Blame Hecate for This One
The old man is a relic of the time before the world was flooded. He used to live in Maiko's town, and was frozen when the weather changed. (Don't ask) Maiko and her father find and defrost him, and Maiko promises to take him back to see what has become of their birthplace. In the end, the old man is saddend by the fact that he can no longer visit his hometown, and quietly slips from the submarine he and Maiko were travelling in. He is assumed to have drowned. (But maybe he froze again) Maiko is sad to lose him, but takes comfort in the words he last addresses to her (which are the title of the story): We'll meet again, God willing. (prettier in French: A bientot si dieu le veut)
