Blood From a Stone (156 page)

“Wha
t
?
D
i
d
t
he
i
dea
sca
r
e
y
ou or
so
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
.
Y
ou
’r
e
t
he one
w
ho
t
hou
g
ht
of
it
,” she sa
i
d
l
au
g
h
i
n
g
.

H
e
s
i
g
hed
and
shook h
i
s
head.
“
N
o.
I
t doesn
’
t
sca
r
e
m
e.
I
n
f
act
I
li
k
e
t
he
i
dea.
T
oo
m
uch.”

S
he
l
au
g
hed
li
g
h
tl
y
.
“We
ll
,
I
li
k
e
t
he
i
dea
t
oo.
B
ut
y
ou
k
no
w
t
he
r
e
’
s
no
p
r
essu
r
e.
I
w
on
’
t
ho
l
d
y
ou
t
o
i
t
or an
y
t
h
i
n
g
.
L
e
t‘
s
j
us
t
…see
w
he
r
e
t
h
i
s
g
oes
w
it
h
us
and
w
e
‘l
l
t
a
k
e
i
t
fr
om
t
he
r
e.”

H
e shook
h
i
s
head. “
N
ope.”

“Wha
t
?”
S
he
l
oo
k
ed at
h
i
m
w
it
h pu
zz
l
e
m
en
t
.

“
Y
ou
hea
r
d
m
e.
N
o.
H
ow bout
w
e
t
a
k
e
t
h
i
s
exac
tl
y
w
he
r
e
w
e
w
ant
i
t
t
o
g
o
and
not
r
e
l
y  on
f
a
t
e.
             
F
a
t
e,
li
k
e
ti
m
e….can
be
as
c
r
uel
as
i
t
i
s so
m
e
ti
m
es
k
i
nd.”
H
e s
i
g
hed. “
N
e
v
er
m
i
nd.”
H
e
shook
h
i
s
head
and
l
au
g
hed.
“I
g
u
e
ss
t
hat sounds
a b
i
t
c
r
a
z
y
, huh?”

S
he
s
w
a
l
l
o
w
ed
ha
r
d
as she
s
t
a
r
ed at
hi
m
.
“
We
ll
,
t
hat
w
as
v
e
r
y
poe
ti
c…and
beau
t
i
f
u
l
,
ac
t
ua
ll
y
.
A
l
m
ost
li
k
e so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
fr
om
ano
t
her
cen
t
u
r
y
or
so
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
.”

H
e
nodded.
“
Y
eah.
I 
g
uess
i
t
w
as
w
asn
’
t
it
?”
H
e s
m
il
ed
and
h
i
s
e
y
es
t
w
i
n
k
l
ed
w
it
h
i
n
t
ens
it
y
.
“We
ll
,
s
i
nce
I
’
m on
a
r
o
l
l
he
r
e…so
m
eda
y
,
I
am
t
a
k
i
ng
y
ou
t
o
E
u
r
ope.
I
w
ant
y
ou
t
o ho
l
d
m
e
t
o
m
y
w
o
r
ds b
ecause I
m
ean
t
he
m
.”

B
y
G
od
and
H
ea
v
ens
abo
v
e,
i
f
he
e
v
er
g
ot
h
i
m
se
l
f
out
of
t
h
i
s
s
it
ua
ti
on,
he
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
t
a
k
e
h
e
r
t
he
r
e
and ha
v
e
her
f
eel
t
he
w
a
r
m
t
h
of
h
i
s
a
r
m
s
a
r
ound
her
as
t
hey s
i
t
on
t
he s
i
de of
one of
t
he beau
tif
ul
g
r
een h
ill
s
t
o
w
a
t
ch
t
he sunse
t
.

H
e
t
ook
her
fi
n
g
e
r
s
i
n
h
i
s
o
w
n
and
b
r
o
u
g
ht
t
hem
t
o h
i
s
li
ps
as
a s
m
il
e sp
r
ead ac
r
oss
her
f
ace.

S
he
pu
r
sed  her
li
ps
li
g
h
tl
y
and  nodde
d
, 
r
a
i
s
i
ng
an e
y
eb
r
o
w
.
“
O
k
ay
t
hen!
I
’l
l
ho
l
d
y
ou
t
o
it
,
i
f
y
ou
i
ns
i
s
t
.
I
’l
l
k
eep
y
ou
i
n
f
o
r
m
ed of
w
hen I
ha
v
e
v
aca
ti
on
ti
m
e.”