Blood From a Stone (218 page)

T
he
w
a
itr
ess
s
t
opped
h
i
m be
f
o
r
e
he
w
al
k
ed
ou
t
. “
L
ea
v
i
ng
so
soon?
I
g
et
o
f
f
at
m
i
dn
i
g
h
t
…
i
f
y
ou
w
ant
co
m
e bac
k
. Ma
y
be
w
e cou
l
d
g
o out
f
or
a d
ri
nk
or
so
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
?”

H
e
s
m
il
ed.
D
a
m
n.
I
n
ano
t
her
ti
m
e
and
p
l
ace
she
’
d ha
v
e been
t
oo
t
e
m
p
ti
ng
a
m
o
r
sel
t
o
t
u
r
n do
w
n.

B
ut
ri
g
ht
now
he
f
ound
t
hat
he
on
l
y had
an
appe
tit
e
f
or
one d
i
sh…and  her
na
m
e
w
as
W
ill
ow
D
a
lt
on.
U
n
f
o
rt
una
t
e
l
y
he a
l
so
k
new
t
hat
d
i
sh
w
as not
one
t
hat
w
ou
l
d be on
th
e
m
enu, no
w
…or
e
v
er
a
g
a
i
n.

C
H
AP
T
E
R
T
W
EN
T
Y
-
TH
RE
E

W
ill
ow
heard
t
he
be
ll
s
o
f
f
i
n
t
he
d
i
s
t
ance…
li
ke
some k
i
nd
of
so
f
t
song
co
m
i
ng
f
rom so
m
e
unde
fi
ned
l
oca
l
e.
W
as
i
t church
be
ll
s?
N
o.
I
t
sounded
m
ore
li
ke
t
he be
ll
s she
’
d have
i
m
ag
i
ned
co
m
i
ng
f
rom
H
eaven.
She
f
ound
herse
l
f
s
t
and
i
ng
i
n a
grassy
fi
e
l
d,
and
o
f
f
i
n
t
he d
i
s
t
ance, she cou
l
d see so
m
e
one approach
i
ng.
I
t
w
as
Sa
m
son.

B
are
l
y
ab
l
e
t
o
con
t
a
i
n
her
e
m
o
ti
on at see
i
ng h
i
m aga
i
n,
she
began
t
o
run
t
o
m
eet
h
i
m
,
but
soon
d
i
scovered
t
hat no
m
a
tt
er
how
qu
i
ck
l
y she ran, she
w
as
m
ak
i
ng no pr
o
gress.
A
vo
i
ce
rang
out
f
rom
no
w
here.
“
H
e
w
i
ll
be
one
of
u
s
soon.”

             
She
ca
ll
ed
out
t
o
h
i
m
and
t
r
i
ed
t
o
run
f
as
t
er,
but
he
d
i
dn
’
t
seem
t
o
hear
her.
A
s
w
i
r
li
ng
m
ass of
c
l
ouds descen
d
ed and
t
he
be
ll
s
rang aga
i
n. Louder
t
h
i
s
ti
m
e. She
cried ou
t
,
“P
l
ease! 
W
a
it
…”
but
t
he
c
l
ouds
surrounded
h
i
m  and
h
e began
t
o
f
ade a
w
ay.

T
he
be
ll
s
rang once
m
ore
as
a
l
oud noise s
t
ar
tl
ed her…
f
rom
her
drea
m
.

S
he
opened
her
e
y
es
t
o
t
he
sounds
of
t
he doo
r
be
l
l
ri
n
g
i
ng and
C
i
sco
ba
r
k
i
ng
l
oud
l
y
.
S
he
m
us
t’
v
e do
z
ed
o
ff
, a
f
t
er she
’
d
g
o
tt
en
ho
m
e
and
cu
rl
ed
up
under
t
he
w
a
r
m
t
h of
t
he b
l
an
k
et
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
escape
t
he
r
ea
liti
es
of
t
he da
y
.
S
he
g
l
anced at
t
he c
l
ock
and d
i
sco
v
e
r
ed
i
t
w
as
w
e
l
l
past
d
i
nner
ti
m
e.

S
he
g
ot
up, s
tr
a
i
g
h
t
ened her
c
l
o
t
hes
a
nd opened
t
he door
t
o
fi
nd
S
a
m
son s
t
and
i
ng
t
he
r
e
i
n
t
he d
i
m
li
g
h
t
.

A
l
ook of
r
e
li
ef
c
r
ossed
her
f
ea
t
u
r
es and she
l
aun
c
hed he
r
se
l
f
i
n
t
o
h
i
s
a
r
m
s.
“
I
’
m so
so
rr
y
…
I shou
l
d
ha
v
e
g
i
v
en
y
ou
a
chance.
Y
ou
w
e
r
e
ri
g
ht
about
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
n
g
!
I
w
ou
l
d ha
v
e done
t
he sa
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
.”

H
e
pu
ll
ed
her
c
l
ose
r
,
lifti
ng
her
f
eet
o
f
f
t
he
fl
oo
r
,
unab
l
e
t
o
r
es
i
st
t
he u
r
g
e
t
o cap
t
u
r
e her
li
ps
w
it
h h
i
s
o
w
n.

A
ft
er
se
v
e
r
al
l
ong
m
o
m
en
t
s,
h
i
s
m
i
nd
fi
na
ll
y be
g
an
t
o
r
e
g
a
i
n
so
m
e
f
unc
ti
ona
lit
y
and
pu
ll
ed
back
fr
om
he
r
,
tr
y
i
ng
t
o co
m
pose h
i
m
se
lf
.
H
e put
her
do
w
n and
r
e
m
o
v
ed her
a
r
m
s
f
r
om
h
i
s
nec
k
. “We
ha
v
e
t
o
t
a
l
k
,” he sa
i
d
v
e
r
y
so
ftl
y
.