As you start walking back toward the ranch, you notice the trail seems very diflerent than you remember it, though of course moonlight can play tricks on your eyes. But you suddenly realize you
are not walking on the hail at all, but on what seems to be a dried-up river bed. You hurry back to the cave entrance. 

You look around vou and realize the whole landscape has changei. While you were in the cave, torrents of water have washed out the trail; yet there is not so much as a puddle left. You shiver. It is cold, much colder than it should be at this time of year. You take a jacket out of your backpack and put it on, but you are still freezing.

At least the world about you seems brighter. It’s getting light in the east. The sun will soon be up. You look at your watch. It has run down, though you wound it only a few hours ago. Nothing seems to make sense anymore. You know you should get back to the ranch as quickly as possible; yet somehow you feel the only way to change things back to the way they were is to re-enter the cave.