The Time Keeper

The old man reappears to Dor in the cave. It has been 6,000 years since they last spoke. Dor has forgotten how to speak. The old man examines all the symbols Dor has carved into the cave wall that mark the important moments of his life, including a teardrop for his last memory of Alli as she is dying.

The old man touches the carving of the teardrop, and it becomes an actual drop of water that he uses to complete the column between the stalactite and stalagmite. This is Heaven meeting Earth. The column becomes an hourglass with the finest white sand. The old man tells Dor that within the hourglass is every moment of the universe. Since Dor had tried to control time, this is his penance.

The old man tells Dor that he is sending him back to Earth because his journey is not yet done. Dor must find two people—one who wants too much time and one who wants too little—and he must teach them what he has learned about time. As the old man fades from sight, he tells Dor that there is a reason why God limits humans’ days and that Dor will find the answer once he finishes his journey.