The family did not attend evening service, so I walked the two miles to the little Thirteenth century church, and got a lift back from a passing farme... and his sweet smiling wife in their gig. Monday morning and Miss Amelia came alone for her lesson. We worked quietly, estimating square roots by successive approximation, and then employing the formula for exactness. She now has a clear appreciation of the value of approximation: ‘It is perfectly true, as you day Mr. M’Crimmond, the more one. It would be more than a match for some Barbary pirates.’ At that moment as we peered through the porthole the mysterious ship started to come alongside. It was clearly visible. A large black vessel with huge black triangular sails. To my horror the vessels gun ports were open and her cannon were pointing straight at us. On the decks were visible a large number of men in Arab costume. Suddenly there was a huge explosion and then a splash in the water just outside our porthole. I could not. Nam was scary as hell, even though I was supposed to be a surgical tech in a field hospital. We were far enough back, we could hear mortal fire, but way out of range.I got called into a meeting with our top doc (bird colonel) and 2 ‘civilians’ introduced as Smith and Jones. I was told to pack a medical bag and be prepared to catch a chopper at 0500 tomorrow. My job was to see to any medical needs that showed up. After being dismissed by the colonel, Smith and Jones told me exactly what was. She was taking pleasure from it!Kevin came back from the garage and climbed up onto the coffee table. I watched as he tapped on the ceiling looking for a beam. When the sound told him that he had located a beam he screwed a large hook into the ceiling. When it was firmly in place he climbed down and moved the coffee table out of the way. He pulled me closer and when I was standing under the hook he braided a length of rope into my hair and looped it through the hook in the ceiling. He pulled it.