As the healer worked on saving Leslie from his gruel end, Maryanne looked outside at the strange occurrences that went on outside the hut. It was the first time Leslie and Maryanne had even been inside the village, but Maryanne didn't think they were welcome guests. The villagers that were tending to the unconscious while fetching water made sure to stab daggers into Maryanne as they stared at her in anger. The strange couple were the reason behind all of this, the villagers seemed to think. Somehow, the couple from the sky had brought misfortune to their people.

"I don’t understand. What’s going on?" Maryanne said to the chief, who had been standing by the healer as they worked.

"It is Altua. He had placed a curse upon us for hurting your partner," he said, stopping the healer trying to give one of the weaker medicines to Leslie. He then motions over to the highest quality but harder to get remedies that are only used for high-ranking villagers that the healer should use.

"Your god caused all this," Maryanne said, looking over to the chief and then to her husband on the healer’s table. He was still alive, but his breathing was very shallow.

"Yes, I believe so. He had placed you here and wanted to ensure that you would be safe here. Once the oracle has awoken, we will confirm the details," he said, looking at the motionless man.

"We’re finished," the healer said, wiping something on his patchwork pants. "I have done everything I could with this man. Hopefully he gets better," he said, sporting a comforting smile for Maryanne. His attitude seemed to change instantly as he approached the chief before leaving the hut to help the other villagers. "Pray to Altua that he heals," he whispered to Cheif Po, "because his death will be the end of us."

It took over a month for a sign of anything, good or bad. But eventually, the snow started to melt. Vegetation began to grow once more. Leslie’s wounds slowly healed and he began to wake up. During that time, Maryanne transformed. She started to teach the village children, those who were unaffected by the curse, simple things like the alphabet and simple math. At first, the villagers hated her presence, but she made it clear that she was only there to help out while she waited for her husband to awaken from his long slumber. Even though she couldn’t do much else given her lifestyle before she was sent there, she was willing to learn. She learned to sew her own clothing, fetch water, prepare meals, and create simple traps that the hunters could use. She was an entirely different person than when her husband last saw her. And his eyes lit up when he saw her beside the table when he woke up.

"My love," he strained, reaching over to grab her hand. Even though she no longer had her magnificent dress and perfect curls, she still looked just as beautiful as the day they met.

"Leslie! Everything will be okay now," she said, kissing him. "They healed you. They can't hurt us anymore. I’ve been with them for over a month now. We’re safe here."

"Maryanne, how could you know that they wouldn't try to kill me again?" he said, with worry in his eyes.

"I’ll explain what happened in a bit," she said, gleaming with joy as she brought his hand to her stomach. "We’re not alone now. I promise you that we can have a future here."

"Oh my! Darling," he said, bursting into tears as he pulled her close for a warm embrace. Eventually, he would regain his strength, and by then, the strange couple who came from the sky had fully integrated as the villagers in that strange little world. And only shortly after that, they invited another being into that realm. A bouncy, happy baby that belonged to Altua.