Back on Craphole Island, Locke is mixing something with a mortar and pestle, while Charlie checks out the makeshift steam lodge that Locke erected rather quickly and makes sarcastic comments. Then Charlie notices what Locke's doing. "What's that? You're not taking drugs, are you, John? I only ask because of the strict zero-tolerance policy you've enacted. And I wouldn't want you to have to start punching yourself in the face." Locke grabs his pad, but strangely enough doesn't write "SHUT UP, CHARLIE" on it. He just shows Charlie the page on which he's written, "I need U 2 stand guard." Charlie says he knows he's gotta keep Locke from devolving into a monkey. Locke writes down "Don't come in" and Charlie says "okay," and Locke slashes a line underneath it to make sure.

With the fire going in the lodge, Locke takes a couple fingers' worth of his druggy paste -- the same stuff he rubbed on Boone's head? -- and then pours some water on the hot rocks 'round the fire and over his head. Then he sits, Charlie standing guard outside. Locke stares into the flames, and we wait.

Suddenly, a hand grabs Locke's shoulder. He turns to his right. Sitting there is Boone, so either we're going to have Lost's most implausible plot twist yet, or this is a dream sequence. Neither possibility really gets my toes a-tappin'. Boone looks good. His hair's long, he's shaved -- he looks even prettier than he used to! He says hello. "It's good to see you again," he says. Locke's vision quest may have brought Boone back to life, but it hasn't brought his voice back, so he points to his lips and mouths the words "I'm sorry." Boone says it's okay: "I was the sacrifice the island demanded," he says. Locke shakes his head, and starts to "speak" again, but Boone tells him not to worry about it: "You'll speak when you have something worth saying." That's a rule I'd like to see instituted at my office, damn. The silence would be beautiful. Boone says he's going to help Locke find his way again, so he can "bring the family back together." Boone says he wants to show Locke something, and he starts to get up, but Locke can't stand up. He grasps at his ankles, to no avail. He looks beseechingly at Boone, who says, "Locke, you're gonna need that," and nods over towards Locke's wheelchair on the other side of the sweatlodge (incidentally, this thing looks a lot bigger on the inside than it does on the outside), its wheels spinning and squeaking.