. the top can be blown off leaving a tall stump.Fire.The lightning can ... and has ... blasted a concrete swimming pool right out of the ground.We had...an occurrence of shrapnel.It is only a hundred feet... 33 meters ... from the tree to the front door of the palace. A round from a 16” rifle on the USS Missouri exploding on the tree would not have had a greater effect.BLACKNESSThe next 12 weeks ... three months ... are not in my memory ... they do not exist. Doctors, surgeons and specialists did. I was gung-ho for theshots. Bring them on! We were next to each other on the couchtossing back Mexican fire water like it was running out of a hose. I was really feeling good, like maybe,just maybe I could score with this girl! She knew how to party and I was game, but after a few shots, it reallybegan to hit me and I decided I had better hold off on any more. ?Come on, don?t wimp out on me, lets do more shots, you knowyou want to, how can you refuse me!? she laughed and gave me her best. .. ' the flashing of the other console caught her attention and she walked over as and looked at the screen and froze.'Just a second, ' she thought to Kalib as she activated the console and froze as her mind responded, 'Shit! My charges are down.''What do you mean they are down?' he asked.'They have both been badly hurt. May I transport them?' I asked.'You shouldn't. We should mark it down as a failure.''Sir, I can save them. Let me transport them. Please!' I begged.I could feel his sigh and I. Over some minutes relative calm returned to the bedroom. The unwelcome guest, Vera, seemed to make up her mind that she had to accept the evidence of the situation for what it was. Without so much as a by your leave Vera began to remove her clothes, dropping them in a heap on the floor. Suddenly I realised Beth and I had serious intrusive company, whether we liked it or not. Beth came to the bed and began to untie me. Vera told her bluntly to leave me alone, to retie the single knot she had.