#09 "Someone to Watch Over Me"

2007

Hurley moved branches out of his way as he walked nonchalantly through the jungle. Ben, soaked from the ocean, chased after him.
“Wait, Hugo,” Ben called out, but Hurley did not stop or respond. Ben confusedly, shouted “Hugo!? Hey! What’s wrong??”
Out of frustration, Hurley could not decide where to go or what to do. He turned to Ben and replied, “Just go away and leave me alone for a while, dude.”
“Why? What did I do?” Ben asked.
Hurley shook his head and sighed, “You disappeared on me, man! You didn’t tell me what you were up to. I am the top guy now. I kinda need to know all the plans and stuff.”
Ben, with the look of extreme disappointment on his face, stared back at him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Here I am thinking that I was doing the right thing by getting the boat for Desmond. It was the least I could do for him considering what I put him through.”
Hurley took a couple of steps toward Ben and tried to keep his own disappointment from showing. “It’s not what you did, Ben. Yes. I agree. It was the right thing to do, but c’mon man … can you just clue me in next time? Please?”
Ben sulked. His head yielded the glare Hurley was giving him and nodded as he replied, “Sure…and I’m sorry, Hugo.”
“Yeah, me too,” Hurley answered with another sigh as he turned to walk away.
“What do you want me to do??” Ben asked.
“Go dry off in the sun on the beach or somethin’. I just need to be alone for a bit,” Hurley answered as he walked away, farther into the jungle.

Hurley made his way to the caves where he once stayed with the other survivors of the flight 815 crash. Parched from the walk and high noon sun, he went inside to the running spring for a drink. The cave was much cooler and mustier smelling than he had remembered. Hurley cupped his hands under the small waterfall and took a drink, then splashed his face. The cool water was refreshing as Hurley closed his eyes to enjoy it.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from a rock that dropped behind him. The echo filled the cave for a brief moment. Hurley whipped around only to find nothing there.
“Hello?” he called out, “Ben, is that you??” but there was no response. The sound of the waterfall could only be heard. Hurley slowly looked over at the skeletal bodies, known to him as Adam and Eve, lying in the aperture in the wall where they were laid to rest.
“Did you guys hear that?” The sound of water splashing against stone was the only reply.
Hurley gulped with nervousness.
“C’mon Ben, this isn’t funny, man!” he said as he walked slowly to the opening of the cave. Another sound of rocks moving and falling rang through the cave. Hurley skeptically moved forward, peeking out of the opening to see what was lurking outside. Instantly, a large, brown-feathered bird leaped to the sky, frightened by the site of him. Hurley gasped in shock as he fell to the ground when the bird passed by his head.

Hurley lay face down for a moment in the loose grass and mud, completely embarrassed by what had happened. Realizing this could compromise the integrity of his new role on the island, he sat up. He looked around hoping that Ben had not seen him. At first, Hurley chuckled at himself. The laughter made its way to tears, tears of helplessness.
“Is that any way for a guardian to act?” a familiar voice asked.

Hurley turned to see who spoke and froze in shock. He could not believe his eyes. In the distance, wearing army green pants, hiking boots, a matching green hunting vest over a tan t-shirt, was none other than John Locke. He stared back at Hurley with a coy smile. His left hand was holding the strap of the pack on his back. Stunned motionless, Hurley wondered if what he was looking at was the real John Locke, or had the black smoke returned. He blinked his eyes hard twice to refocus and looked back. Locke smiled in acknowledgement as he lifted his right hand to give a two-fingered salute just above his right eye, and then walked off into the jungle.

When he realized it really could have been Locke, Hurley rushed to get up as quickly as he could. “Wait!” he shouted, “Wait! Locke!” Once to his feet, he ran as fast as he could in the direction Locke had gone. He pushed branches out of his way as he ran, but there was no sign of Locke. Hurley slowed his pace in disappointment. “Locke?!” he cried out again as he moved more of the brush from his path. Again, there was no response to his cries.

Hurley came to a clearing in the middle of the jungle. Out of breath, he sat on a nearby fallen tree log. The sun shined through the forest, lighting up the area as a breeze moved the treetops. Frustrated and thinking that he had lost his mind, Hurley started to whimper. He tried to hold back, but it was no use. The events of the past few days finally had taken its toll. He bowed his head and let the tears fall.

Sounds of someone walking came from behind. Hurley opened his eyes widely and wiped the tears away. He turned his head.
“Now, I thought I asked … is that any way for a guardian to act?”
Hurley’s jaw dropped, “Locke…” he said with a relieving sigh.
Locke smiled calmly as he put one leg on the log close to where Hurley was sitting and replied, “Hello, Hugo”.
Very concerned, Hurley asked, “Is it really you?”
“I’m sure you’re able to tell the difference between a dead person like me versus say, an imposter, Hugo.” Locke answered with a comforting tone.
“Dude! It is you!!” Hurley shouted with glee. Then sudden confusion came over him and asked, “Why are you here?”
“Because, Hugo, you have work to do,” Locke responded.

Locke straddled the log and took some guava out of his backpack. He then took out a hunting knife and proceeded to peel the fruit.
“I know what you are gonna say, dude,” Hurley started, “that I am not cut out for this. Protecting the island is important and I don’t have the experience needed to do it.”
“On the contrary,” Locke chuckled, “You are the only right person for this job and precisely what this island needs right now.”
Hurley smiled, “Thanks, but I’m not too sure.”
“That’s why I’m here, Hugo. To help you realize that,” Locke advised.
“How? I don’t know anything about survival. I always sat back and let everyone else do that,” Hurley claimed.
“What you need is a few things, Hugo… like confidence. But first, you need to eat.” Locke handed Hurley a perfectly peeled guava. “Here. I certainly don’t need it,” Locke smiled.

Hurley bit into the freshly picked fruit. It tasted perfectly ripe. The juices practically exploded in his mouth, instantly soothing him. Locke smiled with admiration, and then looked in the distance.
“Now, what I am about to tell you is very important. It may not be easy for you to hear, but you must, and there is not much time,” Locke warned. “You have a gift, but you already know that. Not only can you see people who have died, you also know how to take care of people,” Locke continued, “You need to start a community, and keep them safe. The rest of the survival parts will come a lot easier than you realize.”
“How do I do that?” Hurley asked, chewing on a piece of guava.
“There are people here already to start you off,” Locke answered, “More people will come in time. Watch them.”
“You mean Rose and Bernard?” Hurley swallowed.
“To start. You need to go to the temple,” John advised, “There you will find more of what you need.”
“How can I keep them safe? I nearly ran scared after seeing you.” Hurley admitted.
Locke chuckled, “If you feel you don’t have the strength within you my friend, then you can always rely on the technology around you.” Locke leaned forward to talk more seriously. “You must keep them, as well as this island, safe, Hugo.”
Hurley gulped in anticipation of what was going to be said next.
“Good cannot exist without the presence of evil. It’s all about balance,” Locke continued, “Once the scale starts to tip, then the opposing side compensates to keep that balance. People will come and try to take the island from you. There will be times of hard decisions. Sacrifices will need to be made to protect this sacred place. You will have to live with the decisions you make the rest of your … possibly very, very long life here.”
Hurley stared at Locke and muttered, “Great.”

The late afternoon sun peered through the trees. Locke looked up and closed his eyes. “I don’t have long, Hugo.”
“What? Why?” Hurley asked.
“I am not the only one here, but you know that,” Locke advised, “I am not with them, and unfortunately my time here is very limited.”
“Dude, you just got here. Please don’t dump all this information on me then take off,” Hurley pleaded.
“I am just passing through to check in on you before I move on. I’m sorry, Hugo. I don’t make the rules,” Locke responded.
“Wait…” Hurley paused, “I do.”
Locke smiled, “There you go, you are finally starting to get it.” He stood up from straddling the log. “This island is every bit of special, as you are. It is the source, the light that is in all of us. You are partners. If you listen, it will tell you what it needs. If you give the island what it needs, it will give back to you. Watch, listen, and learn.”
Hurley looked up at Locke, “Dude… do you mean what I think you mean?”
Locke put his hand on Hurley’s shoulder. “You better get a move on.”
“Should I go get Ben and bring him too?” Hurley asked, more accepting of his challenge.
“Ben needs to be watched also, Hugo. Anyone can take redemption upon him or her, but for someone like him … well let’s just say I would be surprised,” Locke recommended.
“I know he killed you so you have some resentment towards him. I have to have faith in him. I need his help,” Hurley claimed as he stood up.
“No, Hugo, I have no resentment. Rest assured that when he took my life he had a small amount of enjoyment in it. He did think he was doing everything for the island, however misguided it was.” Locke seemed to get visibly frustrated. “When I died I was left with the feeling of uncertainty. I didn’t know what the purpose was. The burning question of ‘Why’ filled my soul,” Locke explained, “It took some time to realize what that purpose was.”
Hurley waited a moment, then asked, “What, dude?”
Locke looked at Hurley and smiled, “My destiny in that life was to die … not to bring you all back here … but to watch over you.”

#08 "Hallow"

“What now?” Walt asked as he looked to the ghost of his father.
“Only you can answer that, son,” Michael replied. They both stood face to face at the old abandoned beach camp. The wind had noticeably picked up as it blew through the trees and was the only sound that could be heard, apart from crashing waves.
“I don’t understand,” Walt admitted.
“There are a lot of things you won’t understand because they can’t really be explained,” Michael clarified, “You have to be sure to ask the right questions because more answers lead to even more questions. You must realize that sometimes you have to have faith … and trust your instincts.”
“No, I meant I don’t understand how I’m the only one who can answer my own questions. That doesn’t make sense, dad,” Walt explained.
“It doesn’t make sense now, but it will,” Michael answered.
“I don’t remember you talking like this before,” Walt said skeptically.
“I’ve had a long time to think about things while I was waiting for you,” Michael added.

The ocean waves started to increase in intensity as they crashed upon the beach. The skies were clear as the sun shined down, yet the wind still blew from the ocean.
“What’s going on?” Walt asked.
“It’s the island.” Michael answered.
“What?” Walt asked in confusion.
“Let’s get off the beach. We need to walk inland,” Michael stated as he started to walk into the jungle, but Walt stood motionless, “C’mon Walt. You want answers they are this way.”

Walt followed Michael into the jungle reluctantly. The wind cut through the treetops, which rustled the leaves loudly. Michael walked at a steady pace through the brush and Walt tried to keep up behind him. A few feet later, Walt lost sight of him. He continued on in the same direction at a full speed run. A minute later, he came to a clearing and stopped short. The sun shined through the forest, lighting up the area where Michael stood eerily in the middle. Michael lifted his arm quickly to point at something in a nearby tree. Walt looked in the direction he was pointing to find mango trees. With a smile he looked back at his father, but he was not there. Michael had vanished. Walt looked around and shouted, “Dad??”

The wind still came through the trees and whispers could be heard. Walt felt a chill in the air, as the whispers grew louder. Faintly ‘He is the one’ could be heard repeating in the whispers that now came from all directions. Walt stood motionless, watching and waiting. The whispers seemed to dance around him, spinning. ‘He is the one, he is the one’ they repeated, sometimes sounding reversed. Walt turned around trying to see where they were coming from. He cried out “Who are you?? What do you want?? Dad!! Where are you??”
“I’m right here son,” Walt jumped when he saw his father standing right next to him. The whispers dissipated into the wind. Michael looked into the distance as if watching them leave.
“What was that? Where did you go?” Walt asked.
“What do you mean? I was showing you food so you can eat. You need to eat up now. You are going to need energy.” Michael explained.
“Then you disappeared into thin air right in front of me,” Walt informed.
“I did? Are you sure?” Michael asked sounding confused.
“Stop playin’ around like you don’t know,” Walt warned, “It’s not funny.”
“Walt, as far as I know, I didn’t go anywhere,” Michael pleaded.
“What about the whispers then? Do you know about that?” Walt inquired.
Michael smiled, “Ah, that explains it. You heard the whispers. Did I look strange to you before I disappeared?”
“Yes. Kinda. You didn’t speak. You just pointed to the tree and you looked kinda creepy,” Walt elaborated.
“Mangos,” Michael said.
“Mangos?” Walt asked.
“Yes,” Michael pointed to the tree again, “Mangos. You must eat them.”
“Dad, I need to know, “Walt pleaded, “What are the whispers?”
Michael sighed, “I know, son. You do need to know, but first, I need you to understand that I never wanted this to happen. This life, I wanted so much better for you,” Michael motioned to the mango tree again, “Pick one, then come here and sit. I will tell you what you need to know.”

Walt walked to the tree, climbed up and picked the two ripest mangos he could find. He jumped back down and looked over to his father, who was standing next to a fallen tree. With a sigh of relief, he hurried back to the fallen tree in anticipation of what he was about to be told.
“Here,” Walt said handing one of the mangos to his father.
With a chuckle Michael responded, “I don’t need that, son. I appreciate the thought but I don’t have to eat.”
“Oh,” Walt replied in disappointment.
“I do miss it though. Taste. Smell,” Michael sighed, “among other things.”

Michael sat down on the log and Walt sat next to him.
“What’s it like … being … uh, dead?” Walt reluctantly asked as he ripped open the mango and took a bite.
“Well, the best way I can explain it is the feeling within your soul,” Michael started as he stared out into the woods, “Its like I can feel things in my heart … or like a mood. When I saw you I felt happy and excited to see you. A definite change from the sorrow and despair I have been feeling for so long.” Michael continued, “But like I said I can’t smell or taste. I can’t even really feel anything I touch. I know something is there but I can’t feel the sensation of hot, cold, and texture.”
“And you can disappear also.” Walt added as he chewed on the mango.
“Yea that’s a completely different thing entirely,” Michael advised, “I can go anywhere I want, at any time, as long as it is on this island.”
Walt stopped chewing, “You can’t ever leave?”
“I don’t know. I am somehow tied to this place, trapped somehow,” Michael grumbled.
Walt cleared his throat, “Are you saying this is Hell?”
Michael froze and had a big look of fear on his face, “I don’t know. It is for me.”
“Are you here because of what you did to those two women?” Walt inquired.
“Anna Lucia and Libby. All the terrible things I did to get you back. That’s why I need your help, son.”
“My help??” Walt said in shock, “What am I supposed to do??”
“Time will tell I suppose. I don’t have all the answers, Walt. I wish I did,” Michael said as he looked at the ground in disappointment.
“What about the whispers, Dad? What are they and can they do anything?” asked Walt.
Michael closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Walt could easily tell this was all very difficult for him.
“There are other like me here. Stuck on this island and can’t move on,” Michael started, “Some have been here for thousands of years. Some are more recent. We can’t really be seen in the same spot at the same time, like how you see me now … yet we seem to travel together. The older … stronger ones are tormented, so they make us all suffer.”

The wind continued to move the treetops around them. Walt sat there for a while as he tried to take it all in. He looked down at his hand that was holding the half eaten mango, but he didn’t have the desire to continue eating. He couldn’t begin to comprehend what his father had gone through. The only thing he could think to say in response was, “I’m sorry, Dad.”
“I know it’s overwhelming, son, but there is no need to be sorry for me. You are here now.”

The sunlight started to dwindle through the jungle. Michael looked up at the sky as he stood up.
He looked down at Walt and said, “The sun is setting. Come with me. There is more for you to see.”
Walt sat bewildered, shaking his head. “More?” he asked, “and how is the sun setting already?”
“Well, that is something else I can’t really answer,” Michael replied, “I really hope you can find out.”
“Find out?” Walt asked, “How?”
Michael knelt down facing him, “You are very special, Walt. I know you have heard that before.” Michael put his hand on Walt’s knee, “I just never knew how special you were when I was alive. I mean, you have a gift,” Michael smiled.
“A gift? I keep hearing that I’m special. Hurley and Ben keep saying it. The doctors and nurses at Santa Rosa… John Locke said it. Mom and Brian used to say it,” Walt said, as he got a little frustrated.
Michael looked into Walt’s eyes, “You can see me… Not everyone can see me, but you can.”
“Hurley can also,” Walt stated.
“Yes he can. He is also very special, but not as special as you,” Michael explained, “Walk with me and I will explain.”

Michael grabbed Walt’s hand and pulled him up. The two walked off into the jungle. An hour walk later, they came to a stream. The moonlight was the only source of light. Michael stopped at the top of the embankment looking at the water as the light shimmered off.
“We have to go this way,” Michael advised pointing up stream.
Walt looked at him confused, “Why not walk along the stream? It’s easier. There’s no--”
“I can’t touch the water,” Michael snapped, “So, we have to go this way.”
“Why not? And why is it so dark already?” Walt asked.
“The water is special. Just like you and just like this island,” Michael explained, “Time is different here. To me, there are times it seems like an eternity has gone by since I have seen you. Other times it feels like I just died on that freighter yesterday. Time works differently for me than it does for you normally… but now, on this island … time is altered for you as well.”
“Where is that light coming from?” Walt said as he pointed upstream.
“What light? All I see is the moon.” Michael answered.
“This way!” Walt said as he ran along the embankment.

Walt ran toward the light. It was only a few paces until he reached his destination. There ahead was a cave enveloping the stream that had an unimaginably bright light bellowing out from within. Walt continued towards it.
“Walt! Wait! Where are you going?” Michael asked.
“To look at the light. Look at it. It’s beautiful. I – I – I can’t keep my eyes off it. I want to go in the cave.” Walt said, mesmerized.
“What light, Walt?” Michael asked.
“In the cave. Don’t you see it?” Walt wondered, as he gazed into the light.
“No, son, I don’t.” Michael sighed, “Knowing that you can see it confirms how special you really are.”
Walt turned to Michael and looked him dead in the eyes, realizing what he had to do.
“I forgive you, Dad.”

A bolt of lightning flashed from nowhere and thunder crashed. Rain started to pour down on top of Michael and Walt.
“What did you say?” Michael asked in shock.
“I said I forgive you, Dad.” Walt repeated.
Instantly Michael saw flashes of Walt as a child. Visions flashed before his eyes of holding him for the first time, seeing him at 2 years old, seeing him crashed on the beach. Saving him.
“It was always for you, son. I love you, Walt” Michael exclaimed warmly.
“I love you too, Dad.” Walt answered.
Michael’s eyes opened widely. An excited smile came about his face. “I see it! Oh Walt, I can see the light!!”
“You can forgive yourself now. I saw you beating yourself up. You made this place your Hell for long enough.” Walt explained.
“You have to come with me, son. You are special and there is work for you to do.” Michael pleaded, “You can feel it pulling you in can’t you?”
Walt nodded in agreement.

Lightning flashed wildly…the thunder and rain crashed down. The stream started to rise with the fresh rainwater.
“Come on! Get into the cave and out of the rain.” Michael urged.
They both walked into the stream and into the cave. The water continued to rise and became more forceful as it pushed Walt further inside.

Michael looked at Walt, “Son, I have to leave now.”
“I know,” Walt smiled nervously, “ So do I.”
Michael seemed to drift closer to the waterfall but his legs were not moving, as if he was floating. Walt walked toward him extending his arms. Michael reached out and grabbed on.

They embraced one last time as they both went over the waterfall. A deafening, vibrating sound was expelled as they were both were consumed by the light.