The Barren Grounds

Morgan decides to go through the portal after Eli, but first she gets some plywood, a hammer, and nails so she can close the portal from the other side and prevent the blizzard from getting into the house. She jumps through the portal and emerges through a tree on the other side. Morgan nails the portal shut and then goes to find Eli, but she can’t see anything. She gets so cold that she digs a hole in the snow, sinks into it, and falls asleep.

Morgan is awoken by the fisher from Eli’s drawing. Despite being frightened, Morgan goes with him but then passes out again; she wakes up to find herself on the fisher’s shoulders being carried to his village, where he says Eli is. When they get to the village, there are seven small huts. These form Misewa, the last village in the “North Country.”

Morgan can’t believe Misewa and its world are real, but the fisher says that all things are connected. Morgan falls again, and the fisher catches her and says his name is Ochek. Then Morgan blacks out. Morgan has a dream where she sees a woman rocking a sleeping toddler.