Blood From a Stone (90 page)

“
C
o
m
e
on,
littl
e
one.
I
j
ust
need
y
ou
t
o
t
a
k
e
one
t
i
ny
t
as
t
e”.
S
a
m
son
r
ubbed
t
he
pad
of
h
i
s
t
hu
m
b
t
o
t
he
r
a
t’
s
li
ps
and
do
tt
ed
a
ti
ny dab
of
b
l
ood
on
it
s
y
e
ll
o
w
ed
fr
o
n
t
t
ee
t
h.
H
e
w
a
it
ed
i
n
an
ti
c
i
pa
ti
on
f
or
t
he
f
ee
li
ng
of
e
l
ec
tri
c
i
t
y
li
k
e
w
hen
t
he
do
g
’
s
t
ee
t
h
had
pene
tr
a
t
ed
h
i
s
fl
esh
t
o
co
m
e
as
he
l
oo
k
ed at
t
he
r
a
t‘
s
ti
ny
w
ound
t
o
see
i
f
i
t
had c
l
osed up.
N
o
t
h
i
n
g
.
T
he c
l
ock
ti
c
k
ed
on
li
k
e
a
ha
mm
er
d
r
on
i
ng
i
n
t
he
s
il
en
c
e.
H
e
he
l
d h
i
s b
r
ea
t
h a
fr
a
i
d
t
o
l
et
i
t
ou
t
, but
s
til
l
no
r
e
ac
ti
on
w
ha
t
soe
v
e
r
.

F
i
na
ll
y a
ft
er
a
f
ew
pa
i
n
f
u
ll
y
l
ong
m
i
n
u
t
es,
he
s
i
g
hed, and
g
en
tl
y
put
t
he
r
at
back
i
n
t
o
t
he
box.
Ma
y
be
he
w
asn
’
t do
i
ng
t
h
i
s
ri
g
h
t
.
Ma
y
be
i
t
w
asn
’
t
enou
g
h b
l
ood?
H
e
lift
ed ano
t
her
r
at
and
s
li
ced
h
i
s
t
hu
m
b
w
it
h
t
he
j
ac
kk
n
if
e
l
e
t
ti
ng a
l
a
r
g
e
d
r
op
of
b
l
ood
f
a
l
l
out
be
f
o
r
e
t
he
w
ound
hea
le
d
it
se
l
f o
v
er
m
o
m
en
t
s
l
a
t
e
r
.
H
e
qu
i
c
k
l
y
w
i
ped so
m
e
i
n
t
o
t
he
r
a
t’
s
m
ou
t
h
b
e
f
o
r
e
i
t
had
a
chance
t
o p
r
o
t
es
t
, and d
i
d
th
e
sa
m
e
w
it
h
t
he o
t
her
t
w
o s
til
l
i
n
t
he box.
S
til
l
no
t
h
i
n
g
.

O
k
a
y
.
C
ou
l
d
he
be
w
r
on
g
?
H
e
shook h
i
s
head.
What
t
he
he
l
l
e
l
se
cou
l
d
i
t
poss
i
b
l
y
be
i
f
not
t
he
b
l
ood?
I
t
cou
l
dn
’
t
ha
v
e
an
y
t
h
i
ng
t
o
do
w
it
h
W
ill
o
w
.
C
ou
l
d
it
?
Y
eah.
H
e
’
d
k
i
ssed
t
he
g
ir
l
and
had
a
f
ew
f
ee
li
n
g
s
f
or
he
r
.
B
ut
hadn
’
t
t
hat
happened
be
f
o
r
e
w
it
h
o
t
he
r
s
he
’
d
m
et
i
n past
decades
and cen
t
u
ri
es?
             

             
H
e
had
t
o
ad
m
i
t
t
hat
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
w
as
de
f
i
n
it
e
l
y d
iff
e
r
ent
w
it
h
t
he
w
ay he
f
e
l
t
about
he
r
,
but
l
o
v
e?
N
o.
F
or
one
t
h
i
ng
i
t
w
as
t
oo
soon.
J
ust
y
es
t
e
r
da
y
,
he
’
d
s
til
l
b
een
t
o
y
i
ng
w
it
h
t
he
i
dea
of
a
g
ood n
i
g
ht
of
f
un and
g
a
m
es at
a
l
o
cal
d
i
v
e,
f
or
C
h
ri
s
t’
s
sa
k
e!
A
nd
y
e
t
,
li
k
e
a
f
ool
he
’
d
g
i
v
en
t
hat
up
t
o
g
o
f
or
a cup of
co
ff
ee, a
k
i
ss
and a p
r
o
m
i
se he cou
l
d
n
’
t
k
eep.