Shall We Gather At The River

 Only half of this story is true. The other part? Well, let’s just say it has been “enhanced for your listening pleasure “

It is a sordid tale of graveyards disturbed by teenagers in the dead of night and the re-animation of things long considered gone from this world.

Let us begin

 Teenagers…1971…graduated and rudderless for the Summer until moving on to college in the Fall. Jay and Rick contemplated how to fill the hours of those sultry summer nights in the small town of Slidell. Not backwoods small mind you, just boring small. The sky was wide open with nothing to do and nowhere to be. What to do… what to do indeed. 

   On that one particular weekend the two boys settled on cruising the boulevards… Gause and Pontchartrain, the main drags for teenage angst to erupt. Soda shops, drive-ins, pizza parlors and burger joints. Convenient locations down the strip for teen drama to play out. Jay picked up Rick in his car just as  dusk took its full hold on upon the night and then suggested that they pass by the Frostop to see who was there from their high school group.  As the saying goes, “every party needs an angel” and Jay reasoned that maybe they could find one or two girls among the familiar faces in attendance there.  Chicks, babes, skirts… they immediately change the dynamic of a boy’s night out. Something about the presence of a female… a cute female …sitting between two guys in the front seat, that triggers the male ego to attempt to impress or ,dare I say, entertain the girl. What could they offer her that would create an air of mystery for the evening to come. In hindsight I suppose the boys could blame the whole thing on her… Paula… the “Angel” in the car…the random inclusion in the mix…the good girl, kind and sweet, who had no business participating in what would soon be proposed…  blame her for the bad decision they eventually made that night. She could be their alibi.

 There’s another old saying that seems appropriate here. “An idle mind is the devil’s playground.” That really sums up that night in a nutshell. Teenagers not thinking things through and instead choosing the bad thing for lack of a better alternative.

   And so the three of them Jay, Paula and Rick set out to create some excitement for themselves in the small Southern town of Slidell on that obscure date in 1971. I should interject here that the aforementioned excitement did not include alcohol or anyone making out or getting naked with one another. At least not on this night. Paula made that very clear before scooting across the front seat of Jay’s car. She was not interested in making out with either of the two of them. So the rules were set and the boundaries were defined, and Jay and Rick’s egos were conspicuously bruised. Both boys realized at that moment that each one would have stood a better chance if alcohol had been procured and the other had not been included at all.

As I said previously, Paula was a good girl. 

The town of Slidell had more than its share of forbidden places to go after dark. Maybe not so forbidden but foreboding to be sure. Secluded places, shadowy places ,roads that led to nowhere and dilapidated buildings that reeked of bad vibes. And of course cemeteries. Places where teens go to achieve privacy and intimacy and to raise spirits who dwell in the dark hiding behind headstones.  Places where urban legends reside.

  One such place was Pony Ranch Road on the outskirts of town.,Not only was it a great place to “park and misbehave” but it was also the dark, brooding, lonely road that led to Haas-wood Cemetery.. This particular graveyard was said to be the final resting place for the formerly local scary monster known as OnionHead. He was in fact a poor misshapen soul unfairly accused by others for the disappearance of a child. And so “history” said he was the victim of angry mob violence. Pieces  of his ravaged corpse purportedly sprinkled and scattered about the graves of  other tenants and of course cursing the very grounds themselves in the process. So the legend says, but did any one of the three on this night really believe it? For the sake of an adrenaline rush on a sleepy weekend perhaps they told themselves they did. Having decided to visit the spooky graveyard and attempt to locate the headstone of OnionHead , Jay started driving to the outskirts of town, with the radio blaring “It’s Too Late” by Carole King, to Pony Ranch Road and to the scene of the eventual crime that would take place at the cemetery by the three “juveniles in training.” Driving down the length of Pony Ranch Road in the dead of night produced a feeling of uncertainty and regret that only increased as they reached the clearing where the graveyard gate stood. One could liken it to the feeling of arriving at the front door of an arranged blind date. It seemed like a good idea before hand, but now one had the urge to turn tail and run. The three exited the car and began moving slowly toward the gate and grounds beyond, looking somewhat like The Three Stooges in a haunted house. Comically cautious with trepidation. 

To say the cemetery was poorly tended was a kind assessment. It had all the charm of a Potter’s field neglected past  the point of saving. Among the mounds and headstones , weeds and overgrowth had infringed upon the individual graves while fungus and mold and wild mushrooms grew into the stones themselves. Jay, Paula and Rick waded through the overgrowth , clutching one another’s hand or shoulder like the Scooby Doo gang tracking an illusive ghost, looking for the one stone belonging to the mythical monster.  This would be the scene of the crime, albeit a small one. Find the headstone and load it into the trunk of the car and escape with the morbid prize.

   Unfortunately finding the proper stone wasn’t so easy. Frankly, who would put the name “OnionHead” on a tombstone? None of the three had any idea what his real name had been so when a single headstone was found with no name engraved , they all decided that it would do. The inscription on the stone simply read, “Shall We Gather At The River.” A cryptic message barely legible beneath the dirt and mold and the spongy brown mushroom fungus attached to it. Paula was quick to identify the inscription as words to a church hymn that she herself had sung. She watched while Jay and Rick struggled to place the heavy stone in the trunk and thereby completing the task and the mission. It wasn’t exactly grave robbing, but it was close, and one thought remained in each of their minds as they drove slowly back down Pony Ranch Road and back into town with their prize. But to what end, they each thought now and in the aftermath of the deed a kind of bubble of guilt engulfed the car as they eventually arrived back in town to savor their “bravery” in completing the deed.

   What if the curse was real and what would be the price they each would pay? In reality probably nothing. Teenagers don't really believe in curses

and in the light of day Jay, Paula and Rick were no different. But all three recognized criminal mischief and so it was decided that they would return it to the graveyard.

   Maybe it was that bubble of guilt  that alerted the police to stop them once they rolled back onto the boulevard with the damning evidence in the trunk. Or maybe, and more likely, it was the cloud of dust gushing from the trunk leaving a kind of smoky wake behind the car, not unlike a mosquito fogging truck. 

   The boulevard was teeming with activity by now. A cavalcade of street lights and cruising cars and teenagers hanging out in the nighttime air. As luck would have it, Police officer Ray Bennett was patrolling the boulevard and witnessed the curious sight as Jay, Paula and Rick maneuvered down the busy street and into the parking lot of the Frostop unaware of the dust cloud trailing behind them.  Initially, Officer Bennett thought something in the trunk of the car was on fire and so he was compelled to investigate for obvious reasons. He followed the three as they pulled in and, before stopping, he chuckled to himself as he watched them hastily jump out of the car. He assumed that it was only when they stopped that they realized what had been happening behind them. In short, they had managed to spread the dust a considerable length down the boulevard, engulfing dozens and dozens of teenage bystanders and adults alike, covering them with a light blanket of the substance.

   In a state of confusion they opened the trunk to see what had happened and it was then they realized the strange transformation that had occurred. The purloined headstone was still inside but the attached mushroom had increased in size significantly and was now a large orange-brown pulsating mushroom mass apparently spewing forth an endless stream of fungal spores and releasing them into the air. 

  “What the hell is that?”, Jay shouted out to Paula and Rick who were equally perplexed.

  “Holy shit, is that thing alive?”, Rick said in a low inquisitive tone. “But how?”

  “You guys need to get away from that thing. That stuff could be poisonous “ Paula calmly suggested.”We should have never  disturbed the grave. If I believed in curses I would think this thing maybe it. What have we unleashed on the town? Even worse, what am I going to tell my parents!”

  “We’ve got to do something.”Jay declared. Something before the cops show up.”

  But the words were barely out of his mouth when Officer Bennett appeared on the scene slowly ambling toward them. 

 “Oh shit, the jig is up.” Rick said dejectedly. “What were we thinking?”

  

  Officer Bennett walked over and inspected the contents of Jay’s trunk and was relieved that there was no fire, but then the questions started amid the awkwardness of the moment.

 “You kids have something you need to tell me ?  ‘Cause if you don’t I’m likely to think the worst about this whole situation. This is your car, isn’t it Jay?

  Jay answered nervously but resisted the urge to tell the truth entirely.    

    “Actually , we were just on our way to return something and we ran into a teensy bit of trouble, Sorry about the dust but I think we have things under control now.”

  Raymond remained skeptical. “ So, how about it Rick, do you have anything  to add to that. Can you tell me why you three felt the need to “crop dust” the boulevard tonight?”

  Rick hesitated with an evasive response. “That was kind of an accident, we were just hangin…”

  Raymond interrupted in mid sentence.

  “I take it you’re the princess of the party tonight Paula. Anything you need to tell me? Let’s start with this.”

Raymond shined his flashlight beam into the trunk. “ Can anyone of you tell me what on God’s green earth is that?”

  Paula stayed true to character and spilled her guts to Raymond about the whole sordid plan. After all, she was a good girl.

 “We stole the headstone on Onionhead’s grave and it turned into a giant mushroom and now we think it has a curse or something on it. That’s it. Can you please help us , because I can’t get arrested. My mom will kill me.”

  “Yep, that just about covers it. And ditto for me about the mom thing.”

Jay seemed relieved by the admission now.

 Raymond said nothing while processing the situation and moved closer to the massive mushroom blob and noticed it was no longer emitting the dust. “Hmm, seems okay now but it’s still moving a little. That’s odd.” He paused for a moment and gave his verdict. “Okay, here’s what I think. You three get back to Haas-wood, drop this thing back where you found it and that will be the end of it.”

  “But what about the curse?” Paula blurted out. “There’s got to be a reason that thing was shooting out that dust. Mushrooms release spores into the wind and sometimes they’re poisonous and even deadly. That might be what the curse is.”

  Rick had been listening to the conversation taking place, and was impressed with Paula’s knowledge of mushrooms, but he was also observing the crowds forming in the street on the boulevard and they were behaving strangely. “Hey guys, maybe you should all stop talking and look at this crazy shit going down. That dust… that mushroom dust … it’s like it’s turning everyone into zombies. Take a look!”

   And sure enough Rick had called it right. Everybody turned around and looked down the street at the crowd forming in the middle of the road. shuffling around aimlessly at first, shoulders slumped, and faces devoid of emotion as if in some kind of collective trance.

Eventually the massive group began to move in unison and they began walking slowly down the boulevard as if following instructions from some unseen force. They walked down the street moving southbound out of town.

  “Okay things just got weird. This changes the situation drastically.” Officer Bennett declared. 

  “If they’re zombies now. does that mean they’re dead and does that make us murderers?” Rick yelled. “ Oh shit, we can’t fix this! We’re in too deep now.”

  “Raymond , you’re gonna have to shoot ‘em all so they stay dead, right?

That’s our only option at this point.” Jay calmly reasoned.

  “Just hold on a minute Jay! I’m not going to shoot a bunch of people because I think they might me zombies.

That’s crazy. And besides I don’t think they’re actually real zombies.” Raymond declared. 

  Paula finally chimed in with a suggestion. “This is all connected to the headstone in some way. Maybe it’s controlling them with its mushroom dust… you know, like in that movie. The spores turned them into mindless slaves but they weren’t dead.”

  Rick sounded relieved. “ So we’re not killers then, but what are they doing?

Where are they going?”

  Raymond speculated., “ Looks like they could be headed out of town to Rats Nest Road maybe … the docks and piers by the lake.” Raymond paused a moment analyzing all the facts so far. “ Wait a second, Paula , what does that inscription say on the stone… something about a river?”

  “ It’s says , shall we gather at the river, I told you all , it’s lyrics to a hymn.” Paula answered.

  Jay suddenly had a moment of clarity.

“But what if it isn’t lyrics, what if it’s like a hypnotic command. The headstone controls the mushroom and the mushroom controls the people.”

  Raymond listened to Jay and put the final pieces together.  “ Look , I don’t much believe in curses , but if what you’re saying is true, it could be that all these teenagers are headed to the lake which is connected to the Mississippi River. This whole thing … the curse is OnionHead’s  revenge on the townspeople who wrongly accused and then killed him.  These kids and everybody else who breathed in the dust…they’re headed to the nearest body of water… but why?”

  Jay responded quickly. “Well, I don’t think it’s for a beach party. All we know about OnionHead tells me that he wants them dead.”

 “Oh my God, the mushroom is telling them to go jump in the lake and drown.”

Paula exclaimed. “That’s diabolical.”

 “But what can we do now? How can we stop them?” Rick asked.

  The hour was late on that certain summer night in 1971 when Jay, Paula and Rick  reawakened the curse of OnionHead and caused havoc on the streets of the otherwise sleepy town of Slidell. With the help of Officer Bennett, the three resolved to destroy the mushroom and the stone by sending it to the bottom of the Lake and hopefully killing it for good before the horde of zombies could make it to the lake on foot themselves. It was a gamble. Their last resort. 

  The three climbed into the front seat of Jay’s car and sped off into the night headed to the piers and docks along the bank of Lake Ponchartrain. They maneuvered past the crowd in the street and Jay put his foot to floor as they raced ahead to hopefully save the town from the fateful curse that waited for them all.

The End

  

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Jack the Giant Killer Chapter 3

  In a world where curses and amulets and mythical creatures exist, rules of engagement must be modified by necessity. Jack spent his sleeping hours wandering aimlessly in a dreamscape of his own construction fighting a faceless adversary in a hazy fog of slumber.

 

  The next morning Jack drove to the designated point of attack, accompanied by Chitto and Maska, and he parked the Caddy with trailer in-tow on the summit of two converging canyons and Chitto and Maska opened up the trailer to release the horses and saddle them up for the trip.

“Hmm, Looks like some rain coming over the northern hills.” Jack remarked with concern in his voice. “Guess it comes with job,” he added.

 Following instructions from Chitto and Maska, Jack rode up into the mountains navigating the winding roads overlooking the deep canyons both beautiful and foreboding. The view was spoiled by the rain and of course the mission too. There is no good day for killing giants and Jack felt that. A beautiful morning would be marred by the task and a bleak morning was all the more bleak because of it.

The wind and rain increased and visibility was poor. Raindrops pelted his skin like pesky insects bent on further testing his resolve. Just the kind of conditions one doesn't want when navigating down into the canyon and into the belly of the beast. The twists and turns on perilously narrow ledges passing around striated rock and stone eventually led to the cave opening wherein the Giant dwelled. Several yards away the large orifice in the canyon wall came into view.

 “The monster spends its time sleeping then eating. It normally does not venture far from the cave where it lives except for hunting food.”

 “Tito, I gotta give mad props to your mom for making this trip when she did. This ain't no cakewalk. This is some kind of treacherous terrain for anybody to tackle."

All three secured their weapons strapping them to their backs and saddlebags and then mounting their horses. Jack stopped and held the reins tightly as he sensed Banjo was nervous. “You feeling okay, fella? Do you see something...” But Jack wasn’t prepared for the reaction to come.

Banjo, Poncho and Cisco all became restless, sensing danger. Chitto and Maska quickly dismounted from their horses while Jack remained on his. Suddenly out of the sheets of rain and mist emerged a colossal figure that stared down at the three intruders and gave out a growl as powerful and as loud as a mastodon on a rampage.

The horses suddenly reared up and whinnied nervously, startled by the immense creature and this sent Jack sprawling backwards off Banjo and onto the muddied ledge. 

“It’s him Jack. The Maccapitew!” Chitto warned.

“We need to take cover around this next bend.” Maska added. “ Go now before it sees us.!”

 Jack was somewhat dazed by the sudden unexpected appearance of the thing that he had come to kill ,but at this precise moment he was initially in awe of the size of it.

“Holy shit Marco. Did you see the size of that thing? Why ... it’s got to be 30 feet tall!

No way man!” Jack exclaimed as he ran following Chitto and Maska around the bend. 

“Wait we must go back for the horses” Maska pleaded. “ I will calm them so they don’t give us away.”

“No,” Chitto insisted. “It’s too late. Its already seen us and them. We should lay low till it passes.”

“ Man, did you see the hammer that thing was swinging.” Jack replied dumbfounded.

“Hammer? We do not understand.” Maska answered.

 “You know , it’s junk . Geez, would it kill him to wear some boxers? Way to make a guy feel inadequate. Chitto and Maska, let me just say, I’m not the kind of guy that talks about somebody else’s mother but honestly your mom really dropped the ball on this one. She really screwed up dudes! It would have been so simple just to bash it on the head and bury it when it was toddler size. Now it’s like a Godzilla problem.!”

 Chitto responded quietly. “No offense to you Jack but Godzilla was way bigger than the Maccapitew. Most estimates say Godzilla was anywhere between 160 feet to 330 feet tall, and always bigger than King Kong.”

  "Excuse me," Maska interrupted. " Actually more recent versions of King Kong and Godzilla show them both at about 393 feet so that their battles between one another would appear more evenly matched."

  Chitto responded annoyed. " Oh really? I missed that. Thanks for bringing me up to date."

  Jack replied. “ First off, how do you even know that? And secondly, what is your point? Bottom line, this thing would have been a lot easier to kill when it was only 3 feet long.”

 Chitto answered impatiently. “ Criticizing our mother serves no purpose now. You forget this mission was prophesied by the Great Spirit. Must we again remind you who you are? Maybe you would prefer to travel back in time and fix this there. Surely your Caddy can do that ,Jack Dangerfield. However you choose to fix this, Maska and I will follow you.”

“ No, Dangerfield doesn’t use a machine to...wait a minute, first of all , you said it was maybe 10 feet tall, but this guy.....He's gotta be at least 30 feet tall. You lied to me, man. You left out important information... stuff I needed to know. We have to go back and re-group. Think, is there anything else? I mean does he breathe fire or shoot lightning bolts out of his ass?” Jack queried 

"Hmm, well we did mention the cannibalism, right?" Chitto answered.

" Yeah, I guess if you're a cannibal the double set of teeth would come in handy. Thanks for that." 

"Hey, that thing just swallowed Cisco and Poncho." Maska lamented. “And Banjo...his sacrifice was equally significant."

"Yes, yes of course Banjo too" Jack said in an apologetic way. “We shared a short ride but it was meaningful for the both of us. Besides we don't know if he ate them, they could be alright. Don't assume the worst." Jack responded with little effort to hide his sarcasm.

Jack began pacing back and forth in his usual problem solving mode. " Okay, its obvious to me that I have grossly underestimated the situation that we are dealing with here. What we need is a carefully thought out plan of attack... there's no room for error."

  Chitto paused thoughtfully and suggested. "Earlier you said something about some nut sacks you brought with us in your time machine. I thought that was part of your plan."

  Jack seemed a little embarrassed. " Yeah, about that...my original plan involved scorpions in nut sacks and a catapult. But time is short...how long would it take to wrangle 6,000 venomous scorpions in 20 nut sacks? I can tell you already...too damn long! There's got to be another way, Chango!"

  "Thats Chitto, Jack." he replied in frustration. " How about this? Horse tranquilizers shot at close range. We have an ample supply in the trunk of your time machine. If we use enough of those , we might even kill it." 

  " Yes, yes...that might work. Tranquilizer arrows, triangulated attack to maximize the outcome. Sound thinking, Mango." Jack began to pace again.

  " That's Maska, sir. And in case you forgot, there's the amulet. Ayana made sure that I brought it. Its here in my pocket."

  "Say what? the amulet?" Jack said puzzled.

  "Yes, ...the priceless stone... remember Chitto mentioned it in Chapter One when we first met? Sacred to our tribe? I can't believe you don't remember that." Maska declared.

Jack stood silent for a moment processing the new information and then spoke.

  "Okay, here's what we're going to do. You two find the horses, then gather up the weapons and put them all in the trunk. Give me the amulet and anything else you may have in your saddlebags and ..."

  "Put it in the trunk?" Chitto chimed in.

  "Exactly. Right now, I'm taking you guys back to the compound."

  "What?" they declared in disbelief.

  "No arguments. I never should have involved you. This is my fight. My destiny," Jack stated emphatically. "Load up the trailer. I'm dropping you off and coming back alone."

  "Don't get me wrong Jack, that was a nice speech...was that from Star Wars? Chitto inquired. “No matter. Maska and I didn't ride out here all this way just to sit in the car. Destiny withstanding, you need us. Both of us are good with a bow, a gun or a knife if need be. Let's pack up what we need and get to it. maybe we can be home for dinner."

  Jack knew he was right but still he didn't want Chitto and Maska to be hurt in the process.

" You realize that if either of you two get hurt or killed, Ayana would never forgive me and frankly I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. This is my fight but I do see your point and besides, somebody's got to tell me what to do with this amulet thing."

  Maska spoke up." Ayana just said to give it to you and guard it with your life. She said you would know what to do with it when the time came."

  "Does it give me special powers...super strength...Anything like that?"

  "It is a sapphire stone given to Ayana several years ago by a stranger who entrusted it to our sister for safe keeping. He stayed with Ayana for a time and they grew very close." Maska explained. "He used to say this one thing all the time, "Character is Destiny."

 "Oh, wait a minute." Jack interjected." The owner of the guitar in her studio...that’s the guy?"

 "Yes.. and its funny in a way. He was much like you but a little older...and probably wiser too.." Maska replied. "But anyway, Ayana says it is a key that will unlock a great mystery for you. That’s all she told me."

  "Really...your sister gives me way too much credit." Jack admitted." And it also sounds like she knows more than she's telling."

  "Well, Jack you're supposed to be the Enkoodabaoo. ." Chitto argued. "We should run with that."

  "Yes, yes...thanks for reminding me. Okay, lets get our gear from the caddy and don't forget to unhitch the trailer in the process. We may need to make a fast escape. I just hope this rain lets up soon."

   The rain subsided after an hour or two finally allowing the trio of giant killers to descend into the lair of their king size prey carrying all the gear they anticipated they would need for discovery and capture. Although the rain had ceased, the earlier deluge had left the rocky terrain slippery and treacherous. As they approached the entrance of the cave Jack couldn't ignore the noxious odor emanating from the entrance as they moved closer.

 "Wow, do all caves smell this bad?" Jack questioned.

Chitto spoke up." No, actually most caves have a nice earthy pleasant-smelling air supply, but this one here is a bat cave. It isn't the bats themselves that smell bad though, it's the tons of bat shit on the cave floor. The good news is that the bats nest near the opening so it won't be so bad once we get inside,"

“I think it would be smarter to make him come to us.” Jack said smiling.” Smoke, courtesy of my local army surplus store. America is a great place to live.” And with that Jack hurled three canisters deep into the cave opening.and watched the smoky fog disperse. “ Now we wait!” Jack declared confidently. Maska and Chitto had no choice but to agree to sit and wait now.

 But the expectation was premature because the Giant in question emerged immediately in an agitated state and marched boldly past them apparently unaware that they lie in wait.

 "Oh shit, change of plans . Maska, Chitto, Lets triangulate and follow ...I'll give the signal when to shoot when it stops and we're all in position. Maska you take the ankle. Chitto you take the hip and I'll target the neck. Let's hit it. I think its spotted the Caddy. We take it down before it destroys everything.

 The three moved quickly but the slippery rocks were a hindrance. Jack marveled at how agile the two brothers were as they navigated swiftly to the plateau where Jack's Caddy was parked. They took strategic positions and waited for Jack to catch up. As he struggled to make it, he thought back to Ayana's words, "destiny...its all about destiny." he told himself. "but how?"

  Previously in Jack's life, he had spent many hours trying to rebound from ill-conceived plans when things didn't go his way but despite his prior misgivings about taking on a giant, today, with the help of Maska and Chitto, everything would finally play out in his favor. Once in place, Jack gave the order to shoot and miraculously everyone hit their mark and the giant went down with incredible ease like a drunk on a Saturday night. Jack seemed stunned for a moment as Maska and Chitto gathered round to survey their victory. "Thats it? We're done? That was too easy. We have to make sure he stays down. He may not be dead.” Jack said.

The three secured the giant to the winch on the Caddy and Jack placed a large stone onto the gas pedal, steered the car toward the canyon precipice and started the engine. With one final look at his prized sweet ride, Jack slipped it into gear and watched as the Caddy and its cargo careened over the cliff in a long suicide dive into the river. The giant woke up briefly in midair before finally plunging to his death below. The deed was done.

  “That was a great idea ,Jack.” Chitto declared,”but how do we get home now?”

Jack paused momentarily realizing the consequence of his hasty decision.

 “Hmmm, good point. I can't believe I didn't think that through. Where’s Maska, we’ve got to find those horses.”

  Fortunately Poncho, Cisco and Banjo weren’t lost, the horses were alive and well, and so Jack, Maska and Chitto set out for the compound to relate the outcome of their hunt to Ayana. But before leaving Jack made his way into the cave alone to try and piece together the significance of the amulet.

After several minutes Jack re-appeared at the entrance of the cave, with his lantern in one hand and the sapphire amulet in the other, having finished his investigation and subsequently having his eyes opened wide to the truth. It was more than he had ever hoped for. He realized now that the quest was not ,and never had been, about the giant.

It was more… much, much more.

  The following morning Jack and Ayana set out on horseback to re-visit the cave. The rain had moved on from the day before and on this day the sun was shining brightly as if giving its approval for all that had occurred. Jack and Ayana rode side by side in a slow gait down into the canyon and toward the cave entrance, Jack on Banjo and Ayana on Vixen navigating the perilous curves.

 “You know, if I stuck to it, I might actually learn to ride Banjo as well as you ride Vixen.” Jack speculated.

 “Well, I’ve been riding since I was a young girl, but if a horse likes the rider, it will go easy on him and Banjo likes you well enough from before.” Ayana answered.

 “From before? You think in just the short time I’ve been here that Banjo recognizes me?”

 Ayana hesitated . “Jack, there are some things we need to talk about before you leave…things that will help you understand.”

 “What… about Banjo?” Jack seemed a little puzzled. “Let me stop you there Ayana, there’s a lot I need to tell you too. The Maccapitew was not the baby your mother abandoned in the cave those years ago. I saw the body wrapped in a baby’s blanket… at least what was left of it. The giant was from somewhere else … from some other place. When we get to the cave I’ll show you everything you need to know and then maybe you’ll tell me who this stranger was that you were involved with and who gave you this amulet that is so sacred to your tribe now. Maybe you can explain why it was so important to give it to me now.”

“I knew this time would come, when you realized that I had kept things from you but I had my reasons, Jack.”

“Wait, wait... everything is starting to make sense now. Your dreams, visions, the Maccapitew ... that’s what brought me here but it wasn’t about the giant, and it’s not what this whole thing is about. It was never about the Giant. I realized that when he went down so easy. That was a ruse but it was connected. It was the cave or should I say, what was in the cave. Did you know what was in there?”

Ayana lowered her eyes as if shamefully having to admit something.” Yes I knew... I knew because you told me what it was… a portal, a rift, a bridge of some kind that leads to... I don't know where.”

Jack replied confused. “ What do you mean I told you… I just found out yesterday.” Jack said defensively. “ And as of right now I don't actually know that it is what you say it is.”

Ayana seemed frustrated.” Today you're going to find out that I’m telling you the truth. You ,Jack… it was you ... you came to me those years ago. The Maccapitew followed you through the rift because you had the key… the stone to open the rift. You told me that when the time was right that the amulet should be given to you... to you now, to fix what went wrong before Everything I’ve done I did because you asked me to.”

“Ayana, what you're saying is crazy. How is that even possible? And you and I were together... I mean, we had a thing? I don't mean it that way. I could easily fall in love with you Ayana but how could you love me?”

“ The only way you will ever know the answer to that is to take that step.. over the bridge into the rift. Isn't that why we’re making this trip? To say goodbye… at least for now. I know what you become Jack… more than you are today.”

Jack and Ayana arrived at the opening to the cave. They dismounted and Jack handed the reins of Banjo to Ayana. “ Ask Maska to take care of him. He's quite a change from driving a Caddy… may it rest in peace.” Jack said.

This is hard for me Jack. When we gazed at the moon that night I realized that your destiny must be fulfilled. I won't join you in the cave. Lets say our goodbyes right here.

Ayana moved closer to Jack and kissed him gently and then held him tightly as if for the last time.

“Ayana, I…” Jack whispered softly.”I have to go.”

Jack retrieved his lantern and the amulet from his saddle and walked slowly into the cave alone. He walked past the hundreds of bats hanging from above desperately trying to avoid the guano on the cavern floor until he reached the spot that was clean and clear. It was there that he once again experienced the shimmering wall of light erected before him... beautiful and mesmerizing and beckoning to him to cross over and embrace his destiny.