"Austin,'" Ahlund had read from Zechariah's letter. "If you are hearing these words, it means you have returned to us. I sincerely pray, if this letter finds you at all, that it finds you in a state of relatively sound physical and mental well-being.

"I once told you that the choice to refuse responsibility, even the gift of life itself, was one of free will. I also told you that individuals are not given such responsibilities if they are going to refuse them. That is the defining ...