road to insanity: part I (story)

There it was. It looked beautiful. The moon in the dark sky. 
I looked up at it while sitting in a field of grass. The sky of stars, 
satellites, and meteorites. I leaned back. Of course, this was a long time ago.
 
Let me tell you, my road has been long, and hard. But I've been to insanity, and 
back. Or maybe, I just think I have. I don't know what first set me off, or what first 
started it. You can judge that. But I'll tell you my story. Uncut, everything I remember. 
Maybe even stuff I didn't  remember till now. But this will be my story. Enjoy.



road to insanity: part II (story)

It was beautiful, as I said before. Looking up, I felt so great. Then I saw the rain cloud. 
And I had no umbrella. But then, I saw a girl in a striped green and black jacket. Sitting under a tree. The tree looked good. 
Good enough to sit under in the rain. As I approached, the girl looked up.

Her hair was the most vibrant of browns. It shined, even with the clouds blocking the sun.

Her eyes were beautiful. They were the perfect mix of green and blue. They stared at you, but
it felt as if they were looking into you. Our eyes locked for a few seconds, only a few, but it was
enough to know, we felt attracted to one another.



road to insanity: part III (story)

To kind of avoid an awkward situation, I walked around the tree and sat on the other side. As I
sat down, she came around to my side of the tree and sat with me. The rain started almost instantly,
pouring as if buckets of water were being tossed from the Heavens. We didn't talk for a long time.
I don't know how long it was, but it felt like a few hours. The rain just kept going, and started
to get worse. Lightning struck the tip of the tree. I knew it wouldn't get to us, but the girl
jumped and huddled into me. We didn't even know each other and she was acting as if we had been dating
for years.

Finally I asked her name. 



road to insanity: part IV (story)

"I'm Sarah."

Sarah, what a beautiful name that was.

"I'm Ace. Nice to meet you."

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, causing her to latch onto me even tighter than before. Her hair was getting
tangled. And it smelled like fresh strawberries. I looked at my watch. Eight in the morning. I had just spent the night
under a tree, wide awake, with a girl I only know the name of at this point. As I sat there thinking, the rain stopped
as suddenly as it began, and she left. But somehow, I felt I would be seeing her again.



road to insanity: part V (story)

So I started to walk home. It was around a 3 mile walk, but it didn't bother me. I got home and was so freaking tired,
I just went straight to sleep.

A few days later I walked past the book store and decided to pop in. Being kind of a loner, they got to know me here very
well, because I spent my evenings in here frequently. As I walked in, I saw a very familiar face. From where, I couldn't 
say. At least, not at first. I watched her leave, sat down, read through three or four chapters of a book, and it hit me 
like a ton of bricks. It had been Sarah. I got up and chased after her.



road to insanity: part VI (story)

I ran out the building to catch up with her. But when I got outside, she was nowhere to be found. As I stood there thinking,
I saw her again. Who could miss that jacket?

It started to storm just as it did that first night.

She was running towards the coffee cafe on West St. That's the only interesting place in the direction she was headed anyway.
So I took my shortcut and got to the cafe shortly after she did. I watched her walk in, and I followed her to a table. I sat 
down to talk to her a little bit. That's when things got a little...Crazy.



road to insanity: part VII (story)

As soon as I sat down, my first question was, "Why were you at the bookstore at the same time as me?"

She replied, "Because I wanted a book." Her voice sounded so beautiful as she said this.

"Oh," was all I could say. "Well, um..."
 
"Is there a point to this?"

"There was." I couldn't remember it. "Hey, would you like to get to know each other?"

"Sure."

"Well, what's your-" I stopped. I couldn't breathe. I fell to the ground gasping and choking for breath. And all of a sudden I was fine. 
I was standing outside the cafe. Sarah wasn't in there. What was going on? Was I dreaming on my feet? Hallucinating? Whatever
it was, it scared me.

I wouldn't see Sarah for another few days. But the next time I saw her, she'd be staying by my side.



road to insanity: part VIII (story)

The next time I saw her, she walked right up to me. "I need to talk to you." Her eyes sparkled in the light of the sun behind me.
The street we were on was almost completely empty. All that was there was just a couple dogs and a few people.

"Why do you need to talk to ME?"

She brushed the hair out of her face. "I know you feel an attraction towards me. I know you know I feel one towards you, too. But so do
They."

"They?"

"Yes. They know we like each other. And They don't like it. It's not in their plans. Our meeting under that tree wasn't supposed to
happen."

"Oh." Once again, all I could say. They? Really? This was so weird. I had to be hearing things. "Wait, 'wasn't supposed to happen'?"

"That storm that caused you to go under that tree, wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't a normal storm. And it looks like another
is coming. Follow me."

"How do you know all this?"

She looked me in the eyes, staring at me with those beauties of her own. "I used to be one of Them."



road to insanity: part IX (story)

I woke up. It was nighttime. I could tell that much by how I felt. I tried to sit up, but something was holding me down. I looked to my side.

Sarah.

She had an arm around me, and she was asleep. I was pretty relieved to find we both had our clothes on. She looked so cute like this. 
I liked this. I layed back down, smiling. I put my hand on her arm. Her skin was soft. Really soft. I rolled to face her, put my arm around her, 
and fell back to sleep.



road to insanity: part X (story)

When I woke up again, she was gone. I thought she'd just left me. But then she came walking towards me. I looked around at our
surroundings. It was a house. Dark, just a tiny lamp for light. Peeling wallpaper, rotting wood, etc. Very dark. Then I looked at Sarah. Yes, I
was right, we were both wearing clothes. But she just had a shirt and panties on.

I asked, "Where are we?"

"We're at my house," she replied.

"Your house? THIS is your HOUSE?!"

"Not too good a place, but it works."

"Yeah, no kidding. So what are we going to do?"

She climbed back onto the mattress, which I just noticed was laying on the floor. "I don't know quite yet. We'll think of something."

"Well, alright. It shouldn't be too hard. Should it?"

She wrapped an arm around me, layed her head on my chest, looked up at me with those eyes that drive me so completely wild, and said, "No.
It really shouldn't." 



road to insanity: part XI (story)

We layed on that mattress for a few hours. Maybe a day. Just thinking of what to do. Neither of us knew. Finally, I stood up.

"I'm going to take a shower. Be right back." I walked into the hall. "Uh... Where is it?"

"First door on your left, Babe." Babe. I liked the ring of that. Especially in her voice.

I went in and got in the shower. After I got out, I looked to the side. A fresh towel and a clean set of clothes. Sarah had me covered pretty well.
I dried off, put on the clothes, and walked out, still drying my hair. As I got into the living/bedroom, Sarah jumped into my arms, wrapped hers around me,
and buried her face into me. She was crying.

"What's wrong?"

"Look what They did." I looked over at the broken glass. There was a brick with a note, "We know what is going on. You know we don't like it. Stop now;
or forever pay the consequences."

I looked at her. We sat on the mattress. She cried into my shoulder still. And I let her. She needed it.



road to insanity: part XII (story)

She must have been exhausted. I'm guessing she hadn't slept in days. Because even though she had just gotten up, she cried herself back to sleep. She
looked beautiful when she was asleep. She was just so... What's the word...?

Perfect. She was perfect. And I wasn't going to let her go. Ever.

I wandered around the house. Other than the bathroom and the living/bedroom, there was a kitchen, an actual bedroom and a flight of stairs. I didn't want
to go up the stairs. Not yet. There was just something wrong about them. And it scared me. All of a sudden I heard a noise from up the steps. I walked
quickly back to the mattress. I needed more sleep.



road to insanity: part XIII (story)

We were walking down West St. It was beautiful, and sunny. But I saw a rain cloud in the distance. Didn't look like too big a deal, though. So, we were walking. I had
my arm around her waist. She had her arm around mine. I felt great. I finally had a friend. Well, a friend close to my age. The only bad thing about having
a girl this great, was guys kept watching her as we passed them. I could feel their eyes watching us. One guy walked up to us.

"'Ey, girl. What are you doing with this freak? Come home with me, and you'll have a reeeaaal good time."

Sarah didn't acknowledge this at first. So he said, "C'mon, girl, let's go." He reached for her arm, and pulled on it. I hit him. Punched him straight in the
face. As he lay on the ground, bleeding from his nose and unconscious, I looked around. Guys weren't looking at her anymore. They didn't want to have to deal 
with me. I looked over to Sarah and as soon as I did, she kissed me.



road to insanity: part XIV (story)

I stood there, stunned, not thinking. I didn't know what to say, what to do, or what I SHOULD do. But she took care of that by pulling me into the nearest building.
We ran inside and she hugged me. Just hugged me.

"Thank you for that," she said.

"It was nothing. I was happy to do it."

"You don't understand. No one has ever done anything like that for me. No one has cared enough to do that."

I just looked down at her. There were tears going down her face. She was happy, though. Happy to have someone who cares for her. Someone who was willing to fight
for her. She loved me. She truly loved me. And I loved her. I couldn't ignore this anymore. She was the girl for me. I put my arms around her.

We stood there for awhile. then walked further into the building. It turned out to be just an empty building. We went up a flight of stairs. As I walked into a
room, she shut the door behind me. I turned around. She then slowly walked up and kissed me again. A long kiss. Very long.



road to insanity: part XV (story)

I won't say what happened next. You can probably guess that.

We walked out of the building maybe half an hour later. We were both smiling. No, grinning. You could tell we were happy and had just had a good time. We walked down
the street and went in the cafe. We ordered drinks, and then just talked. Talked about our lives. Nothing too important to this story, really. Just a few extras in
our lives. After a little while she just put her head on me. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. She looked up at me.

"I'm glad we met," she said. "I haven't been so happy in my life."

I looked back at her. "Me, too."

She closed her eyes and took a nap on me, right there in the cafe. I wish I had done the same, with what I heard next.



road to insanity: part XVI (story)

Two men sat down in the booth behind us. I overheard their conversation. It went something like this.

The first man spoke, "What are we going to do about those kids?"

The second man responded, "I have no idea. We have to split them up. They're going to ruin us."

"Couldn't we just kill them?"

"We could. We should. We will. This needs fixed. And that seems to be the only way."

I was in shock. What was I going to do? They were right behind us. And They didn't know it. We had to get out. I woke up Sarah.

"What?" she asked, confused and sleepy.

"Just follow me. Cover your face," I whispered in response.

We hurried out of the cafe and ran as soon as we got out. Just ran until we got back to her house.



road to insanity: part XVII (story)

At her house, I filled her in on what I just heard from those two men in the cafe. She didn't react. At all. But why should she? She used to work for Them. None of
this should surprise her.

We sat there in silence for what seemed like forever. Then Sarah layed back on the mattress and fell asleep. Again. She must not have got much sleep when she
worked for Them. I watched her sleep for a little while and then I got up to get a drink.

The kitchen was your standard everyday kitchen. It was still just as dark as the living room, though. I walked up to the fridge. As I opened it, I felt a push from
behind and fell forward. All of a sudden the fridge was full of nothing. And I fell. Just kept falling, and falling. The ground was approaching me, and fast. I had to 
think. What could I do?

And then I was by the fridge again. Ready to open it. Only this time, I walked away.



road to insanity: part XVIII (story)

I sat back down on the mattress. This was too weird. That was the second hallucination in the last week. Why? Where were they coming from? What did they mean?

Sarah woke. But I was not about to tell her about all this. I looked at her as she sat up.

"Go back to sleep," I said.

She responded with, "You sleep, too."

"I will. Just give me a little bit."

"Okay, hun. You take your time."

I sat there thinking about the hallucinations a little longer. Then I, too, fell asleep.



road to insanity: part XIX (story)

My dreams that night were haunted with murders and secret agencies. I didn't know what to think of all this. I mean, really, what would you be thinking?

I awoke. Judging by the light outside, it was still around midnight. I sat up, making sure not to disturb Sarah. As I looked at her sleeping, I felt contentment wash
over me. I was happy. For the first time in my life, someone made me feel happy. It waS the greatest feeling ever. I kissed her cheek and got up out of bed. I needed
some fresh air, so I stepped outside. It was kind of chilly out, but that didn't bother me too much. The only light I had was from the street light. I liked this. It
was good for thinking. I never felt what I felt now. Just sitting outside, thinking about how my life is right now. I started thinking about that night of the first
storm.

Wait. The storm. Now that I think of it, no one else was taking cover. She was already under the tree. All the other people on the street were just going about their
business like normal. No umbrellas or anything. That storm was a hallucination. But Sarah saw it, too. Is she having these hallucinations? And if she is, are they
doing the same thing to her that they are to me?

Then I heard a loud crash from inside. I ran back into the house as fast as I could.



road to insanity: part XX (story)

As I got inside the door, something hit me and I blacked out.

I woke back up in a dark room. I couldn't see a thing. The only thoughts racing through my head were questions. Where was I? Was Sarah with me? If not, Where was she?
Why was I here?

But somewhere in my head I knew the answers. I was with Them. Sarah was here. And They took us to teach us a lesson.

Then a light came on overhead. A silhouette loomed over me.

"Stand up," it said. So I stood.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I just saved your life. You and Sarah."

Wait, he saved us? If he saved us, he couldn't be with Them. Unless he was lying. But I decided to trust him. At least for now.

"Where am I?"

"You are in a warehouse. They don't know about this place. We are all against Them."

We? What did he mean "we"? I looked around. There were more people here. And Sarah, who was right next to me, grabbed my hand to reassure me. She knew these people.
She was a part of these people. Now... I was, too.



road to insanity: part XXI

I sat down to talk to Sarah. We had a lot to talk about. This secret organization she was in, why we were here, etc. I was thinking about where to start and I just
didn't know where. So I decided to ask an easy question to start it off.

"Why did they bring us here?" is what I chose to ask first.

"They are really called-" A loud noise. Like a gunshot ringing down the hall. We ran to see what happened. When we got to the main meeting room, we saw that the wall
was busted in and agents from Them were invading this place.

We got out as fast as we could. They knew we were there and we had to get out fast. But how? They had to have the whole place surounded. Didn't they?

It wasn't the time for thinking. Just action. We went through a secret passage in the back of the building. As soon as we got out, we were surrounded. Just like I
thought. So I did the first thing that came to mind. I ran straight at them. As fast as I could, I just ran. They pulled guns on me. And all of a sudden they were 
moving slowly. Very slow. Or was I moving fast? Either way, I knew I would survive this.

I ran up to one of Them, grabbed his weapon, and shot him with it. One bullet. I then turned to the others. Two, three, four, five, six, seven bullets. One per person. 
I threw the weapon down and walked back to Sarah. I gave her a kiss. The longest kiss we'd had.

I looked her in the eyes. We were both thinking the same thing. We weren't out of the woods yet. And we had a long way to go before we were.



road to insanity: part XXII

I love this window. Calm. Peace. Nothing out there but a tree and a bird.I'm sorry. I know this isn't part of the story. But this window is so great. And I have felt so
good since coming here. This place calms me so well. They don't mess with me. They don't care anymore. I'm free. Free from that hell that I went through.

I came to this place many a year ago. Close to five now I think. Will it be five next month? I think so. But you don't want to hear about this place. I'll get back to my
story.



road to insanity: part XXIII

So we ran. We ran to the only place we knew to run to. Her house. They didn't know where she lived. It was safe there. We could regroup and gather ourselves. Maybe I could
get a look at what's up those stairs too.

So as we walked into the house, I took the sharp left and went down the hall. "I'll just be a second!" I called to her.

"Hurry back!"

I planned to. I went up to the stairs. I took a step and heard the thing up there. Went up another, and i heard it again. Step after step, I kept hearing it. I finally got
to the top and heard it constantly now. It didn't stop. As I put my hand on the doorknob, I realized now was not the time for that either. She didn't even know that the thing 
was up there from the way she acted. Sarah wouldn't find out either. At least, not till it was the time for me to go in. And she was going to be with me when I did.

I headed back down the stairs. She was asleep on the mattress. Again. And she deserved it after tonight. I layed on the bed next to her and fell asleep myself.


road to insanity: part XXIV

As I woke, there was a noise in the attic. What was up there? I woke up Sarah. It was time we went up there to find out.

"We need to see what's up there," I told her.

We started for the stairs. There was a pounding on that door. Like something desperately wanted out. It got more and more frantic as climbed the stairs. We were now at the top
of the stairs. The poundng was loud, hard, and fast.

We hesitated. We didn't know what beyond this door and whatever it was, it seemed to badly want out. Would it hurt us? Would it be friendly? We didn't know. But went up to the
door and opened it anyway.

As we opened it a girl fell through. As we stared, she screamed, "CLOSE THE DOOR! NOW!"


road to insanity: part XXV

We sat in silence for the longest time and we didn't really know what to say. Finally, I found the words i wanted to use.

"What is your name?" She sat silent. "Who are you?" Still silent. "TELL ME YOUR NAME!"

"It's Elizabeth." So calm. After what she just went through, how was she still so calm? That creature was horrible.

"So, Elizabeth... Where did you come from?"

"That door. Other than that I can't tell you without knowing where I am first."

This was going to an interesting day for us.


road to insanity: part XXVI

She sat in silence in the living room. Just sat there on the bed. We didn't quite know what to say to her. What could we say?
This woman came from our attic. But she couldn't have. No one was ever up there. Where did she come from?

I went to speak with Sarah. "What do we do?"

"We let her fight with us."

"We don't know her! What if They sent her?"

"She isn't Them."

"How do you know?"

"My gut."

And I said no more. In times like this, your gut is all you can trust.

road to insanity: part XXVII

We walked back over to Elizabeth. She stood up as we got closer. "How're you feeling?" I asked this question a little too fast.

"Say what?"

"How are you feeling?" I forced it slower this time.

"I'm fine. Just a bit shaken." She sat back down, and put her head in her hands leaning on her knees.

"That's understandable. With what you've been through. But we have a question for you. Do you know what chased you through the door?"

"Some weird creature.";

"Well, we think that whatever it was, it was sent by Them. An evil, power-corrupt company. And we are planning on fighting the to take Them out of power. Want to join?"

"Yes. More than anything. I'll join."

road to insanity: part XXVIII

I walked back to the door she came through. How did she manage that? Where did she come from? It couldn't have been the attic.

I looked down and saw a slip of paper. I picked it up so I could read it.

/THERE WILL BE MORE. PREPARE THEM FOR THE WAR/

I walked back in the living room. "Girls, take a look at this."

They each took a turn with the paper.

"This is too unreal." Sarah, had been the first to speak up.

"I agree." That was Elizabeth.

"Ladies, a war is on its way. We have to be ready."

Little did I know, we didn't know half of what we were getting into.

road to insanity: part XXIX

The girls fell asleep on the mattress a couple hours later. I stepped outside to find the moon shining bright in the sky. It 
was a beautiful night out. Slow breeze, bright moon, slightest smell of dew in the air...

I loved this weather. Reminded me of when I was just a child. The world was fresh, bright, and adventure consisted of going 
to the store, or climbing a tree. Speaking of trees...

I started walking. I wanted to sit under the tree where I met Sarah. Where all this began. As I got closer, stars began to 
fade. The city lights tended to do that.

When I got to the tree, I sat in the same spot she did on that night. It made me wonder how life would have  turned out 
without her. This war would never have been thought of. But now, it was to start. Whether I wanted it or not.

That's when I realized, I wanted this war. It had to be good for the world. Then i remembered the ambush at that 
organization. And instantly, I knew, we were the last of them. We had to have this war.

I got up and started my walk home.

road to insanity: part XXX (keep your mind out of the gutter, sir or madam)

When I got back, they both were up. Sarah stood up and rushed to me, gushing about how worried she was, and what bad things 
she thought may have happened to me. After I calmed her down, we sat down to have a chat.

"Now, look, I was thinking, who were those people that we met in the Organization?" I got right to business.

"They were... Our fellow war heroes, sent in to the past to help us with our war. But they all died in that explosion."

"Maybe not. If I thought of them, someone must have survived. And I found this note. They had to write it."

Just then there was a loud bang at the back door. We all got up and looked. The leader from the Organization had busted in.

"You're right. I lived. You're a smart kid. I can see why you're the main man. I'm from the future, sent here to start the 
resistance."

"We must win if you are here!" This came from Elizabeth.

"I do not know. I was sent before the war ended. But this is as far as I go with you. Once I come through that door, I 
disappear as this version back to my time." After saying this, he started to disappear. "Don't be fooled. A false ally will 
be pulled. This is my last advice."

"Who will it be?" I yelled, but he was gone. All of a sudden we heard a loud slam from the attic door. The time traveler was 
here.

road to insanity: part XXXI

There he stood. We all sat there, staring at him as he looked back, puzzled beyond all hell. We just didn't know what to do. 
The older version of this boy, the tiny little boy in front of us, just disappeared from view.

"What?!" He finally had taken all he could of us staring.

Elizabeth spoke up. "You were just here. Well, not you you, but you."

"What do you mean?" I could tell his confusion got worse. It didn't surprise me.

I interjected. "A man was here. Claimed to be you in the future. We weren't sure if we should believe him or not, but you 
look a lot like him and he predicted your coming when you did."

"Well, my name's Max." He extended his hand to me.

I shook his hand. "Welcome aboard, Max. I'm Ace."

road to insanity: part XXXII

We had four people now. And while this house had a few rooms, we still only had one mattress. Not to mention the fact that 
more people were coming. We needed more room anyway. We discovered that the hotel next to this house (it being in the middle 
of the city) was abandoned, but we still needed to find the owner.

As it turned out, Max was incredibly gifted at computer work and hacking. Of course, he was the time traveler, so I guess we 
should have known. He tracked down the owner, and asked him about buying the building. He then proceeded to wire him money 
from some random account. It wasn't a lot, and it wasn't from anyone who would notice. Just enough to get us in.

So the next day, we were moving things in. Sarah and I would stay in the house, seeing as it was kind of ours and would make 
a good base of operations. Everyone else would have their pick of a room.

The hotel wasn't in the best shape, but it was good enough for what we needed to do. As long as Max was there, he could help 
us keep the water and electricity running for free. I don't know how he did it, but he did it.

We were ready to recruit.

road to insanity: part XXXIII

The next week went by, with no one showing up. We took this time to learn about each other and what our strengths are. We had 
a lot to cover and very little time to do it. People could be showing up at any time and we had to be prepared. We all became 
pretty close in that week, and we developed a good friendship.

I was a good leader and good at making decisions. Sarah was good at carrying out plans and making sure things go well. 
Elizabeth was good at organizational skills. And of course, Max was our tech guy.

We were set. The four of us would lead the charge. We had it all planned out.

Then, we the door started bringing us people like crazy. One every day.

We had a lot of work ahead of us.

road to insanity: part XXXIV

The hotel sprang to life. Where it was once desolate, and lifeless, it now had people, colors, and life. We had people all 
over moving around and doing things. Sometimes people became close friends and decided to share a room. The top floor had 
become off limits to all but the four of us. But the hotel was filling up and it was great to see so many people. We found a 
good way to start greeting all the newcomers. We explained how they got here, why they were there, and what the whole goal 
was about. We would then walk them to the hotel and Elizabeth would take it from there.

Things were going well and we all were working hard to get ready.

But one day, someone very different came through. Someone that gave us a very weird and uneasy feeling. Mike. He didn't talk 
like anyone else, and he acted very scripted, almost like he was being controlled. I pulled someone aside from the rest of 
the group.

"What's your name again?" I asked him.

"Harold."

"I want you to stay close to Mike. Watch him and be careful. There's something off about him. Tell him I assigned you two as 
partners."

"Yes, sir!" He ran off to catch up to Mike and tell him. I had a very bad feeling.

road to insanity: part XXXV

Keeping Mike at the back of my mind, I moved on to something I felt I needed to do. I pulled Sarah to the side to talk to her 
in private.

"Hey, with all this going on, we haven't had a lot of alone time. You want to go out to dinner tonight?" I looked at her 
hopefully. I really wanted to get away from all this for a little while. It was really stressful, and I thought we could both 
use the break.

She looked around for a second, thinking. Turning the idea over in her head. "Sure, why not? It'll be nice to kind of relax 
for a night."

"Awesome! I'll go telll Max and Elizabeth to watch over things." I walked to go talk to them. I was very excited.

Max and Elizabeth were in the hotel lobby when I got there. A lot of people were bustling around the area, so I asked to 
speak to them on the top floor. "I'm going on a dated with Sarah tonight. You two are in charge while we are gone."

"Okay," both of them replied in unison.

"I better get going to get ready. I'll see you two later." I walked out of the room and went back to the house. I couldn't 
wait for my date.

road to insanity: part XXXVI

I walked in the house and Sarah had a picnic basket and a blanket set on the chair. I smiled. She had already got things set 
up and ready. I should have figured she would pick a picnic.

"Sarah! I'm back!" I yelled in to the house. No reply, but I heard her in the bathroom, so I walked in.

As I entered the room she turned to me with a grin. "We are going to have a nice picnic under our tree," she said.

"Lovely. You about ready then?"

"Yes, I am. Let's get going." We left the house with our stuff and wnt to our tree.

We had a good time there. Nothing exciting happened. But the story we got when we got back to the hotel afterwards?

Crazy.