Blood From a Stone (177 page)

             
“
F
ir
st
o
ff
,
I
need
y
ou
t
o
p
r
o
m
i
se
m
e
that
y
ou
w
on
’
t
t
e
l
l
an
y
one
t
hat
I
w
as
he
r
e.
O
k
a
y
?
C
an
y
ou do
t
ha
t
?”
D
a
v
i
d
l
oo
k
ed s
k
ep
ti
ca
l
. “Why
no
t
?”

“We
ll
,
i
t
has
t
o be our
littl
e sec
r
e
t
.
S
o
m
e peop
l
e
m
i
g
ht
g
et
a
littl
e
b
i
t
a
fr
a
i
d
i
f
t
hey
k
now
w
hat
happened.
T
hat
I ca
m
e he
r
e and
m
ade
y
ou be
tt
e
r
.
L
i
k
e
m
a
g
i
c.”

“
B
ut
m
a
g
i
c
i
s
coo
l
!
”
D
a
v
i
d sa
i
d, s
m
il
i
n
g
.

“I
k
now
it’
s
very
coo
l
.
I
t’
s
k
i
nd
of
li
k
e…
I
’
m
t
he
m
a
g
i
c
i
an
and
y
ou
’r
e
m
y ass
i
s
t
an
t
.
A
nd,
w
e
ha
v
e
t
o
k
eep our
tri
c
k
s
sec
r
et
so no one
k
no
w
s
how
w
e do
it
!
J
ust
us.”

D
a
v
i
d
see
m
ed
t
o
li
k
e
t
hat
i
dea.
“
O
k
a
y
!
I can
do
t
ha
t
. W
il
l
y
ou
t
each
m
e how
t
o do
w
hat
y
ou d
i
d?”

S
a
m
son,
i
nha
l
ed
deep
l
y
.  “We
ll
…
m
a
y
be  s
o
m
e
da
y
.
B
ut
i
t
w
il
l
ha
v
e
t
o
w
a
i
t
ti
l
y
ou
’r
e
a
littl
e
o
l
de
r
.
H
ow
bout
t
ha
t
?”
Ma
y
be
t
hat
w
asn
’
t
a
li
e.
F
or
a
l
l
he
k
new
t
he
boy
m
ay end
up
w
it
h
h
i
s
po
w
er
of
hea
li
ng a
ft
er
t
as
ti
ng
h
i
s
b
l
ood…a
ft
er a
ll
,
he
s
til
l
d
i
dn
’
t
k
now
t
he
l
ong
t
e
r
m
e
ff
ec
t
s
of
bes
t
o
w
i
ng
t
h
i
s
littl
e
g
ift
.
F
or
no
w
,
i
t
w
as
m
ost
i
m
po
rt
ant
t
hat
he
s
i
m
p
l
y
g
et
D
a
v
i
d
’
s
a
g
r
ee
m
ent
t
o
ne
v
er
t
e
l
l
an
y
one
about
how he
w
as hea
l
ed.

D
a
v
i
d
nodded.
“
O
k
a
y
.
I
w
on
’
t
t
e
ll
.
P
i
n
k
i
e
p
r
o
m
i
se.”
H
e
he
l
d
out
h
i
s
p
i
n
k
i
e
and
S
a
m
son,
not
f
u
ll
y
up
on
w
hat
‘
p
i
n
k
i
e
p
r
o
m
i
se’
m
ean
t
, he
l
d h
i
s o
w
n ou
t
.
D
a
v
i
d hea
rtil
y
i
n
t
e
rt
w
i
ned
t
he
i
r
fi
n
g
e
r
s
and
shook
t
he
m
.
S
a
m
son
s
m
il
ed
at
t
h
i
s
de
li
g
h
tf
ul
rit
ual
and
w
onde
r
ed
i
f
i
t
w
as
j
ust
f
or
k
i
ds, as
he pu
ll
ed back
and s
t
a
r
ed
f
or
a
m
o
m
ent
at
h
i
s
ou
t
s
tr
e
t
ched
fi
n
g
e
r
.

H
e
w
i
shed
f
or
a
m
o
m
ent
he
’
d
k
no
w
n abo
u
t
t
h
i
s p
i
n
k
i
e p
r
o
m
i
se
t
h
i
ng be
f
o
r
e
he
’
d
l
e
f
t
W
ill
o
w
’
s
house ea
rl
i
e
r
, b
e
cause
i
t
see
m
ed
t
o ho
l
d so
m
e
i
m
po
rt
ant
m
ean
i
n
g
….at
l
east
f
or
k
i
ds. Ma
y
be,
had
t
hey pa
rt
a
k
en
i
n
t
h
i
s
ce
r
e
m
ony of
so
rt
s,
i
t
w
ou
l
d ha
v
e
g
i
v
en
h
i
m
a
littl
e
m
o
r
e
con
fi
dence
t
hat
she
w
o
u
l
d
k
eep her
p
r
o
m
i
se
t
hat
she
tr
us
t
ed
h
i
m and
be
li
e
v
ed
i
n
h
i
m
…and
w
ou
l
d
subsequen
tl
y
f
o
r
g
i
v
e
h
i
m
f
or
w
hat
he
’
d
j
ust
d
one.
H
e
w
ou
l
d
             
ha
v
e
             
t
o
             
w
o
rr
y
             
about
             
t
hat
             
l
a
t
e
r
.
T
o
m
o
rr
o
w
’
s consequences
w
ou
l
d co
m
e soon enou
g
h.