The twin suns of Alpha Centauri were slowly setting on the eastern horizon (which was west on Nimh-Beta) as the group finally emerged from the ruins of the Temple, which had once been the NIMH-One. Picking up the rear was a silent and utterly depressed Josh, who hadn't spoken a word since they'd left the bridge.
A husk of misery, Josh stared in dismay at the curiously shaped spires of the Temple, which, he now realised, were the Nimh-One's semi-fossilised drive tubes. Now that he knew what this place really was, he saw it in a whole new light. The ship was resting with a slight list due to its collapsed undercarriage, the heat shield completely buried. Scattered around the crash site, he could see the corroded husks of old machinery, which his crew had set up long ago. Even the rich vegetation of Thorn Valley had no doubt originated from the ship's hydroponics, which had leaked into the environment over the years, creating this jungle paradise.
Staring at the ancient wreck of his ship, Josh couldn't suppress a smirk. His companions had no idea what they had here. What, to them, was merely a sacred site of great historical significance was, in fact, a treasure cache of technology waiting to be tapped into. For a start, they had a functioning nuclear power plant, radio technology, the ship's e-library, OWL's A.I. hologram, propulsion systems, and a thousand other things that could revolutionise their simple agricultural society overnight.
If the Rats could only comprehend the possibilities this ancient relic of the human race had to offer and began exploiting it properly, within a matter of years, Josh figured, they could transform their world into a technologically-advanced civilisation, maybe even go into space travelling themselves. Of course, there was little chance he would be around to see any of it, and even so, what good would it do him when he was stranded thousands of years in the future, by which point the human race back on Earth was probably long extinct?
With night approaching, Justin and Brutus had decided that they should camp here for the night and set off for Rosebush City in the morning. Leaving his companions to set up camp, Josh made his way back down to the lake, supposedly to begin the repairs on the glider for the return flight. Right now, all he wanted was to be left alone, to try and come to grips with his fate. Thankfully, his companions, feeling for him, had left him to it.
In spite of his work, nothing could distract Josh from his misery. Even as he focused on stitching up the tears in the glider's nylon skin and tightening all the loose cables to the king-post, his sense of despair and hopelessness kept tormenting him without end. How he wished he had a bottle of whiskey to drown his sorrows – or, better still, a cyanide pill to end his misery for good.
He looked at the glider, his sole creation. Once he'd finished the repairs, he thought, he could take off alone, get as high as he could, and then send it into a suicide nose-dive, ending it all, nice and quick... Then again, he doubted he could bring himself to do something that extreme. Frustrated by the unfairness of his misfortune, he kicked the thing nearest to him, which happened to be a pebble, sending it flying into the bushes.
"Ow!"
The cry of pain shook Josh to the core as he recognised the voice of Elizabeth. Sure enough, he saw his friend emerge, nursing her left eye where the pebble had hit her. Cursing himself for his carelessness, Josh hurried over to her.
"Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Biff. I didn't see you there… Are you all right?"
"No harm done, Josh," said Elizabeth timidly, nursing her eyebrow, but smiling at him, implying no hard feelings, "I guess I had it coming for peeping on you like this."
"I didn't mean it, Biff, honestly," said Josh guiltily, tenderly feeling her hurt eye, relieved to see that it was nothing serious, other than some mild bruising, "So, what is it you want?"
"Josh, I…" she mumbled timidly, fingering the hem of her cape uneasily, "I just wanted to tell you that I…well, I…" Josh, feeling his depression flaring up again and not in the mood for listening to any more pitiful sympathy, had to restrain himself from losing his temper and lashing out at her.
"Well then, what?" he snapped, a little harsher than he had intended, in spite of himself, "Look, Biff, please don't get me wrong, but I really don't want your pity. I've already lost everything and everyone I've ever known. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to be left in peace…"
"Josh, please don't say that," said Elizabeth, taking his hand, "I understand how you must feel, but I just wanted to tell you that I…"
"Oh, confound it, can't you just leave me alone?!" Josh half-shouted, roughly pulling his hand away, "I told you I don't want your pity…!" But his voice stuck in his throat when suddenly, and completely unexpectedly, he found himself being pulled into a passionate kiss by Elizabeth.
The kiss felt utterly electrifying for Josh. All his anger and misery instantly evaporated as he felt those tender lips caressing his, that tender feeling of love and bliss flowing through every inch of his body like some heavenly energy of life. At this moment, it didn't matter that she was a mouse and he a human. He felt like he was wrapped in the wings of an angel, as she deepened the kiss, a seemingly enchanted Josh returning it in kind. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally pulled apart, staring in utter surprise at each other, realising what they had just done.
"Guess I should take back what I just said, huh?" said Josh sheepishly. The misery at realising his old life was gone forever and his contemplating suicide felt like a lifetime ago. He was a new man now, his hopes restored. Despite the uncertainty of his future, his newfound love for Elizabeth and vice-versa had given him the strength he needed to carry on. Somehow, somewhere, he would rebuild his life, whatever that turned out to be.
Elizabeth, whom Josh had accidentally lifted off her feet, to make up for her short stature, lovingly caressed his face. For the first time in years, she once again felt the warmth of true love, and not the bitter loneliness of a poor widow. The gaping hole left in her heart from her husband's disappearance had finally healed. Justin's wise words, that confessing her true feelings to Josh would set them both free, flashed back in her mind. He sure had been right. Although, she too, couldn't help but feel uneasy at the thought as to how it would affect her life, being in love with a human, her heart told her their feelings for each other were true and genuine.
Soon, the two of them were lost in the bliss of another kiss, wrapped in each other's embrace. In the midst of their romance, a panting Elizabeth muttered, "I love you, Josh."
"I love you too, Biff," muttered Josh, deepening the kiss, lovingly holding her close. I wonder if there's mistletoe blooming above our heads…
Neither of them noticed Justin, who had followed Elizabeth, watching them from the bushes nearby, trying to ignore the bittersweet feeling in his heart. He could never hope to win Elizabeth's heart anymore; Josh had beaten him to it, fair and square. But, at least, it comforted him to know that Elizabeth had finally found love again, and he was sure that even Jonathan, if he was watching from above, would have approved. That was enough for him to swallow his pride and move on.
Josh and Elizabeth returned to camp half an hour later, holding hands, looking mighty pleased with themselves, earning them many curious glances from the rest of their companions. The Rats had built a campfire inside the ship's hibernation bay, using the hole in the ceiling as a chimney, while Mr Ages had wondered off to document the flora of Thorn Valley for his report to Nicodemus. Suddenly, they heard the old mouse calling out from the direction of the lake.
"Everyone, get down here, now!"
Thinking he was in trouble, the Rats quickly grabbed their weapons and rushed over to find out what was going on, followed by Josh and Elizabeth. They found Ages staring at something lying half-buried beneath a blanket of ivy and moss on the edge of the woods, close to the water's edge. Looking closer, they realised it was a raft.
Fashioned out of logs lashed together with reed-fibre rope, they could see the craft, although a simple design, had taken some skilled handiwork to build. Lying flat on it were the parts of a makeshift rudder, oars, and even a mast, complete with a folded sail fashioned out of an old blanket. The raft, although shabby from age, looked completely unused. The identity of who had built it was obvious.
"It's Jonathan's," said Justin, recognising the familiar handiwork of his old friend. So far, they had been unable to locate the explorer's remains anywhere, leading them to assume that maybe he had left Thorn Valley safely, only to perish on the return journey. But this latest discovery now told them otherwise.
"It seems he never left here after all," said Brutus with a frown.
"Then, what happened to him?" asked Elizabeth, starting to feel slightly ashamed for expressing her love for Josh earlier, when she still hadn't found out what had become of her dear husband, "Where did he go?"
"Let's go back to the Temple and search his quarters," suggested Justin, "Maybe he's left behind something that can give us a clue as to what happened here."
Returning to the NIMH-One, they began searching the wreck for where Jonathan had lodged during his visit. His makeshift quarters were in another compartment, which Josh recognised as the ship's galley. Like the rest of the ship, the room was ruinous and overrun with earth and dust, barely recognisable, save for the stainless-steel table still standing in the centre of the room, where Josh and his crew used to have their meals. The rotating chairs, their frames rusted and missing their upholstery padding, but otherwise intact, still stood bolted to the floor around it. Josh's mind briefly flashed back to when he had last sat at that table, having, what would turn out to be, his last meal with his crew. He smirked grimly at the memory of Fitzgibbons refusing his request for manned space flights. If that man was watching him from above, he'd probably be laughing his lungs out at his fate.
In a corner was a straw mattress with a damp rabbit-skin blanket thrown on top, which had been Jonathan's camp bed. A simple haversack, a leather water-pouch and a hiking staff lay beside it. On the table, which Jonathan had been using as a desk it seemed, stood an extinguished oil lantern, an empty ink-pot and quill, but, strangely, no papers. The whole room was cluttered with artefacts he had collected from around the wreck for his archaeological survey: fragments of machinery, bits of equipment, some personal effects of the crew, amongst other trinkets.
They searched the room. Could there be something here that might explain Jonathan's mysterious disappearance? Was the missing fragment of the ship's Rosetta Disk here too? While the Rats and Mr Ages searched among the trinkets, Josh and Elizabeth went through Jonathan's haversack.
"That's most peculiar," remarked Mr Ages, noticing, not what was here, but rather what wasn't, "Where are all his notes, his maps, his journal? Where is the Stone? Where had it all gone?"
They found a number of interesting items, including the rusting dog tags of Josh's deceased crew, several unexploded grenades from the ship's armoury, which Josh hastily pocketed before Brutus decided to smash them like he'd done his gun and properly end up setting them off. He also pocketed the dog-tags, which was the closest thing to a body retrieval his long-dead crew would ever get: Penny Stacy, Gordon Boniface, Frank Wilson, Heinrich Strauss, Cole Schultz and George Stetson.Only Fitzgibbons' tags were missing, as the man had died in space and his body never found. That's all seven of them accounted for...
The haversack was more interesting. In it was a canvas toolkit, containing a hammer, knife, some chisels and brushes, a few folded shirts and some other personal possessions of Elizabeth's long-gone husband, but no sign of the Rosetta Disk. Then, Josh happened to glance inside a hole in the wall, which had once been the galley's microwave. Prying open the ancient microwave door, he found an oilcloth package containing a tattered journal, apparently hidden in there in a moment of panic. This might tell them something.
Taking a seat in one of the ancient chairs, Josh unwrapped the journal and flipped it open. His companions all gathered around eagerly as he began to read aloud. Jonathan's untold story was there all right, in black and white: how he, Nicodemus and Mr Ages, after years of research, had finally determined the location of Thorn Valley, and how he'd volunteered to undertake this solo expedition to find the Valley. Then followed his account of his perilous journey across the desert and the Dark Mountains, during which time he had narrowly escaped death from hunger, thirst and storms, until he'd finally made it to Thorn Valley.
Josh read aloud, "Day 21: Saved! Finally, after weeks of going round in circles, Thorn Valley lies before me. Today is a day that will go down in history forever. Like Nicodemus claimed his entire life, Thorn Valley is indeed real. I have also sighted the Temple of the Great Owl in the heart of the Valley, which I will explore tomorrow. How I wish my dearest Elizabeth and our children were here to share this glorious moment with me…"
The following several entries detailed Jonathan's discoveries while exploring Thorn Valley and the Temple of the Great Owl: meeting OWL for the first time; learning the secret of the Temple; and finally his discovery of the missing fragment of the Rosetta Disk. In-between pages were several neat carbon drawings of the Valley, the wreck of the NIMH-One, OWL's hologram, and of the many artefacts on display around the room. Josh paused on one particular entry, dating several weeks after his arrival.
"Day 52: I have finally come to the conclusion that this old flying ship from the stars was indeed made by humans and not of our kind, as our history books falsely claim. Skeletal remains discovered at a burial site close to the Temple confirm the presence of humans on our planet in ancient times, dispelling yet another false theory of humans and the Land of Nimh being mere myth. Further analysis of the wreck reveals the works of unknown science and technology, advanced way beyond our comprehension. I hope to unlock the mystery to all this extraordinary knowledge using the piece of the Stone, which I recovered today…"
"That's it! He found the Stone!" exclaimed Ages, looking like a kid in a candy store, "So where in the name of Nicodemus is the blasted thing…?!" The others however had little interest in the Rosetta Disk, as Josh moved on to the diary's final entry.
"Day 65: With winter approaching, I'm making preparations for departure. Returning the same way I came would be guaranteed suicide. However, with the help of the Great Owl, I have discovered an alternate route, along a river leading straight through the canyons of the Dark Mountains, all the way home. The raft is finally finished and ready for its test run. If all goes well, I will soon be on my way home. I can hardly wait to see my darling Elizabeth again. Meanwhile, this strange feeling of being watched still persists. Yesterday, I thought I spotted someone watching me from the top of the cliffs. For the first time since my arrival, I'm vigilant and living in fear…"
"He was being watched by someone?" asked Elizabeth, looking just as surprised at her husband's words as everyone else present, "Who?"
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" said Brutus with a frown, "It seems we might not be completely alone here after all." They all looked at each other in alarm; it hadn't crossed their minds until now that Thorn Valley might be home to some hostile marauders, picking off any intruders that trespassed here – marauders that could be watching them right now! It was then that Justin noticed something else lying on one of the chairs - something that wasn't part of Jonathan's collection.
The group flinched at the sight of a Rat's skull with the cranial lid sawn off, which, to Josh, looked like someone's sick idea of a fancy jack-o-lantern, "What the hell is that?"
"It's the Exiles' calling card," explained Justin grimly, "They leave these skulls behind at the site of their raids. They call it their Mark." Elizabeth clapped her hand over her mouth in horror, and even the Rats and Ages couldn't suppress a shudder. The disappearance of Jonathan, his missing papers and the Rosetta Disk, all now seemed to make sense.
"Is that what happened to my husband?" muttered Elizabeth in horror, picturing those bandits ambushing and slaughtering her beloved Jonathan in such a ghastly manner, to rob him of his prize. The others seemed to be thinking along the same lines too, as they hung their heads in sadness, their hopes of finding Jonathan alive quickly fading from their minds. Sure enough, Josh found a postscript on the overhead page, which Jonathan seemed to have hastily scribbled down in a moment of despair.
"The Exiles are coming for me, demanding the Stone. It seems they have been watching me all along. Completely outnumbered and with no hope of escape. Today is my daughter Cynthia's first birthday; how I wish I were home to celebrate it with my wife and children. But now I fear I'll never be seeing either of them again, nor will I be sharing my discoveries with the world. But if anyone ever finds this journal, I ask that you pass it on to King Nicodemus, so that this expedition will not be completely wasted. I love you my dearest Elizabeth and I'll always be with you in spirit. Please look after our children and raise them to be the outstanding young mice we've always intended them to be.
Jonathan Brisby."
Elizabeth stifled a sob as the journal came to an end. Although it gave her some sense of closure to finally know her husband's fate, it broke her heart reading his last goodbye. For the first time, she truly felt a widow. Seeing her distress, Justin gently placed his hands on her shoulders to comfort her.
"I'm so sorry, Biff," he said softly, "He was a good friend and a brave mouse, but those scoundrels make no distinction between their victims. Once you fall into their hands, you're done for. Even Jonathan couldn't possibly stand a chance against them alone. He died a hero and will always be remembered."
"And a fragment of the Stone is lost with him," concluded Mr Ages, looking more angry than sad, "One of the most priceless artefacts in history lost to a mob of filthy, thieving bandits! Confound it!"
Little did any of them realise that, at that very moment, not too far away, the very same bandits that had ambushed Jonathan years ago, armed to the teeth, were noiselessly surrounding the Temple, using the thick foliage of the Valley for concealment, waiting for nightfall to strike. The Exiles, who had been watching the group from afar since their arrival, were closing in for a surprise attack – only this time, they were after some very different booty.
Author's note: Now that Josh finally knows he's here to stay, his real adventures begin in earnest. Coming up next, the journey to Rosebush City and the first meeting with Nicodemus and Jenner. Enjoy and please review!