The next morning, I was in a stable, talking to a horse.

“Baka, old buddy,” I said, not in the least bit embarrassed to be speaking to my favorite animal in the world. “I have to admit, I'm scared to death. To make matters worse, I can't even remember the last time I wore a Braves hat.”

I brushed his coat, knowing that horses liked that sort of thing. It was strange that I felt so bonded to the big brown fella, but then again, when you'd been to the brink of death and back with someone—be it human or horse—you sort of felt a connection.

“You wouldn't believe who came trouncing into our hotel last night.”

I paused, as if Baka might actually take a stab at guessing.

“Time's up. It was Tanaka. We'd thought for sure he was fish food, but he showed up last night like nothing had ever happened. Wouldn't even tell us much, just kept whining that ‘he so tired, gathered all of them’ and some other nonsense.”

Baka sneezed, or coughed, or whatever it is when a horse makes that loud, lip-vibrating noise that spews stinky horse phlegm everywhere.

“I know, weird, huh? None of us have a clue what he was talking about, and he fell asleep before we could get one more word out of him. But that wasn't the weirdest thing.”

Again, I gave Baka a chance to read my mind, but he went for some yummy oats instead.

“You don't even care, do you?” I patted him on the head, and told him that I'd come to see him again later.

As I walked to the stable doors, I paused, and looked back.

“You're dying to know, aren't you?” I asked the four-legged creature.

He let out a slight snicker, and nodded his head. Honest to goodness, the horse nodded his head.

“He had a big wire cage with him,” I said. “It was completely full of … something, and we still have no idea why.”

Baka's eyes bore into mine, anxious for either the next part of the story, or some more oats, I'll never know. But I told him anyway.

“The cage was full of butterflies.”

As I left Baka behind, and headed off in search of breakfast with my family, my heart was heavy with a sense of approaching duty and danger.

Deep inside of me, I felt something within my blood and bones, although I don't think my mind fully comprehended the feeling I was having. But somehow, I knew.

It was all about to come to a head, the day of reckoning, the day things would be decided with either dreaded finality or perpetual hope.

And I would be ready.

The battle of all time and substance was about to begin.

To be concluded in …