beautiful in your life." Jenna said.
"Or think of a place that holds dear to you so long." Balto also added.
I closed my eyes and started to think about one place... home.
In seconds, I felt that we're lifted to the skies and traveled through the clouds at night.
We started to descend and land somewhere that the floor was wood, and no wind was blowing through us. I opened my eyes to see a room that was familiar to me. I stood up and looked around to figure out where I was. Balto and Jenna looked around as well.
"Where did you take us?" They asked me.
I couldn't answer until I saw a family picture of me and my family on a table. The memories came back to me where we are.
"Anchorage." I answered.
"I use to remember visiting there on trip to visit with my owner." Jenna recalled. "What should we do now?"
"Want to chase sticks by moonlight, see the mountains, or the town?" Balto asked. They waited for my response, until they saw me trying to remember.
"I never could remember how long that I used to live here." I said.
"What is it?" She asked.
"This house is where I used to live when I was a child."
Balto and Jenna looked at each other and looked back at me. I walked around until I saw a stuffed bear was on the floor. I picked up and the memories starting to come back to me.
This is the Alaska of my childhood
These were the borders of my life
In this crumbling, dusty, home
Where a fisherman loved his wife
Easy to remember, harder to move on
Knowing the Alaska of my childhood is gone.
I sighed as the bits of childhood memories started to reshape. I could see some my family's belongings drenched with cobwebs and dust. Jenna walked around in circles, as for Balto, he was still.
"What happened to your family?" Jenna asked.
My head was lowered. "I never know exactly what happened to my family. All I know I have a disease inside me."
Balto was shocked when I revealed my reality. He decided to sniff around until he found a small capsule. "Is that medicine?" I looked at him, following Jenna as well, he sniffed again and he's ears were lowered.
"Plague." He sadly said.
I couldn't believe it, I decided to raise my shirt partially up until I saw the spot that my doctor months ago diagnose me. The sight of it cause me to lean on the walls of eerie memoirs and despair dragging me down to the ground.
Flashback
I was sick in bed as my parents were near death from the plague with my younger brother already dead. A doctor was inspecting me see myself possibly curable. My parents decided to have me leave. The doctor started to pick me up and I was resisting because I didn't want to leave my family behind. Before I never saw their faces again, my parents blow a kiss to me as I waved.
Flashback ends
In paralysis, I couldn't bear losing my family to a disease that was carried over. As I looked at the spot, Balto and Jenna were in shock. Balto walked towards me as I began to wept some tears from forgotten about my family's fate and possibly sealing mine. He nuzzled me for comfort and placed his paw on my knee.
"I'm sorry for your family's lost." He apologized. Jenna started to drop a tear.
In unbearable emotion, I couldn't let go what happened and I cannot stop the tears. "Let's go home."
Jenna came to Balto's side and nuzzled, as she felt sadness from the room. He nuzzled back and lick her to dry her tear, than he turned back at me and nodded with a slim, warm smile.
