The sun was lollygagging around in a sapphirine sky emitting such warmth and brightness the Alaskan day was comparable to a day on a tropical island. The resplendence telling each seed to burst the testa that bound it and send slender roots deep into the earth and tender shoots heavenward.

Walt rested with his back against a tree soaking in all the heavenly rays and enjoying the greenwood. A multitude of birds threw back their heads, opened their throats, and produced a preponderance of melodious notes meant for all the world to hear except for those few intended to be caught by the ever listening ears of a loving mate. Butterflies flitted from flower to flower in their jerky stop and go way and while finding food to sustain and nourish their own tiny bodies cross pollinated their landing pads to insure another season of gestation.

His lunch consisted of a biscuit, flavor enhanced by a thin layer of grape jelly, some hard cheese and a pint bottle brimming with warm tea diluted by a teaspoon of sugar and ten or twelve drops from a can of condensed milk.

He removed his hunting knife from his sheath. The knife was an original he had envisioned and with the adeptness of an master carver caused to exist. The handle was a portion of an old elk antler its owner had shed. The blade was the major part of a flat file that had been ground, shaped, honed, and polished into a product worthy of its creator.

He had cut a piece of hard cheese and stuck the knife into the ground in case he wanted more. Never had he tasted a dry biscuit and cheese that appeased his appetite more. Completing his splendid snack he withdrew his knife from the ground and was overwhelmed with surprise to discover the first quarter inch of the blade glistening in golden splendor. Rising to his knees and using his hands as a shovel he cleaned away half an inch of rich top soil and uncovered nugget after nugget the size of hen's eggs. He had heard of but never knew such a thing really existed. He had discovered Alaska's newest glory hole.

In a nanosecond his life had gone from a gold seeking nobody to a man of means. The food was sufficient to satisfy his bodily hunger and the gold had satisfied his mental lust. He heaped what little food remained in his pack on the ground in a neat pile and invited the birds to come fill their tiny stomachs. With peaked enthusiasm he filled his backpack to overflowing with gold, marked the tree, and drew a map to be sure he'd be able to find it later. Though his pack was teeming with weighty metal it didn't appear to be heavier than a shadow. He carefully adjusted the pack on his back and headed in the direction of his cabin. His attention was drawn to movement in the heavens and looking up he saw a huge golden eagle circle overhead two or three times and in slow descending circles land on the ground twenty feet in front of him. This fabulous bird of prey, renown for power and courage, measured four feet from beak tip to the utmost end of its tail. Beautiful huge wings extended nine feet from tip to tip. The brown body plumage had a golden mist mingled with the feathers that ran over the area back of the neck and head. As Walt stood in phenomenal awe the eagle changed slightly and diminished in size. Instead of the great golden eagle it had become a slightly smaller bald eagle. Gradually his external features went through a metamorphic change and soon he standing on four feet and his body was adorned with fur instead of feathers. A mammoth white wolf stood in Walt's path. A hundred and eighty pounds heavy and seven feet long from snout to tail's end. At a leisurely pace the body began to change again and now standing in front of him was a bear of some seventeen hundred pounds. Cinnamon in color and standing ten feet tall from the ground to top of his head. Walt wanted to turn and run but knew it wouldn't do any good for he could never outrun such a magnificent beast. As he watched, paralyzed by wonder, the figure in front of him transformed itself for the last time. Filling the spot where the bear once stood was a young indian and as he started walking toward Walt he spoke,

"I'm the shaman called Wataka. I'm from a time before the hills were formed, before water flowed on earth, and before man was given power over all the animals. I'm guide and protector of all the spirits that have wandered the earth. Man and beast are both in my care."

Walt bowed his head slightly in recognition of an omnipotent being. He felt small, almost insignificant, in the presence of such a majestic entity. Various emotions surges through his body but fear was not one of them.

"I watched as you changed your appearance several times," Walt said, ?and somehow I feel you didn't appear just to startle me with your ability to change like that. Is there something you want of me?"

"I've come for your help. On a mountain side a days walk from here there's a cave and inside the mountain I stand watch over all the good spirits from time immemorial. Spirits of men and animals that have given up their earthly forms and now sometime wander throughout the world to guide and protect those who need help. All the spirits return to the cave to rejuvenate their power and receive a new earthly body to watch over and protect. An evil force has found our sanctuary and is trying to invade us. You need to replace the boulder in the mouth of the cave. It's a sacred boulder and evil spirits can't pass through it."

"If the protective boulder has been there all these many years why has it moved?"

"There are other spirits that rule the universe and all of them are not protectors. Some of the spirits cause floods, earthquakes, fires and things of destruction. One of the spirits caused the earth to move and roll away the boulder and open our passage way to them. I will tell you all you must know as we travel but we have one big problem now; time."

"Then let us be on our way if I'm to help," Walt said as he turned in the direction where Wataka was now pointing.

"First you must rid yourself of the gold. It is too heavy and will be of no use in completing the task you must perform." Each word he spoke added ten pounds to the backpack and Walt struggled to remain upright.

Reluctantly he dropped the pack from his back. "Never in my lifetime have I owned more gold than I do at this moment but if it's going to be a hindrance I'll leave it here. If time is short we had better hurry."

They started off with the enthusiasm of two Olympic cross country runners and covered several miles before Walt had to stop and rest.

"Don't linger long in this spot, Walt. By sunset tomorrow evening the boulder must be in place or all is lost. We must walk on through the night and start work even as the sun starts to climb into the sky. Once the cave entrance is once more concealed you can rest all you want."

They had rested but a moment yet Walt rose from the log he was sitting on physically restored and anxious to hurry toward his destination.

He noticed strange changes coming over Wataka. The closer they got to the mountain the older the shaman became and now instead of walking he appeared to float several inches above the ground.

They arrived just before sunrise and his traveling mate looked older than stars that were losing their twinkle. Walt saw the boulder and the hole he must fill it with. The cave was sixty feet up the mountain side and sixty five feet from where the boulder was sitting. He immediately placed his shoulder against the boulder and gave a shove but the massive piece of stone remained at rest in exactly the same spot. Again he put his shoulder to the boulder and with a mighty heave rolled the boulder to the upgrade at the foot of the mountain.

"I'll never get this up there without help," Walt said to Wataka.

"Yes you will," came the reply, "I'm only a spirit and I can't help you. It's something you must do by yourself."

Walt walked the distance from the boulder to the hole in the mountain side removing everything in the path and on hands and knees used his hunting knife to dig a small trench six inches deep and eighteen inches wide all the way back to the rock. This antagonistic foe would require his deepest thoughts and every ounce of strength he could muster. He searched for, and found, a tree without branches about ten feet long laying on the ground, and a rock about the size of a bowling ball. He placed the larger end of the tree under the boulder and placing the smaller end to his left shoulder he gave a mighty heave. The boulder moved about ten inches and he kicked the rock as close to its bottom as possible. The big rock moved slightly back but held its new position. Again he repeated the same maneuver and inch by inch moved the mammoth boulder toward its previous resting place.

By noon he had moved the boulder some forty feet and felt like he had moved it a hundred miles. Inch by inch he struggled with his load as foot by uphill foot the mountain steepened. He had moved the boulder to within eighteen inched of the hole and was now near victory over a worthy adversary. He placed the tree in position as he had done so many times before and with the tree resting against his left shoulder gave a shove that should have moved the boulder and closed the hole. Instead of movement he heard a bone snap and pain folded him over worse than a solid hard hit to a soft belly. The unbearable pain knocked him to the ground. Walt yelled in pain as Wataka floated to his side.

"Get up and finish the job."

"I can't push it another inch, Wataka, the pain is tearing me apart. Never has there been a pain like this."

"Are you a child that a little pain stops you in your tracks? Your mother went through far worse pain the day she gave you birth. If I had known you were such a baby I'd have chosen another to help me, someone who doesn't give up so quickly. Now get back there and move the boulder the rest of the way."

"I can't, Wataka, my shoulder is broken."

"You have two shoulders. Place the tree against the right one and move the boulder into place. There are only a few minutes left before the sun sinks in the west and all is lost."

"I can't....."

"You must. Now get on our feet and do it."

With great difficulty Walt rose to his feet as his sweat soaked, pain riddled, body fought against his every move.

"Tim, Tim, Tim," he shouted, "where are you when I need you most?" He felt like someone had seared his shoulder with a red hot branding iron and forgotten to remove it. Gritting his teeth he placed the tree on his right shoulder and shoved. He let out a yell that must have scared every spirit inside the mountain cave and fell to the ground exhausted. Sweat poured from his body like water from a spigot. Wataka came to his side again.

"You have done yourself proud. You've moved the boulder into its protective position and now you must receive your reward. Take my hand and all your pain will be relieved." Walt reached up and took Wataka's hand in his own. A painless calm settled over his entire body and he felt like a healthy boy of sixteen.

"You've done as I asked and now you shall see what you have saved." Walt felt himself float above the ground and as the last glows of the evening sun faded in the west he felt himself pass through the rock and into the hole beyond. The cave should have been dark inside but instead it was as light inside as it would have been on the outside on a bright moonlit night. Far ahead there seemed to be a brilliance comparable to a million volt light bulb and as he turned to question Wataka he discovered he was alone.

As he walked toward the light the first thing he saw was a golden owl sitting on the limb of a golden tree. The owl spread its wings and as silently as a cloud floating in a peaceful sky flew close to Walt. It stopped in mid air just inches from his face and the golden eyes burned themselves into his. Fascinated, spell bound, he watched the eyes of the golden bird and saw a small drop start to grow in the owl's eye and stop when it was the size of a pearl. As it fell from the eye and plunged toward the golden floor, without thought, Walt lifted his right hand from his side and plucked the golden object from the air. He glanced down and in the palm of his hand was holding a golden tear. He looked back at the owl in time to see it move a few feet to his right and float motionless in the air.

His attention was drawn to another movement off to his left and a small golden hummingbird was moving toward him and hovered just inches in front of his face. Slowly the bird moved in and kissed him on the lips. The beak of the little bird was as soft as a baby's breath and as sweet as nectar. Inner peace filled his soul as warmth flooded over him that he never knew was within the realm of possibility. The humming bird floated for a moment and Walt lifted his hands reaching to hold the bird so he could draw it to his heart. Subconsciously he knew the bird wanted to be held but it flew to the owl and landed on the owl's back and as they flew to the far end of the cave it melted into the owl and they became one.

He turned to his left again as movement was coming from that direction. This time however it was huge. A golden bear was walking toward him but as huge as the animal was it made no sound. Even if Walt wanted to move he couldn't. He was transfixed in one spot. The beast moved close to him and raising its mammoth paw placed it on Walt's left shoulder. Its touch was as light as a thought and again tranquillity filled him and spread throughout his body like wildfire. The bear hesitated only a moment and then went on its way so Walt continued his walk toward the back of the cave.

Everything there was gold yet it appeared alive. A beautiful golden wolf ran by followed by a deer, a buffalo, and an elk. All the beasts Walt had ever seen before paraded by in animalistic splendor. He focused his eyes in the distant light and it increased in brilliance the farther into he cave he explored. He walked past golden stalactites hanging from the roof of the cave and he had to sidestep the golden stalagmites that were standing in his pathway. As he neared the illumination the brightness became so intense he shielded his eyes so he could look ahead. There on a golden throne in the middle of a lake of liquid gold sat Wataka.

"Anything you have seen is yours if you want it. What gift can I give you?"

"When I first came to Alaska, Wataka, I was so greedy I would have died for any item you have here. Now it doesn't impress me at all."

"Is there nothing here that you want?"

"I don't believe you can give me what I want."

"Ask and we'll see."

"More than gold I need wisdom. Can you give that to me?"

"What need do you have that requires you to be wise?"

"I have a young friend who has been sent to me for help and guidance. I need wisdom to steer him in the right direction."

"I don't have to give you what you ask for. Your answer says you already have an abundance of wisdom but I will give you a word of advice. Whatever happens between the two of you always let your heart rule. Anything else?"

"I would ask two favors of you," Walt said after a moment of deep thought.

"What are they?"

"First, I'd like to keep the golden tear. Somehow it means more to me than anything else in the cave."

"It?s yours to keep forever, BUT, you can?t take it with you now. What is your second request?"

"I'd like to return to my cabin. Tim is there alone and he must be worried about me."

"You'll return home soon but first I have some additional gifts I want you to have. In a period of time, when your need it great, a huge white wolf will come to your door and lay a buck he has just captured within your reach. You'll see a raccoon washing an object in the stream near your cabin. He'll clean it and place it on the ground for you. This is very important. You must have this item on your being until the time comes for you to join me here again. Later a wise old owl will appear and tell you it's time to take a short trip. Your journey will be guided by the eagle who will soar overhead until you reach you're journey's end. To be sure you're in the right place brother rattlesnake will give you a signal. You'll be led back to the tree where I first meet you and some gold will still be there. You'll be led to a mountain side much like the one you labored up today. You'll see boulders sixty feet up the mountain and if you remove the right boulder you'll have treasure beyond your wildest dreams. But first you must undergo some trials to prove yourself worthy of my gifts. As steel is tempered to produce a worthy product, you will be too. But for now return to your cabin.