A few days passed after Percy returned to his home. Migo invited all the Yetis in the village to the Cave of Secrets, where he gave a speech. The Yetis all stared at a wall behind him filled with carved images, which he pointed to as he told his story.
“This is our history,” he began. “These are our ancestors. There was a time when Yetis lived below the clouds. But then we moved up here, where we knew the Smallfoot couldn’t survive.”
The Yetis were silent as Migo continued. They were hanging on his every word.
“I thought the Smallfoot was my enemy, but then one saved me,” Migo said. “I know I said it wasn’t a Smallfoot, but that wasn’t true. And I’m sorry I lied to all of you.” Migo snuck a quick glance in Meechee’s direction. She nodded her head slightly, as if in forgiveness.
Migo went on. “The Smallfoot is real. And they live below the clouds. Clouds we make. And that’s the truth. The truth is sometimes complicated, and it can be scary, but it’s better than living a lie. Like, way better.”
Thorp cleared his throat and spoke up. “So, we didn’t fall out of the butt of the Great Sky Yak?”
“Probably not,” Migo answered.
“Whose butt did we fall out of?” Thorp asked.
“You know what? We’ll circle back to that question later,” Migo replied.
Migo turned back to all the Yetis still staring at the wall. He went on.
“So now you know. They think we’re monsters, and we think they are. And that’s not going to change by hiding. We have to communicate, so it’s up to us to decide what we want to do.”
The Yetis all looked at one another, then back to Migo, and smiled.
Migo turned to the Stonekeeper and nodded. Together, they approached a glass-sealed lever. The Stonekeeper handed Migo his staff and patted him on the back. Migo took a deep breath, smashed the glass, and pulled the lever.
The pistons stopped pumping.
The ice balls stopped falling.
The giant fans whirred to a stop.
And the clouds of steam disappeared.
The Yetis looked out in awe for the first time at the Himalayas.
“It’s a new day,” Migo said to the crowd.
The Stonekeeper smiled and nodded in agreement. “Indeed it is, Migo,” he said. “Indeed it is. Let’s make it a perfect one.”