Dorothy, Otto, and I remained silently frozen in place for the next five minutes. It seemed an eternity; Dorothy gazing into space as if she were trying to recall her next instructions, Otto staring at me with those mocking eyes as only some self-important mixed terrier could, and I not having a clue as to where to look or what to say. Finally, Dorothy broke the silence. "Come here!", she exclaimed. "Aha!", I thought, "you can fool me once but you can't fool me twice". I instantly turned to Otto, looking as smug and condescending as I could, and waited for the dog to rush to her side. Without turning her head to face either the dog or myself, Dorothy impatiently said, "Not Otto, I was talking to you!" If the irascible canine could have roared with laughter, it would surely would have been his next move. The arrogant little pooch looked again at me with a clearly visible sarcastic smile as if to say "but can you roll over too!"

I quickly scrambled to my feet and joined Dorothy as she stood on a large sandstone boulder on a mountain ledge. She was gazing with an unobstructed view at the horizon in front of her. She pointed, arm straight towards the sky, adjusting the arm's direction to compensate for the downward bent of the distal phalanx of her slender right index finger. She whispered to me in reverent tones, "Tell me what you see?" I looked up at the clouds. The message I had previously witnessed was still in place, but now totally in view. It read, "there is no place like home". After a brief pause and in halting and perplexed tones, I repeated the words aloud, "there is no place like home?" I repeated the words again and this time with more assurance, "there is no place like home.". Finally, again, this time with pure unbridled confidence, "there is no place like home! There is no place like home!" as if my salvation had risen like a Phoenix from the mountain slopes to whisk me in an instant to the waiting comfort of the tan leather bucket seats of my light green XJ8 Jag.

Having said the words, I quickly turned to Dorothy to share the obvious joy of my discovery. I had finally learned the true ethereal message of that mystical poster on the 6:50 AM train from Katonah to Grand Central. So this was the divine message I had been sent to find on that desolate mountain peak. It a lesson not to be found on some "smart phone." It is not an insight to be gained by travelling to unforgiving impersonal worlds. The answer is within us all. We only have to look within to find it. I repeated the words blissfully as I turned to my guiding apparition from the small farm in Kansas, "there is no place like home." But, alas, Dorothy and her little terrier were nowhere to be seen.

Within the next instant, I found myself on the ground in a most unusual position. I was propped against a boulder, my legs and torso facing to the right. My arms were spread eagle in both directions with my head facing opposite to the direction of my chest and abdomen. It was much like a rag doll having fallen below from its resting spot on a nearby table top. I was dazed and felt that I had just awoken from a deep sleep. My left forehead ached as if it recently experienced the crush of a striking blow. I put my fingers to a place above my left eye and felt a bruise the size of walnut. My guess it was the rock I was laying on that had provided the damage. There was a trace of blood on that stone that matched the drops left on my fingers from their dutiful exploration. What had happened? I recalled a violent wind and then my encounter with Dorothy. Then, the next thing I new, I was lying on the ground nursing a most untimely wound. Could there be another explanation for what I had recently experienced? Could I have possibly been blown from my standing point by the gale forces, my head falling only to encounter the hard rock with ensuing loss of conscience? Did I dream my experience with Dorothy and her terrier? Was it all a figment of my imagination?

I rose to my feet and began trecking down the mountain. I never paused to question my direction. The next thing I knew, I was on an obvious trail. There was now a clear purpose in my steps. Within a relatively brief period of time, I could hear other cars in the distance passing the trail head at which I was parked. It was a clear sign that I would soon be back to safety. I had time to recall the days events, no longer in a state of hysteria. I know now the importance of things held dear to life. I know now that endless searching will not provide the peace and happiness we need. I must look within to find the satisfaction. I chuckled at the thought that I had to be knocked unconscience alone on a mountain peak and dream the existence of the famous characters from the land of Oz to discover that truth. I chuckled again at the thought of the vivid dream as I reached my car. Finally, I put my hand in my left pant pocket to pull out the keys. The keys were there ready for use. But there was something else I felt unexpectedtly. There were two other objects, one metal and the other cloth. I pulled out both objects to view. It was a metal shoe buckle and a small red dog collar with the word, Otto, engraved on its tag.