Chapter 7

Author's Note: Song in this chapter is Phone Call To God by Brett Eldredge from the movie's soundtrack for The Shack.

Soon after we traveled back to the cave, I still felt that I was hit deep under the stomach rock bottom. As I watched Jenna and Balto bidding goodbye and goodnight, the skies began to go black with stars gazing the night sky. Balto and I exited out of the cave and started to head back to Nome.

"How do you know all about my past?" I asked.

Balto stopped and turned. "Excuse me?"

"How do you know?" I asked.

He just remained silent with a sigh. I could have thought that he had set me up for something or a trick. "I didn't.

"Of course he didn't know."

A voice came. I thought it would be the same wolf that I saw at Nome. Balto sniffed into the air and recognized the scent.

"Nava, why are you?" He asked.

Who? I thought.

A elderly wolf came out from the trees' shadows. "I noticed that you used the cave to show someone's past."

"Yes. Bret this is Nava." Balto introduced me to the wolf.

He tried to come towards me, but I became hesitate to acknowledge his existence without knowing how he knew about my past.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions and I do say that you may be upset about my knowledge of your past." Nava said.

"Are you some sort of wizard or psychic?" I asked.

The wolf chuckled from my little humor question. "I'm a shaman."

"From a tribe?"

"From a pack that I no longer lead, his daughter took the led of my clan." he answered.

I started to think more and became more confused if I tried to go off topic of my main reason I wanted to know.

"Come... led me your hand." he said, as he reach his paw towards me.

I could be in for a trickery that most psychics people sometimes go to what I heard could trick people.

"Nothing's happening right?" I asked him as I felt distrust while bending my knees down to the ground.

Balto knew I was hesitate with distrust, he placed his paw on my shoulder.

"My brother only I wanted is your hand so I could answer your question." Nava reassured.

I looked back as Balto nodded. I slowly reached my hand towards Nava's paw. He closed his and went on some sort of transitive moment I presume. I thought it was a bit of waste and I could try to figure out my past myself. Nava opened his eyes from his thinking process.

"You had a happy family, but your family's life has been cut short from the plague that you still have."

Giving a stern look at Nava tells him that I wasn't surprised when reveals my illness.

"Over time, you were under care from your adopted guardians that you had hard relationship and you left. You worked as you lived until, what the humans called 'the market crash'. You decided to find work out in the wilderness." Nava finished.

"I guess you have it." I said with disappointment. Nava just stared as for Balto... he never could gone through this much damage of experience in his lifetime like I experience.

"Look... I appreciate your help, but I'll have to take my leave from here." I thanked the elderly wolf and I ran.

Balto called for me, but I continued to run until arriving back in Nome.


I stopped and took a few breaths after running from the woods. After resting, I decided to walk through town to clear my head and move on. The wind blew colder than before without any snow coming down and my feet started to go numb from the snow. I came across with Nome's local church, I decided to see if I could try to think for explanation. I noticed the door was unlocked and I entered the church and walked through the walkway of the sanctuary. I found a piano that doesn't have a single dust and sat on the chair. My fingers started to play a few keys until I sang my frustrations, questions, and my need of prayer.

On the back of a quarter

I found on the floorboard

It's stamped in silver that I should trust

So I gather all the courage that I can muster

And I drop it in the slot

Here I am, just a man, making a phone call to God

Wit a sound of your voice burn up the lines

I wonder if you'll answer all the wonders why

Hallelujah

Will I find my place and my piece of mind

Will I get it back if I give you time

Hallelujah

Oh maybe it's just better I don't know

How it's gonna end or how it's gonna go-

Regrets and mistakes

And all the hearts that I did break

Will I ever get to see my Grandma's face

With all the hell that I have raised

I know she's up there shakin' her head and saying a prayer

Am I breaking up or am I clear

When I hang up do you just disappear

Could you hand off the phone to my Uncle Joe

And tell me if the streets are really paved with gold

Hallelujah

With both sides of the knees down to the end

How do you choose who's gonna lose and win

I'm good at talking maybe I should be listening

Oh, is this real or is this just a dream- yeah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Sometimes it feels just like the whole world's bleeding

Heal my own belief and keep those angels singing

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I read every word you said (Hallelujah)

Every word written in red (Hallelujah)

Come on heal my broken heart (Hallelujah)

Making a phone call to God (Hallelujah)

Hallelujah (Hallelujah)

You got the whole world in your hands (Hallelujah)

Hallelujah (Hallelujah)

Can you hear my prayer? (Hallelujah)

Making a phone call... (Hallelujah...)


After playing my last of few keys, I stopped and couldn't speak with tears. Hearing voices from the past continues to haunt me, I can't be able to breathe or getting the voices out of my head. I tried to yell for the voices to cease, but it continues grow louder and louder.

It's okay.

A voice came again. The voices of past came so that you remember your struggles, but importantly you need to turn yourself over to Me so I could remove your pain and agony.

I tried to shake my head and doesn't work. The voice continues to repeat the same phrase.

"ENOUGH! I NEED YOUR HELP GOD! PLEASE REMOVE MY PAIN AND AGONY!" I yelled for plead of help. "I TRUST YOU! YOUR MY LORD AND SAVIOR! YOU MADE ME IN YOUR IMAGE FROM YOUR CREATION! PLEASE WASH MY SINS AWAY WITH JESUS'S BLOOD AS I TRUST IN HIM AND BELIEVE IN HIS SUFFERING ON THE CROSS!"

So afterwards the voices came to cease and the lights shine from the stained glass windows. I continued to cry as I bend my knees and bowed to the cross behind the pulpit.

Bret. You should be in longer in pain as you reconcile your past. I'll be with you always, even at the end of time. Your friend Balto is worried about you. Go to him.

The voice came and vanishes. I decided to listen to God and what he wanted me to do.


After exiting the church, I made my long walk to Balto's home while watching the Aurora Borealis dances to the clear starry sky. The air became clear that I could smell the fresh air for the first time. As I made it to the wrecked boat, I saw Balto was still up wondering where I could be.

By the time I arrived, his ears pointed up and heard my arrival. He came down from the plank and met him while climbing up. He made a warmly smile with relief that I was safe. I kneel down and hugged with soft joy. He even gave me a lick between my right eye and my right cheek. We climbed up, laid down next to each other with a warm blanket covering us from the cold. I wrapped my arms around him like a child cradling a parent when a child sleeps with the parents after a nightmare.

I looked up on the stars before closing my eyes... "Thank God for helping me." After closing my eyes a comforting voice came to my left ear.

He'll be in your heart as friend, angel, and guide.