little more.  I lost track of time.  I had just about given up, half-starved, weak and utterly without hope, and fell flat onto my belly in the snow.  It was then that I heard the approach of another team of dogs.  A team that had been sent out to look for us.  They found me and brought me back to Nome, and nursed me back to health.  But I couldn't get anyone to allow me back out to lead them to the rest of the team.  I'm not sure I could have found my way back to the cavern if they had let me, I was so weak and delirious from what had occurred in the cavern."

Star turned and rejoined Tommy at the grave.  "Well, after that, you can imagine that things didn't go well here in town.  The sickness spread, and many people died.  Many others left on the first ships south, once the ice broke up.  Nome became the ghost town it essentially is now.  No word was ever heard again from the team or my master."  Star looked up at the old house.  "And that is all that's left."  He started to walk off into the night, back towards town, and Tommy got up to follow him.

Steele was overwhelmed.  Had he caused all of this?  And what had become of town?  Was anyone even left, or just the few that he had seen earlier?  He turned back to the spirit in desperation.  It now walked right past him, and stepped up behind the grave marker before which Star and Tommy had been talking.  Pleading fearfully, Steele said "Spirit, before I come over there to look at that marker, answer me one question.  Are these the shadows of things that will be, or only may be?"  Steele, at this point, was pretty sure he knew what was about to be revealed to him.  It sent shivers down his spine, and he cringed from it.  But the spirit was unmoved.  It simply waited for Steele to draw near.

Shaking from fear, Steele cried out "The past was what it was, and the present is what it is.  But the future hasn't happened yet!  If I can change it from what I have seen, first tell me before I look at that marker!"  The spirit growled in response.

Steele approached the marker, deathly afraid, and at last looked upon it.  There, scratched rather unceremoniously into the wood (very much unlike the greater care given to the previous markers), was his own name!  Steele cried out in anguish at the sight, and dropped his head right down into the snow, placing his paws over his head and sobbing.  "NOOO!  No no no!" 

The spirit stepped before him and stared down at him remorselessly.  Steele peered up into its sinister sunken eyes, and those cold green points of of light.  "Spirit!" he cried.  "I'm not the dog I was!  I will not have my future end up like this!  Why show me all of this if there's no hope for me?!"

And then, suddenly, the growling stopped.  The spirit took a step or two back, the fierceness in its face softening just a bit.  Steele took notice, and began to rise to his feet.

"I will change", he implored.  "I will make this right!  I have learned from what I have been shown tonight, and I will make my life better than it has been!"  Steele found an unanticipated boldness rising in him, and he stepped towards the spirit, which slowly retreated in response.  But he managed to catch up and he fell down before it, grasping at the fur on its legs.  The spirit attempted to pull itself free, but Steele held on tightly, squeezing his eyes shut as he pleaded.

"Tell me that I can scratch out the writing on that marker!  Please tell me!"  The spirit was strong, and repulsed his grasp.  As Steele reached out to grab hold again, he found himself once again in his own bedding, grasping at the blankets around him.
 

CHAPTER 5: TRANSFORMATION

Steele breathed a great sigh of relief.  There was bright sunlight pouring into the window behind his bed, and it bathed the hallway in a golden morning hue.  Out in the kennel yard, Steele could hear that the dogs were up and around, and making quite a fuss.

At the moment, however, such things did not concern him.  He was in his own bed!  In his master's house!  And it wasn't run down and disheveled--everything was where it was supposed to be, all neat, clean and orderly!  They were here, and HE was here!  He grinned at the thought of getting right to work this morning, setting things to right.  "The shadows of the things that would be can be changed.  And they will be; I know they will!"

He stood up and stretched, letting out a prodigious yawn, and his ears shot up as he heard the sounds of paws coming up the stairs.  Looking down the hall, he saw Star peering sheepishly around the banister towards him.  Star---and he was young again!  Not old and ragged as he had seen in the vision earlier.

"S...Steele?" he inquired, rounding the corner and stepping out into the hallway cautiously.

"Yes, Star!  Come over here!" Steele proclaimed happily.  Star, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head in confusion, walked over.  Clearing his throat, Steele stood tall and asked "What day is this, Star?"

"What day?  It's January 24th, Steele", Star replied.

Steele grinned again.  "January 24th...amazing--they did it all in one night after all!  Astounding!  But then, they could, couldn't they?"  Pointing down the hall, he added "Look, that's where Charger's ghost made his appearance, just like you did, around the banister!"  Steele strode quickly over to the top banister, and glanced down through the open space beyond to the first floor hall and the drawing room.  Referring to it, he added "And that's where the spirit of the present appeared!"

Star was completely confused, and a little worried.  "Steele, are you alright?"

Steele turned around quickly and met Star's gaze.  "What?"  Star recoiled, expecting to be hit (or worse).  But he was surprised when Steele replied "I don't know.  No.  Certainly not!"

Star started backing away, wondering what had gotten into his leader.  "The master is preparing the team to go into town for the race", he said.

Steele tilted his head.  "Race?  What race?"

"The race to determine the fastest dogs for the team?" Star replied questioningly. " So we can go out and bring the medicine back?"

Steele nodded.  "Oooooh yeeees!  Yes!  Right!"  He straightened up and walked over to the window, looked down on the kennel yard, and beckoned to Star.  "You get right down there and tell them that I'm on my way!  Hurry up, Star!" 

But Star needed little prodding to rush back downstairs, and get away from Steele and this strange new behavior he was exhibiting. 

Steele spent a minute making himself look presentable, and strode confidently down the stairs and out into the yard.  Being harnessed by the master into his usual lead position, Steele took off, at the master's command, towards town.

A short time later, the race was commenced to determine the fastest dog.  Steele watched from the sidelines, next to his master, as members of his own team, as well as several hopefuls from other teams and, rather unexpectedly, Balto, bound through the streets of Nome on a predetermined course.  Their goal: to be included on this special team that would go off to retrieve the antitoxin and return with it.

With crowds cheering from the sidelines, behind the same ropes used in the earlier race which Steele's team had won, the dogs rounded the last turn and approached the finish line.  To Steele's surprise, there was Balto, fast in the lead!  As he crossed the finish line, panting heavily as the other dogs came running up behind and each eventually came to a stop, Steele smiled to himself.  But not his usual cruel, arrogant smile.  This was something much different.  He chuckled to himself, and then, drawing himself up to his full height, and puffing out his chest, he started to walk towards the finish line, and Balto.  He did his best, in spite of how excited he was, to put on an air more evident of his usual self. 

Sticking his nose up in the air, and striding right past Balto, he commanded "Okay Nikki, Kaltag, Star: move it!  We're strapping up."

Balto turned and faced him.  "Hey now, just a second here, Steele", he insisted.  "I was the fastest dog."

Steele turned back and grinned at him, trying to show complete arrogance.  "You were the fastest what?"  He shot back, as Balto glanced sternly at him.  "Do you honestly believe any musher would ever put you on his team?"

Steele waited for some response, and saw Jenna approaching from the crowd.  Chuckling under his breath, he again turned to Balto and, softening his expression and his voice, said "Well mine will.  If you're up to the challenge, that is."  Steele saw Jenna stop in her tracks, astounded.  Balto too now had a look of surprise on his face.  Further back behind them, near the finish line, Star, Kaltag and Nikki each stood with their mouths hanging wide open, utterly dumbfounded.

Steele was quite amused by their reactions, and let out a rich, rolling laugh.  He tussled Balto's head with his paw and said "Come on, wolfdog.  Let's go get that