I sat on the side of his twin bed and came up with a lame excuse of why I was in his room at this time of night, “I could not sleep listening to the.... I thought I would keep you company until they’re done. Do you mind?”“Heck no. That and thinking about this afternoon at the pond is what keeps me up.” He glanced down, and I did too as I chuckled at his pun.“Can you keep another secret?” I asked.“Yes.” He replied.I slid my hand under the sheet and down over his boxer shorts. I gently squeezed his. How can I know you don't want to do the same to me? I don't trust you.” “ I don't want to hurt you. I love your mind, your imagination. You're beautiful and I would never hurt you.” I wanted to believe him, but couldn't. I wanted to stay there and write stories I could tell him at night, but still a part of me wanted to tantalize him, wanted to hurt him and know the pain he had caused so many women. I knew we could have nice dinners and laugh, but there would be boundaries I would never. I think we were both getting discouraged when fate took a hand.We sat our horses, looking at where the trail used to be. It had rained for almost ten days straight a couple of weeks before we entered the country, and a mudslide had pretty much wiped the trail out.Zeke sighed. “Well, we ain’t going that way. Guess we’re turning around.”I was lookin’ at a big blue spruce that was lying sideways across the trail. It just didn’t look right. I jumped down and walked up to it. The left side was. Even in those times they were referred to as 'Cleopatra's Diamonds', and by all accounts the numbers and colours matched those that adorned the necklace given to Cleopatra. Eventually these diamonds became part of the Egyptian treasure house, until looted by the French when they invaded Egypt."We stopped talking as the cleric, who had been quietly snoring in the corner seat, suddenly opened his eyes."Ecclesiastes, chapter nine, verse twelve." He said, then promptly fell back to sleep, and to.