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"You saw the owl, Tim," Walt said all excited, "it's the one Wataka said he'd send." "I don't think so. It was just an old owl that thought the fur around my parka was something to eat. We'll never see it again." "Is that so? I think it was sent to tell us it's time to leave. As soon as we get our stuff together we've got to get started. Get my rifle and shells and we'll take a walk." "You aren't in any shape to walk yet. It may start your shoulder bleeding again----or something worse, and I really need to cut more wood." "It's time to go. The owl has told us so. Once we get on the trail keep your eyes open for a great golden eagle. He'll lead us to a special tree and from there to a big boulder." "Are you sure you're all right? You sound like you're four slices shy of a full loaf." "Believe me things will happen just like I say they will. Wataka told me what to expect. If the eagle doesn't come and we don't find the tree then I'll agree my gallon could be missing about a quart," Walt answered trying to keep his humor on the same level as his companions. "You've forgotten one thing, partner," Tim said trying to look smug. "What's that?" "If I remember correctly you told me a raccoon would give you a present first. I haven't seen anything yet but as long as you feel well enough to travel lets do it. We may be lucky and kill some more game." "We'll be far luckier than that. Let's get moving." "Would you care to tell me what direction to take?" "I don't know yet but once we're outside we'll get a sign." Tim adjusted his backpack and as he removed his rifle from the rack did something for the first time in his short life span he had never done before. He started talking to himself. "I think I've become friends with a nut. He was O. K. before the axe blade hit him but maybe he lost too much blood. It must have affected his mind. Maybe he didn't get enough oxygen to his brain and it left him a little daft." "Are you talking to me?" Walt questioned as he apprehensively turned from the cabin and moved in the direction of the forest. "No, I'm talking to myself. I sure hope you're up to this." "I'll fell a lot better when the eagle comes and shows us which direction to go in." But the eagle never came. They waited for hours with no results. Nothing was moving on the land and even the clouds were at a standstill. Walt placidly sat with his back against a tree and whistled while he waited. Poor, sympathetic, compassionate, Tim was hurting inside fearing for Walt's state of mind. Finally the luminary emission from Sol told them it was too late to travel, even on a short trip, so they returned home. Walt busied himself stoking the fire and humming "Home on the Range" and Tim wondered if his friend had finally flipped. "It's going to be a long night," Walt said looking around the somewhat bare room, "we better get some rest so we can try again tomorrow. I thought for sure our guide would come but evidently my timing is just a little off." "Your timing isn't the only thing a little bit off." Tim thought to himself really worried his partner may have hurt himself more than either one of them realized. Fearing delusion may have clouded his thinking Tim was about to tell Walt they needed to start for Fort Yukon at the first possible chance when two loud noises sounded outside the cabin door. A long swhiiisssh followed by a thud. They hurried to the door in time to see an eagle fly off into the distance and noticed a few feet in front of them a salmon laying on the ground. Walt's spirits soared. "Not only has he shown us what direction to take tomorrow he also brought us our supper. You clean the salmon and I'll set the table and get the frying pan ready." Now for the first time in his life Tim was speechless. Why were birds and animals bringing them food and where was it coming from. Maybe his older partner wasn't near as senile as he sometimes appeared since his long sleep. They cooked the fish and ate their meal sitting on blankets Tim had folded and piled to be used as table and chairs. With his stomach full and the cabin comfortably heated Tim felt talkative and was anxious to quiz his roomie. He convinced Walt to tell him all the phenomenal things that had transpired while he was delirious with fever. After listening to a tale that reeked of dementia Tim said, "I had the feeling you didn't like me very much when I first got here." "Of course I liked you but you were sick and really needed to see a doctor and I knew I didn't have enough supplies to last both of us." "Why did you come to Alaska? I always figured someone like you would be a doctor or a teacher or something like that." "I was never smart enough to teach, especially kids. They're always about ten steps ahead of me. I never had any desire to be a doctor even though my father was one and wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I just never had the calling. I did own a small business for awhile but I always had a yearning to come to Alaska; unless it's because I have a lot of Inuit blood in me. My great grandfather came here and married a beautiful Inuit woman and I guess I have inherited my love of wild things from her." "You called me Billy one night when you were about half asleep. Who was he?" If Tim could have stuffed the words back into his mouth he would have been glad to do so. No question he had ever asked before caused so much pain and Walt gave his answer in short sometimes breathless sentences. "Several years ago I had a wife and a son. He'd be exactly your age if I hadn't killed him. I didn't mean to. God knows I didn't mean to. I loved him and his mother more than anything on this earth. I seldom took a drink in my younger days but I did on rare occasions. I owned a TV and radio repair shop and was doing so well I opened a second one and put my brother in charge of it. He suggested we have a drink on the way home to celebrate the second shop. For some reason it tasted good and instead of having one we ended up having several. I didn't know I was drunk when I left the bar. My brother got into his car and drove home and I got into mine. I didn't feel any different than I had the day before except maybe a little happier. I turned into our driveway too fast and I didn't see Billy riding his tricycle. I hit him with the car and ran over him. I killed my son because I had been drinking. I swore I'd never take another drink as long as I live and I never have. In less than a year my wife died for no reason and the doctor said she died of a broken heart. She loved Billy so much she just couldn't live without him. In the blink of an eye, in a fraction of a second of stupidity, I had lost everything I loved in this world. I bummed around in the states for five years and then came here to see if I could find gold. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I really came to forget and see if I could ease the pain I was suffering. It took years but it's much easier now. The biggest reminder I had of my unhappiness since I came here was your mother. She looked so much like my Marjory." "I'm sorry. Some day I'll learn to keep my big mouth shut." "I was going to tell you when I figured the time was right and I guess now is as good as any." A thought formed in Tim's mind and shot bolts of inner electricity from toe to pate solidifying him in a statuesque state and at the same time released chills no amount of heat could dissipate. "I know the whole story now. I know why you saw the person you call Wataka. I know what the golden birds and animals are. I'm not sure why they're helping you but I'll figure it out. You said when you tried to move the boulder with your left shoulder you heard and felt the bone snap. Wataka made you use your right shoulder to close off the mouth of the cave. He gave you the will to live. Oh, Walt, you've been given a great blessing. When you were unconscious I heard you call my name three times asking for help. And the golden owl, the little hummingbird, and bear that touched your shoulder. Don't you know what they are, Walt?" Tim could hardly constrain the thoughts forming in his mind and bursting as words from his mouth. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "You died. I couldn't find a pulse or heartbeat for several minutes. You actually died. You said the farther you went into the cave the lighter it became and it got so bright you had to shield you eyes. You were in the tunnel of light. It wasn't Wataka you saw on a throne in the middle of a lake of gold. You were in the the presence of God. The owl that flew above you and cried a golden tear and dropped it into your hand was your wife. The little hummingbird that hovered in front of your face and kissed you; that was Billy. They were telling you they didn't blame you. You said you reached for the hummingbird and it got onto the owl's back and melted into it. That's because they are one. He came from her in the beginning and went back to her in the end. The bear that put his paw on your shoulder and made you feel better was your father. You have been truly blessed, Walt." "What are all the other things; the raccoon, the snake, the eagles and the wolf?" Walt asked believing and disbelieving at the same time the words spewing from the lad. "I don't know right now, but I bet we can figure it out. The eagles in your life have got to be people that guided and protected you. You know, someone like your mother or high school teacher. The raccoon is supposed to give you a gift and the wolf has already given you the buck. So they have to be people that have helped you in the past. The snake I'll have to think about. It's supposed to show you where the greatest treasure on earth is. Oh, God, Walt, the raccoon that's supposed to give you something you'll always treasure is probably my dad. He gave you half a gold mine." "I wonder who the snake is?" Walt asked trying to conceal a laugh that was trying its best to break loose. "You're the only one that has rattled me for ages." "It's only symbolic, partner, don't enjoy it so much. We'd better get some sleep now if we can. Tomorrow a certain eagle is going to lead us to a special tree." "So now, all of a sudden, you believe in my fever ridden dreams." "I do now that I know what they mean but enough talk for now. You need to sleep and build up your strength. We may have to walk a whole mile tomorrow and old folks need their rest before a trip of that distance." If ever a day had been created for living the happy duo awoke to it and the sun shining bright and warm beckoned them. The would-be trailblazers filled nervous stomachs on left over salmon and headed out the door. With his back toward the cabin, at streams edge, a bandit faced raccoon was vigorously washing something in a hole he had managed to make in the ice. Walt cautiously moved toward the animal trying not to startle it but hearing footsteps on the crunchy ground the bushy ringed tail mammal dropped the item it had been energetically cleaning and waddled off toward the timberline. It turned once and looking at Walt two huge eyes sent a message, "Here is your promised gift always carry it with you." Reaching the spot where the sanitary forest dweller had been he bent over and retrieved an object. Holding it delicately in his hands he returned to Tim and revealed what the hygienic mammal had been washing. It was a gold nugget weighing a hundred and forty grams. The unusual shape was that of something half shaman and half Indian chief with a long flowing headdress hanging down his back. "I'd like you to meet Wataka," Walt said as he displayed a gold doll to Tim, "this is what he looked like when we first met. Before he became more spirit than man." Tim inspected the metal Walt was holding and the appearance of a man was prominent, almost doll like, but unquestionably something far beyond anything man was capably of creating in gold. Tim would definitely recognize Wataka if they ever came face to face. The lad was the beast of burden for this trip shouldering most of the load and all Walt carried was a knife and his newly found gift. With anticipation peaked they started in the direction the resplendent eagle had flown and continuously scanned the skies for their feathery guide. They hiked slightly over an hour and the old man had to stop for a breather; his shoulder an immutable reminder he had been injured. Tim caught sight of the eagle first. It was perched high on a branch of an old tree that was showing scars of a lightening strike many years ago and the barren branch silhouetted the flying hunter against the light blue sky. They hurried to the tree and Walt sat with his back to it as he had done in his dream. He withdrew his knife from its sheath and drove the blade into the ground. When he retrieved it the first quarter inch of the blade glistened with the magical metal. Tim knew what came next in the series of events so as Walt rested preparing for the upcoming trek he took the knife and removed the first four inches of frozen soil. Tim unearthed a nugget, as they both knew he would, and though the size didn't match the ones Walt had discovered in his dream it was a nugget never the less. Tim completed his digging around the tree and gleaned a total of twelve nuggets; six the size of wren eggs and six exceeding that dimension by fractions of an inch. He cleaned the nuggets, stacked them in a pile, and moved to place them in his backpack but Walt stopped him. "Put them back in the ground. We won't need them." "Why leave them here? There aren't that many and they won't be hard to carry." "Wataka told me to put mine back when I found them so I guess he has a reason for them being there." Once more Tim did as his friend advised but thought it foolhardy to put gold back into the ground. They scurried to their feet and with eyes always skyward followed their guide until he stopped flying and soared on the updraft air from a nearby mountain. In his dream he and Wataka had tramped many miles and several hours to arrive at the mountain where he had labored to replaced the boulder. Walt was positive his body wouldn't allow him to travel that amount of time or that distance a second time. They had pursued their heavenly pathfinder for less than two hours when nature dictated that Walt stop and rest. He sat with his back against a tall tree and glanced at the not too distant mountain. There on the mountain side were seven boulders the size and shape of the one he had laboriously rolled up the slope. They sat in an area that covered half a mile and were anywhere from fifty to seventy feet up the mountain side. "We've already reached our destination, Tim. What we're looking for is behind one of those boulders." "You sit and rest and I'll go see if I can get bitten by a rattlesnake." "Don't get too cocky. There may be more than one rattler and he might strike because you're disturbing his resting place." Walt said and turned his head so Tim couldn't see he was joking. "Wait a minute. It's the wrong time to move the boulder. We've got to wait until the sun is positioned exactly right. When I was with Wataka it was imperative we close the hole before the sun set. Now we must wait until tomorrow morning when the sun rises. While we waiting we?ve got to gather enough wood for the night and carry more up to one of the boulders. We'll build a fire in the cave after we dislodge the right one. We'll need a fire down here to cook supper while we're waiting so while you're gathering the wood see if you can find something to eat." "You don't want much do you. If I have any spare time do you want me to milk a moose so you can have something warm to drink?" Both laughed as Tim went off to gather wood. When his stack was sufficient to last the night and the next day he built a fire. With rifle in hand he began his search for food. "There's your supper over there, Tim." Walt said pointing in the direction of an obese, slow moving, porcupine. "If you think I'm going to mess with that thing you've got another think coming and I'm definitely not going to eat it." "You haven't been in Alaska very long have you, Boy. Don't you know that the porcupine is the one animal you can kill without a gun and eat raw if necessary. You can kill it with a club and it's easy to clean. It's taught in all survival classes. It doesn't taste good raw but roasted it isn't too bad." "I can't kill an animal like that." "Help me to my feet and I'll get him." "Stay where you are, Gramps, I'll get it." Tim said walking in the direction of the slow moving pin cushion. As he neared the porcupine turned and looked at him with such sad eyes and soulful face it touched Tim?s heart and he couldn't kill it, not even for food. He reversed his direction and headed back toward his resting mate. Wondering where the quill producer would go he turned to look around and was surprised to see it following him. When Tim stopped so did his pursuer. The expression filled face was saying, "I know you don't want to harm me but you must." One shot between a pair of very beautiful eyes sent another animal into the spirit world. Removing the skin he gutted what would be his next meal, as soon as it was cooked, and tossed the rest in a pile on the ground. He put the animal on a wooden spit and placed it over an open fire. Walt approached the fire and told his companion, "I'll take care of the cooking while you empty everything out of your backpack. Remove all the fat from the porcupine skin, there should be a lot of it, and put it in the pack." Either Tim was getting wiser or realized he was about to receive another lesson in winter survival for without saying a word he did as told. Walt rotated the meal often enough to keep it from burning but let it sit long enough to turn a little darker than golden brown. When the roast was sufficiently done they ate it. Tim was hesitant at first but seeing Walt enjoying it he tried a mouthful. It was good---not great---but good. They finished the meal and Tim was anxious to roll away the boulder so the cave would reveal its hidden secrets but that must wait until morning. "Before it gets too late, Tim, we need a pole sturdy enough to move one of those boulders. You've got to go up there and find out which one is the right one and you've still got to carry wood enough up there to last all day." Finding the pole he'd use as a lever required almost no time at all and with the pole balanced in his shoulder he climbed the slope to the boulders. Starting with the boulder on the right he began walking slowly past each one, his ears attuned, until he was standing in front of the fourth one. Walt saw him stop, drop the pole, and like a fleet footed mountain goat descend the slope. He didn't cease his forward movement until he was standing in front of Walt. "I can't believe this. There shouldn't be any rattlesnakes around here this time of year but I just heard one that must be ten feet long or there are ten of them each a foot long by the sound of the rattle." "Good. That's the place we're looking for. Take the rest of the wood up and we'll put it in the cave as soon as we remove the boulder. Oh, yes, one thing more. Take my knife and dig a trench six inches deep and eighteen inches wide in front of the boulder." By the time Tim had completed his chores the sun was in the last stages of it's daily orbit so they settled in for the night. Before daybreak the next morning both men were awake and anxious to continue their search. "It's time to see what a real gold mine looks like, Tim. Lets go move a boulder." Tim was facing the boulder with the pole in his hand when old slow poke finally bested the sixty foot climb. "Wait until I tell you, Tim. The sun has got to be exactly right or we may not be able to gain entrance. Too soon and we could allow the evil spirits in and too late we----we---I don't know what would happen if we're too late." They waited until the appropriate moment arrived and Walt said to Tim, "O.K. lets move it. Give it all you've got." Both men, uniting brain and brawn, strained to dislodge the cave blocker from its foundation. As the early rays from the heavenly torch hit the small opening it created the outline of an owl in flight on the far wall. As the big rock gained distance from the mountainside a golden eagle took the owls place; then a wolf, a bear and finally Wataka. With the boulder completely dislodged and gaining speed as it rolled down the incline all the forms that had displayed themselves on the cave walls vanished. Two curious gold-seekers stepped inside the opening and after a breath-taking moment Tim said, "You've found your gold, Walt. It looks like there must be tons of it." "That would be my guess." "I better get the wood in here and start a fire in case it turns cold." "Yeah, I'd hate to freeze to death with all this gold within our reach." It required eight trips for Tim to procure sufficient fuel to last the day. Emptying his arms for the last time he tried to locate Walt but he wasn't there. He had wandered farther back into the cave. To better illuminate the area Tim lit a small fire and then followed the path Walt had taken. He entered a second domed shaped cavern that covered nearly a quarter of a square mile. The darkness inside the cave made vision nearly impossible so he carried the remainder of the wood back and built a fire in the rear cave. As the flames extended upward and brightness drove away the dark the room exploded into a golden display. The most dramatic forth of July fireworks extravaganza would wane in comparison. Walt was sitting on a rock, legs crossed, chin in hands unconsciously manifesting his best impersonation of the thinker. The light played on vein after vein of gold but the precious metal was the least important commodity being exhibited. Etched into the ageless rock walls were thousands of pieces of history. The walls beautifully displayed figures carved in gold by an artisan with the skill and dexterity far beyond that of Michelangelo. One portentous painting depicted a leaf clad man and woman standing beneath a tree sharing a piece of fruit. Another exhibited a single large wooden ark sitting in a mountain top. Also present were carvings of animals and birds the likes of which the two men had never seen----large tailed, long horned, huge teethed, big winged things. Multiform carvings from the time of primeval man to the era of metal clad, spear carrying, horse riding, Spaniards adorned the walls. There was one carving of a modern city and light reflected back from the gold that outlined the windows in the towering skyscrapers. Another carving picturesquely displayed the heavens alive with millions of twinkling star and one fire-trailing meteorite heading toward earth. The manner in which the images had been created was a miracle in itself. The veins of gold became jewels on the bodies of many of the forms; necklaces, ear rings, bracelets and rings. Some of the birds and animals had been made with small circles of vein gold for eyes. Both admirers were stifled by the loveliness surrounding them. "Could you imagine anything like this, Walt? Am I dreaming or are you seeing it to?" "I see it but it's hard to believe. Get your backpack and bring it in here." As startled as Tim was by the interior of the cave his mentors order was even more startling, but again he did as ordered. When he returned with the pack Walt relieved him of it and walking to the rock he was first sitting on dumped all of the porcupine fat into a slight basin shaped indent. Taking a lit log from the fire he held it in the fat until it flamed. As it burned oil from the fat settled to the bottom of the rock bowl and became their fuel supply. Walt unsheathed his knife and sliced the backpack into strips. Selecting the two longest pieces of wood Tim had gathered for the fire he tied a piece of backpack tightly to each stick making two torches. He soaked the fiber end of his homemade torches in the animal fat and flame and passed one to Tim. "This is so we can get a closer look." They carried the two burning lights and together walked the internal area of the cave. They wandered through their cycloramic playground pointing out unusual characteristics of different items. They made a complete revolution of the circle and ended where they had started their exploration. The ceiling of the grotto slanted slightly toward the center of the dome and heading back to the entrance of the outer cave they both looked up. Extending from the opening to the inner cave all the way to the apex of the of the dome outlined by a wide band of vein gold stood the eternal guardian protecting his treasure drove; Wataka. The glow of the light shimmered on his golden outline and gave the impression of life. In an almost hypnotic state they walked out and sat by the fire. "How much gold do you think we have here, Walt?" "There's got to be tons and tons of it. Billions and billions of dollars worth." They sat crossed legged near the fire and discussed all the unbelievable things they had seen until it was nearing dusk. "We can't take this gold, Tim." Walt said expecting a big argument from his young partner. "I know that. It isn't the gold as much as as what it represents. I wouldn't touch anything in there and we surely can't tell anyone else about it. They'd destroy it. I wonder why we were allowed to see it." "I really don't know but did you notice anything different about this cave and the one I described to you?" "There's a lot less gold here but I don't think anything else is different." "That's the big difference, Tim, and it bothers me. I've been in this cave before and it isn't the same. Last time all the walls, floors, and everything else were solid gold not veins. The stalagmites and stalactites were heaps of gold hanging from the ceiling and rising from the cave floor. There was a lake of gold and a throne where Wataka was sitting. In my dream everything was like liquid gold. Here there are only veins of gold. Wataka didn't come to me to show me where the gold was. I think he came to show me what would happen if I removed it." "What about the carvings on the wall?" "I think we've seen the last of them, Tim. That was an extra gift for not taking away the things he stands guard over. This is his ground. I feel somewhere in there Wataka has shown us the past and a lot of the future so remember everything you can about what you've seen. We'll take one more quick look and then we'll close the cave, hopefully forever." Together they walked back to the greatest museum that ever existed. Quickly they made a round trip inside and when they were ready to depart they looked up at the guardian Wataka. His facial expression had changed slightly from the last time they gazed at it and now he was wearing a smile. He spoke. "Remove the gift from your pocket that the raccoon gave you by the stream and lay on your back facing me. Hold the figurine close to your throat." Walt did exactly as Wataka ordered and as the gift nestled against his throat Wataka's right hand, that had been hanging by his side, rose from the rock and a bolt of golden lightening exited from his finger tip and formed a golden chain around Walt's neck. It connected the idol and chain into a single piece. As the hand lowered Wataka spoke again. "Now the gift will always be with you. When I need you, or you need me, the metal around your neck will give a signal. When it turns warm to the touch, and stays warm, return here. Now do what you must." Walt quickly arose to an upright position and said to Tim, "We've got to get that boulder back before the sun sets today so lets get out of here and do what we have to do." "That's an awful lot of gold to leave behind, Partner," Tim said as they walked down the mountainside, "but I agree with you, it's better there than any place else." "I'm not leaving it all behind. I found this when I first entered the cave and I think he wants me to have it." Walt put his hand in his pocket and took out a small teardrop of gold. "This is worth more to me than all the gold we're leaving behind. Besides, we still have the gold by the tree." "There wasn't much there unless it's down deeper than we dug." "I have lots of gold in a friend's mine, that is, if we're still partners." Walt said with a silly grin on his face. "You know we are. Half of everything I own is yours." They jumped to the task before them. The younger and strongest did most of the bolder rolling and Walt placed the holding stone in place each time there was movement of the bigger piece of rock. Youth and strength closed the opening long before the sun would set and when the hole in the mountainside was once more hidden from view they headed for the tree and Walt's gold supply. Five minutes into their trip the ground rumbled under their feet so violently it nearly knocked them down. "What was that?" Tim asked the older and wiser partner. "I don't know but I bet Wataka has something to do with it." Walt said as the two of them turned around and looked at the mountainside. Where there had been seven boulders there was only one. The size of all seven combined and far bigger than anything the two of them could ever move. "I guess we've seen the last of Wataka." Tim said almost feeling like he'd lost a good friend. "I wouldn't be too sure of that. Look up there in the sky." Tim looked up and there soaring overhead was a feathery guide waiting to direct them home and Tim smiled knowing they were being protected. "We have a problem, Tim." "What kind of problem? Things couldn't be better." "My gold necklace is warm and look where the eagle is flying. He isn't taking us back to the tree he's headed in the direction of the cabin. Forget the gold by the tree for now and lets get home as fast as we can. Wataka is still with us and he doesn't want us to go to the tree." "The eagle does seem to be trying to tell us something so lets follow him and see what happens. We need to find something to eat on the way home. All the salmon is gone and the cupboard is bare, or it would be if we hadn't burned it to keep warm. And speaking of burning things we don't have much wood left inside or outside either. There is plenty of big stuff but you were hurt before much of it was split into stove size." "I don't think we have time to kill anything, Tim. We've got to get home as soon as possible." Walt didn't feel up to a speedy walk to the cabin but seeing how strange the eagle was acting made him move at a good pace. They were within a hundred feet of the cabin when an elk passed in front of them and stopped long enough for a well placed shot to knock the animal to the ground. While Walt prepared the elk for eating Tim went into the cabin and enkindled both fires. Walt brought the edible entrails and a hind quarter of the elk inside and Tim made trip after trip to the outside woodpile and filled the hole in the floor that had been made when he tore up the floor to keep them warm. As he closed the door for the last time the wind started to pick up and in less than ten minutes the outside wind had built itself into gale speed and the temperature plunged. In a jiffy it was down to zero and as the wind abated the temperature plummeted down....down....and leveled off at a very frigid eighty one degrees below zero. Walt turned to his young companion and said, "I'm glad Wataka told us to get home in a hurry. If we had gone to the tree we probably wouldn't have made it back in time to avoid the cold. The elk would have already passed and we wouldn't have had time to get wood and water." "Seems like he's taking care of us alright and I wonder why. It must be your Indian blood. I also wonder what he has in store for us next. I'm sure he'll lead us back to the tree but I'm not sure what we'll find there. Maybe there's gold and maybe there isn't." "There's gold there alright I saw it in my dreams, remember. Time will tell." The temperature lingered in the minus eighty degrees below zone for four day and as quickly as it had dropped it started to climb toward warm. It passed zero and didn't stop until it reached a balmy twenty seven degrees. The two cabin dwellers walked into the fresh air and it felt wonderful. "Pack some food, Tim, and we'll see what the tree has in store for us." With pack ready and rifle in hand they returned to the tree. Walt dug in the spot where Tim had found the nuggets but there was nothing there except twelve rocks, each the size of a wren's egg. "We've got to move the tree out of the way." Walt said and immediately changed his mind. "It won't do any good to move it. I didn't move it in my dreams. It seems funny though there was gold here before and now there isn't any." "You sit like you did before and let me dig in the dirt. Maybe you're not going deep enough. We'll find whatever it is Wataka has put there for you." Walt passed his knife to Tim and sat down and Tim worked the ground for about five minutes and was nearly ready to quit when the knife hit something solid. He put the knife aside and dug with his bare hands until he found the solid object the knife had touched. He picked it up, brushed it off, and handed it to Walt. "I believe this is what he wanted you to have." he said as he passed Walt a small golden hummingbird. Walt's heart broke into a million pieces. "It's the one I saw in the cave when I was sick. This is a treasure beyond anything I deserve, Tim. In an odd way I got back my wife, my son, and I felt the touch of my father. What more could I ask for?" "I don't think we've seen the end of it yet, Walt. There's still much more to your dream." "I don't need anything more than I have now, Tim. I've gotten far more than I came to Alaska to find and the greatest gift I'll take away from here is you." Throat lumps and goose pimples invaded Tim's body at the same time. Silently the team returned to the cabin and prepared for a hundred mile jaunt on the morrow. "We'll be in Fort Yukon soon and we have a lot to do. On the way back I hope you'll be able to carry your load and part of mine." Walt continued. "Why not," Tim smiled, "I've been carrying you and your stuff for a long time now. I don't see where a few more days will make any difference." |
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