It did not require him to get close; Josh could make out the form of the steam engine standing askew in the middle of the desert wasteland in the early morning light. There were no train cars behind it and as far as Josh could make out from his hilltop view, there were no tracks. It was as if the steam engine had been dropped from the sky and landed with a force that probably felt like an explosion.
The size of it was probably the most alarming, destination aside. Bigger than any he had seen, though, Josh did wonder if it was an early prototype. Perhaps, it was even a great rock formation that simply bore the resemblance of a steam engine. The longer Josh stared at it, the more he dismissed that thought.
Josh wished he had brought more water as he continued along the arrowhead path. He had a little over a canteen left but the heat of the day made him sweat profusely and shedding layers would all but guarantee sunburn and pain. How little he prepared had him questioning his sanity. Still, he hoped he was getting close to the rock with water. Mavis could very well have set him up for failure and if so, he deserved the agony of thirst and heat exhaustion.
The arrowheads were becoming fewer and fewer, forcing him to slow his pace and keep a keen eye on the ground. Backtracking a few times all but forced his will to abate.
The steam engine continued to stand in the distance, following him, but he refused to investigate it. He stopped, stared at it, and drank. "No!" He checked the canteen for a leak as he heard a trickle of water. The ground around him was dry and hot with no sign of mud. Searching, he looked all around him, seeing nothing but bushes and stones. His attention settled on the direction he thought the water flow came from. A cluster of tall bushes seemed to hide the source.
He approached slowly, eventually finding he had to step through a pair of bushes too close together. Branches scraped at him as he shimmied through. Scrapes and whacks drove him to speed up until he found himself surrounded by bushes on all sides and at the center stood a red rock with water flowing from its surface in a never ending flow. The water emptied into a hole at the base of the stone--too small to stick one's hand into or anything else.
Josh dropped his bag and rummaged through it, trying to think of anything that might help him collect the water. He found a small container that had a roll of electrical tape and matches inside. He emptied it into his bag and his hand found something cold. He pulled out the folding knife Sylvy gave him. He opened the blade to find it badly rusted. He tried cleaning it but it was too old.
There was no other option. He placed the blade edge against the stone at an angle to collect the water in the small container. It worked but it did take some time to fill it. Twisting the lid tight and shaking it, Josh rested a moment in satisfaction. With the water, he could take it to Mavis and get out of the valley. But not before he searched a while longer for the Shivering.
He stood and folded the knife. His breath caught. The sun reflected off the now clean blade. He examined it closely, sliding his finger along the perfect smooth flat sides of the steel. How did happen? He glanced down at the water. "Impossible."
Josh knelt down again, staring at the water flow. He eyed the end of his grandfather's staff and without thinking, pressed the wood into the water flow. Nothing happened at first but before he stand in disappointment, veins spread along the length of the haft. Small leaves sprouted along some of the veins--a deep verdant color. Josh stood and examined the staff, looking for anything else that might have changed.
"Josh."
His heart skipped as he searched for the whispering voice that spoke his name.
"I'm here," it said again.
'Who? Where?!" Josh called out.
"Here."
Josh wiped the tear that rolled down his cheek. "Impossible," he said. "You can't be." He brought the staff up to examine it again. "You can't be here..."
"I am."
"But... but you're dead."
"I am that as well." There was a short pause. "You've brought me back to you somehow."
"Can you see me?" Josh asked.
"No. I just know you're here."
"I don't know what to think," Josh admitted. "What do I do?"
"Why are you here?"
Josh thought how to answer the question, unsure how much he could explain his current place and dilemma. "I'm looking for someone. Two kids actually; they were lost or missing."
"Leah and Tim?"
A gasp could not be held back. "You know them? How? Do you know where they're at?"
"Yes. I... I don't know how to explain it to you but I can sense them nearby. The direction of their presence."
"Tell me! Please, grandpa!"
"There's something else there, Josh. I sense it as well. It is not...right. There's a danger there. Evil. Anger. Pain. Indignant. Wrought with rage."
Josh shook his head, finally feeling he had found the missing piece to it all. "Grandpa, I need to. I need to find Leah and Tim. They need to be saved!"
"I don't think that they can, Josh. There's something about them that's missing."
"I don't care! Which way do I go, grandpa."
The staff turned in Josh's hands almost making him drop it. The shadow changed with the end, acting like a compass of some kind.
"Follow the shadow."
Cool!