Andor crawled headfirst into the cave. To his surprise the floor was snow-free. _I guess the snowdrift I dug through, to get inside, kept most of the snow out._ He sat up and caught his breath. The hike up the mountainside in the deep snow had proven to be a lot more work than he had expected. Before this venture he had only climbed up to this cave in the summer when it was a scramble up the scree field of debris the mountain had shed over the many eons of its existence. It was decidedly more taxing with deep snow to contend with. Andor scooted towards the entrance of the cave and retrieved the massive pack filled with firewood he had carried up. There was a small ledge maybe six feet by three feet in front of the cave. Hanging off one end of the ledge was a gnarled ancient fir tree. The tree served as a landmark and was how he had even been able to find the cave entrance under all the snow.  He had first stumbled on the cave many years ago. _How many times had I climbed right by it and not known it was here?_ Andor mused to himself as he thought back to the day, when he was fifteen and first discovered this place.  With a grunt, Andor pulled the massive pack into the cave and pushed it up against the back wall. Using his feet he pushed the snow drift off the edge of the ledge and watched as the snow tumbled down the steep flank of the mountain below him.  “Wow!” he whistled as the chunks of snow gained velocity, growing bigger and bigger as they rolled down the hillside before crashing into the trees below and exploding into puffs of white. After a few minutes of work he had the ledge sufficiently cleared of snow and built a small fire at the mouth of the cave. Night had fallen on the way up and now the heavens were on full display. There was no moon, only the stars, which seemed to outnumber the blackness in the sky. As he gazed at the trillions of twinkling lights a thought came to him — _The last time anyone saw this many stars, from here, must have been before the advent of electricity._ He could remember as a child being up here at night and seeing the glow on the horizon to the south and west from the cities in the distance. Now there was no glow on the horizon, just stars. A gust of wind sent a chill down his spine and snapped him out of his trance. He leaned back and grabbed a few pieces of firewood and a bundle of small twigs and grass. After a few attempts with the flint and steel he had a small fire going. A sigh escaped his lips as the warmth began to fill the small cave. Then he reached into his parka’s breast pocket and retrieved the small sealed lavender purple bag with all caps spiritual typeface across the front, which read: Ceremony Edibles. “Well here it goes,” he said as he tore the bag open and popped the contents into his mouth. ![[asi-ii-theVisitors.jpg]] A streak of green shot across the sky, and began dancing and swirling. At first the colors of the aurora borealis were dull and muted — just like they were every time I had seen the aurora borealis in the past. As time passed though the colors began to intensify. The greens were more green, the yellows more yellow. Then I noticed the ancient tree, perched on the ledge, was swaying in the breeze in perfect unison with the aurora pulsing through the sky. I remembered thinking it was strange, the tree moving in the wind, because I could feel no wind on my face. I grabbed a few more logs and put them on the fire. As the embers crackled and spit into the night I noticed the small beacons of light dancing into the void were painting a vista of mystical animals, marvelous landscapes filled with trees, waterfalls, mountains, deserts, and oceans. It felt familiar, like I had seen them before; no — it was more like I had lived there at one time. It was too alien and wonderful to be here on earth though. As I marveled at the images flashing across the sky my eyes followed the sparking embers into the darkness and I became aware of a noise slowly overwhelming my mind. I could sense a rhythmic strumming — a hum which ebbed and flowed. It was coursing through my body. All at once I realized it was the earth and all the living beings, upon its surface, life forces radiating from one source.  The source was in me.  It was in everything.  It was everywhere and yet it was nowhere.  The aurora danced in conjunction with this life force. An overwhelming sense of well-being, peace, and love overwhelmed me. The latter grew and grew until I felt I would burst. It was all around. It was me. It wasn’t me. It was the tree. It was the cave. Meanwhile the aurora continued to crescendo - getting brighter - more potent - more ethereal. Tears were streaming from my eyes - the love was limitless. It was as if I was making love to love.  After what felt like an hour shy of eternity, the embers from the fire drew me back into the cave. I looked at the logs I had laid on the fire and realized I had set them there only moments ago yet it seemed an age had gone by. The aurora was almost too much to bear so I closed my eyes and listened to the heartbeat of the earth as it drew me into a peaceful embrace.  It was hard to keep my eyes closed though. The attraction of the light show in the sky was too much to bear. I would open my eyes and again become drenched in an overwhelming sense of love, well-being, and peace. Breathing became a distant memory and tears would gush from my eyes. When it was too much to bear I would close my eyes then I could remember to breathe. This went on for some time as I swayed in the darkness. It was as if I were being held by a great mother rocking me gently to and fro in rhythm with the life force which encompassed everything.  Ready for another dose of magical light, I opened my eyes. There sitting on the edge of the ledge were two men. I gasped, not in fear, but in awe. They were lovely, almost radiating… and somewhere deep in the back of my mind I knew I had known them before.  “Friends,” was all I could think to say to my visitors.  “We are,” the blonde one smiled. “It has been a long time. Too long in fact.”  The brunette chuckled softly — “We’ve missed you brother… we’ve been keeping tabs on you since shortly after you arrived.”  “Is this real? Or am I imagining this?” I asked. “That is correct…” the blonde replied, which at the time greatly perplexed me. Before I could conjure a response to his puzzling response he continued. “We don’t have much time. Your purpose is becoming clearer to you… Yes?” I took a breath and the images I had bore in horror, of the alien monster being chased by gunship helicopters, flashed into my mind. I began to sweat. “The alien monster…” I sighed, hoping they would say no. The brunette nodded slightly.  “I’m not sure what I should do though.” “In time it will become clear. Your paths will cross again. When they do, we will be there to help you.” “When?” I asked, fear gripping me at having to see the horrid alien monster again. “That doesn’t matter,” the blonde replied matter-of-factly. “We’re here to brief you on what must happen then.” “Okay,” I gulped, suddenly aware I was terribly thirsty. As if sensing my discomfort the brunette handed me a shiny metallic canister. “Here. Drink.” he offered.  I smiled and took the canister. The contents, which tasted sweeter than honey, were quite potent. A moment ago I thought I could drink a river. Now, after only a few sips – my thirst was entirely quenched.  Then the brunette began to speak of what was to come.  --- Sun streaming through the cave entrance jolted Andor awake. _How long did I sleep for?_ He thought to himself as he sat up smacking his head into the roof of the cave.  “Fuck!” he blurted out as he gingerly touched his forehead with his hand. Slowly, the throbbing pain subsided.  _It must be late. The coals from the fire are cold._ Andor thought to himself as held his hands over the blackened chunks of burned wood. He turned and looked at the pack, which had been full of firewood — now it was empty.  *I only remember putting a few pieces on the fire…* Andor wondered as his brain tried to process the memories of the previous night flooding over him. Like a clap of thunder, the memory of the night's events flashed into his mind. The light show. The feelings of love. The tears. The two visitors.  “What did we talk about? I wish I could remember…” he said into the empty cave. “I must’ve imagined all of it…”  Andor shook his head with a smile. As he crawled out of the cave towards the ledge he noticed a few inches of fresh snow had fallen while he slept. Then he froze and stared in shock. There on the ledge were two sets of bare human footprints. They couldn’t have been his - they were much bigger than his feet. A glint of something shiny buried in the fresh snow caught his eye. He stuck his hand into the snow and pulled out a shiny empty canister. “It really happened?” he gasped. ### Next Chapter: [[14 - Ruth 🏝️]] ### Previous Chapter: [[12 - Gulf Hagas 🌨️]]