When the box was completely sealed inside, he produced the bottle of green goop.
“Are you sure? Last chance.”
“I’m sure,” Sanda said with one vigorous nod.
Alex poured the liquid on the box and spread it to cover the material completely. A minute later the green faded and the box seemed to be encased in a heavy granite covering.
Alex looked at the girls, who were wide-eyed.
“Okay. Get your packs. Let’s go!”
Chapter Forty-FiveReturn to the Cliffside
Alex had purchased the biggest king-cab pickup he could find, which allowed Mondak to ride in the back, though he did fill the space completely.
Alex, Amy, and Sanda sat up front for the short drive out of town. No road went anywhere close to where Winten-ah would eventually sit, but Alex did note that the highway ran along a similar route to the path they had made between Winten-ah and Danta-ah.
Alex kept his eyes peeled for landmarks and eventually pulled over at a wide spot in the road. They threw their packs on and started through the forest that ran alongside the road.
Mondak acted as their trail buster, as he always did on their hikes.
It seemed impossible to Alex, but they managed to get lost several times on the hike. They ended up backtracking and reversing course several times.
And then, there it was, as familiar as a long-ago lover.
The cliffside caves of what would one day be Winten-ah.
It wasn’t as neatly delineated as it had been the last time Alex had seen it, with the forest kept to a straight line, then the open field, then the cliff and caves.
Instead, the forest intruded much farther into the field, and there was only a small clearing leading up to the cliffs.
The cliffs themselves were different, too. Vegetation grew everywhere, vines hung down, obscuring many of the cave entrances.
Alex scanned the horizon and his mouth fell open. Standing at the far edge of where they field reached was a gigantic bear. It was turned sideways to Alex, and for just a moment, he was sure that when it turned, it would be missing its left eye.
The bear did turn, though, and looked placidly at Alex through two good eyes before it wandered away into the forest.
“Dad, what is it?” Sanda asked.
Alex shook the cobwebs from his brain. “Nothing. Let’s go take a better look at the caves.”
They hiked up to the lowest level of caves. Alex walked them along the ledge and pointed to a spot.
“There’s no waterfall yet, and a good thing, or this might be more of a tourist spot. But, this is the exact spot where we built our very first tiny house.
“We should do it again!” both girls shouted together.
“What?”
“Build another of your houses right here.”
Alex thought of the amount of material needed to build one of his houses, and how difficult it would be to either haul the house here after completion or haul the materials to build it. Not to mention that they were probably standing on land owned by the government, who didn’t take kindly to squatters.
He gave the idea a non-committal “Maybe,” then said, “Let’s explore the caves.”
Alex wondered if this whole experience might be confusing to Mondak. If it was, the dog didn’t show it. He was simply happy, running from spot to spot as if he was still a puppy.
At the spot where their house had once been, Alex took out his camp shovel and dug down a bit. It was mostly rock on the ledge, with a covering of soil and weeds.
He placed the box down into the hole and threw some soil around it.
“Why are you doing that?” Amy asked.
Alex stood and contemplated his handiwork. With the box covered in granite and the soil partway up its side, it already was starting to fit in with its surroundings.
Alex reached his arms out and Amy and Sanda each slipped under one.
“I’m doing this,” Alex Hawk said, “because I think this might be the start of the story.”
EpilogueWinten-ak
Winten-ak pulled the collar of his fur jacket higher against his neck. Snow flurries were falling, and the temperature was dropping lower still.
It had been a difficult few days for Winten-ak and his family and friends, all of whom looked to him for guidance and leadership. He had led them on a successful hunting expedition three days earlier. They had made their kill, dressed the meat, and returned to their home village of Grasta-ah.
They returned triumphant, with enough meat and fat to sustain the village for another few weeks. They were only triumphant until they were close enough to home to smell the acrid smell of a village that had been put to the torch.
While they were away, an invader had attacked, defeated Grasta-ah’s defenses, and claimed those they did not kill as new members of their own village.
The village had been pillaged and burned, so staying there was not an option.
Winten-ak had never liked where their village had been, anyway. He had always known that they were too vulnerable to attack and no amount of fallen trees or sod hills was going to change that.
And so, the refugees of Grasta-ah had trekked around the area, hoping to find a new place to make their home. Two days of walking had brought them no possibilities.
They walked through a thick forest, and found a small clearing. When he looked up, Winten-ak smiled for the first time in days. At first, the cliff in front of him had looked like just that—a cliff—and nothing more.
As he looked more closely, though, he could see that the thick vegetation and crowded hanging vines hid at least a few caves. There was a gentle hill that rose to the lowest level of the cliff, but after that, the climbing would get much more difficult.
And difficult climbing makes for a home
