Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Once

The next day, I woke up early in the morning, and I planned to sleep in.The sun was hanging in the sky, heralding another sunny day, and the sun was shining into the tent, and soon the small space would be transformed into a sauna.At one moment, I was comfortably in my sleeping bag, covering my face with the sleeping bag to keep my nose warm, and at the next moment, I felt uncomfortably hot, struggling to get out of the thick callused sleeping bag, and my pajamas were attached to my skin. physically.Without hesitation, I walked to the door and opened the zipper vigorously. Immediately there was a gust of cold wind blowing in.I took a grateful breath and ignored Emma's whimpers of protest.

"What time is it?" she muttered staggeringly. I reached for the watch that I had left in a corner before, and glanced at it.God. "It's not yet six o'clock," I confessed. "Heather! Is your head crazy?" Emma said with disgust, and slapped the pillow into a more comfortable shape and lay back. "Close the door, or get out." She complained, her voice muffled through the thick sleeping bag. It's too early, but I know I won't be able to sleep.So I grabbed the knitted jumper and shoes and walked outside gently.I stretched my waist, and half of the air in the sleeping pad had leaked out. As soon as I left, the air distribution in it changed, and Emma was literally lying on the ground. Thinking of this, I want to laugh, but think about it Still held back.Looking around, I realized I wasn't the only one getting up early.Martin was sitting in a folding chair, drinking a bottle of water, watching the sky that was getting brighter.

"Can't sleep?" he asked as I walked over. I shake my head. "Me too, it's too hot. Besides, Darren snores louder than my dad." He smiled. "Does your head hurt?" "Very—" I decided not to say "I'm fine," "a little top-heavy." I told the truth. "Here." He handed me the bottle of water. "You've been drinking and you're a little dehydrated. Is this your first hangover?" "Yes." I took a sip and sat on another chair, "But it's not as serious as I thought." "I suppose it depends on how much you've been drinking," Martin said gravely.

"I know." I laughed until I couldn't breathe.What a Martin answer. I took another swig of water, leaned back in my chair, and sighed.I put on my sweater and looked in the direction Martin was looking.We sat together without speaking.If it was Dodge, I would definitely feel embarrassed.I'd never be comfortable with Darren.As for Emma, ​​there is no way I could be with her!At this moment, I feel very relaxed, listening to the rhythmic sound of the waves, which is very pleasant to hear. In the sun, the sea no longer looks dangerous, only the water gently lapping on the sand.I closed my eyes and tilted my head back.I would have fallen asleep if the chair cloth hadn't been stretched so tight that it caught my neck.

When it was almost eight o'clock, other people came out of the tent one after another.By then, Martin and I were starving, so we got out the little gas stove.He is responsible for slathering butter and tomato sauce on the slices of bread, and I use a small spatula to fry the half-bacon half-bacon in the frying pan. "It's delicious." Darren scratched his head and said, "I want a double." He winks at me, confirms his order, and disappears into the long grass behind the tent, making it easy to go. "Wouldn't it be nice if I spit in his sandwich?" Martin whispered to me.

I was amused by him. "The premise is to be caught by him." "Need help?" Dodge came out of the boy's tent, neatly dressed, barefoot, with a toothbrush in his mouth. "It's almost ready." I smiled brightly at him, "Go and get the orange juice." "Got to save the orange juice and mix it with vodka," Darren yelled from behind the dunes, so far away that he could hear me. Dodge rolled his eyes. "I think Darren is a drunk," he joked. "I'll get orange juice in the car." As we loaded the bacon sandwiches onto paper plates, Emma briskly stepped out of the tent with an expectant look on her face.She slept in the clothes she wore last night, but now she is wearing pajamas. It is not difficult to imagine the reason.This set of short vest and shorts is very revealing, showing off her slender legs and small waist.As she strolled over, every pair of eyes stared at her, only mine was full of disdain.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I was up late and couldn't help," she said, her eyes wide open and her face innocent. I tried not to let out a sigh.Since when did my best friend become a complete idiot? "Don't worry, we made one for you." Dodge smiled and handed her the paper plate, and I suspected again that she was the mysterious girl he liked.He didn't start courting, at least not while she was dating someone else, and thinking about it, I felt a little relieved. Everyone was busy eating breakfast and drinking orange juice, so for a while no one said a word except Darren, who kept complaining about the waste of orange juice.

"So what are we doing today?" Martin asked, licking the grease and ketchup off his fingers. "What?" Darren asked, looking at Martin and pretending not to understand him. "Yeah, what to do," repeated Martin. "You're not going to sit here all day, are you?" "It's great to sunbathe." Emma said affirmatively, and raised one leg, sliding her fingers across the smooth and silky calf. "I'm sunbathing right now. I'm so white." Martin grimaced, knowing that sunbathing was as unattractive as gouging out his own eyes. "I'm going to explore." Dodge proposed. "My father said that if you climb over this hill, you can see the ruins of an old castle."

"Expedition is a good idea." Martin laughed. Dodge turned to look at me. "Where's Heather?" "Heather is going to sunbathe with me," Emma announced. I raised an eyebrow at her, then turned to look at Dodge. "I'm going to explore." I whispered. Darren chose to stay and "watch Emma sunbathe", he said, keeping his eyes on the provocatively dressed Emma. In this way, the three of us walked slowly to the parking lot.We walked past the Volvo and found a path that started at the beach and zigzagged away from the road.The slope was steep, and I soon found myself far behind the two boys, panting.Fortunately, the sun did not rise very high, and the weather was still cool.Even so, I took off the sweater and tied it around my waist.

"Come and enjoy the view," Dodge said as I climbed to the top. He pointed to the way we came, and I turned in a circle to hide my flushed face and shortness of breath.But he was right.It is so beautiful.The sea is an undulating blanket of blue, surrounded by a narrow fringe of cream-coloured sand.Next to the beach is a piece of emerald green, like an emerald in the sun.The scenery is breath-taking, and it's a worthwhile trip to walk up. "I think I saw the ruins of the castle your father was talking about," Martin called after me.I turned around and saw him pointing to the peak of another hill.The ground sloped downward from our feet, so that although the pile of rocks did not appear to be higher than ours, it had to climb another steep slope to reach it.I couldn't help but sigh in my heart.

There were no trails at the top of the hill, so the three of us walked side by side through the rough heathland.The sun was shining brightly, but the grass was dewy and damp, and within a few minutes my jeans legs were soaked and the insides of my shoes were soaked. "How did you feel about the test?" Dodge asked me as we walked forward. I shrugged and frowned, "I don't know. I think English is okay. As for math... who knows. I might not do well in physics." "I think you will definitely be admitted to college." I shrug again. "Let me give you a good word. What about you?" "I think it's okay." Dodge said with a mischievous smile. I laughed out loud.Dodge has always been the top student in the school, and getting five A-level results is a piece of cake for him. "Martin," I turned to look the other way, "what about you?" He sniffed and pushed his glasses up. "Science is not bad. English is probably a hindrance." "I thought you would graduate early." I asked. I know he hasn't applied for any majors yet, but fortunately there is a make-up admission procedure.As long as it is not a full-staffed major, even if you apply at the last minute, the university will accept it.But Martin shook his head. "My parents won't allow it, they say I'm too young. Besides, I still want to take a few advanced higher education exams. It's math and chemistry. If I get good grades, I will also take biology." "Will you miss us?" I joked. He gave me a strange look, but his tone was serious. "Yes." He said seriously. I can't stop laughing. "Well, never mind," I said, "I might come back in August and take the make-up exam." He still didn't smile at all. "No." He said softly. I looked away, feeling a little embarrassed, though I couldn't tell why. The hillside was so steep that we couldn't even talk, and we had nothing to say.For a few minutes, the only sound around us was our uneven breathing.The sun was rising, the temperature was rising, and I could feel the sun starting to scorch my bare shoulders.It never occurred to me that I would need to wear sunscreen here. We finally climbed to the top, and in the center of the summit stood the ruins Dodge had spoken of.He said there may have been a castle here, but judging from the ruins it was hard to tell what it was.There is no remains of the wall, just a large pile of stones scattered around the edge, some of which have been rolled into the grass. "I don't think this is a castle at all." Dodge put his hands on his hips, looking thoughtful. "My dad probably just watched it from the sand; he doesn't like hiking. And it's not even a building, as far as I can see." He moved closer to investigate. "Come and see this," he called, waving Martin and me over. "This looks like a portal." I looked where he was pointing, trying to make out what he was seeing.That's what I'm going to study in college, and I have to admit, all I see is a pile of rocks.I squatted down, trying to find any recognizable shape.I remembered that my cousin showed me the B-ultrasound image of the fetus in the past. She pointed to the spots and circles and told me where the limbs were and where the head was.At the time, I didn't see anything, and now, I don't see why. "See?" Dodge asked. "It's there." Martin walked around the ruins, watching them very carefully. "Okay, Indiana," he joked, his expression suspicious. At least I'm not the only one who can't see it. But Dodge didn't give up.He stood there for ten minutes, gesticulating with his arms, pointing to the stones and saying that this is the entrance, here is the roof, and there is the protective wall.At first, I was still confused, but with Dodge's introduction, this vague structure began to be revealed gradually.Little by little I saw what he meant by structure. "What do you think this is here?" I asked, the rough outline of the structure already in my head. "A house?" Dodge shook his head. "A tomb," he said. "The cairn." Seeing my bewildered expression, he explained, "This area is probably named after it. When a great person dies, they bury him on top of the hill, Pile a lot of stones on it. If you can go in, you can see the tomb. If there is no cave in there." He talked, and I nodded as I listened, trying to act like I wasn't the first to see this happen to me.Martin was suspicious at first, but now, he frowned, obviously not believing Dodge's words. "Did they move the stones here? It's easier to pile them at the foot of the mountain. I think this place used to be very grand." Dodge nodded. "You know," he said, looking back at me, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "the ghosts of the Druid Order must be lurking in places like this, looking for revenge." I looked at Shizuka, and suddenly my heart trembled, my adrenaline soared, and it felt like hundreds of spiders were crawling on my body. In an instant, fear surrounded me, and I shivered involuntarily as if possessed by a demon. . "Shut up, Dodge," I said, "You're talking too scary!" "Really?" He grinned, then turned his back on me, bent down, and pushed away a few large stones blocking what he thought was the entrance. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Maybe we can go in and see," he said. go in?Into the grave? "You don't think there are dead bodies in there, do you?" I said, although I was disgusted, I was still attracted and walked forward.But I don't want to see the cracked yellow skull roll out and land at my feet. "Impossible," Dodge said breathlessly, still struggling to move an oversized stone. "This cairn is thousands of years old, and there's nothing left. But people will look at places like this." Holy places. They have no idea what these places were originally used for. So, you never know what you might find inside when you remove the barriers." "I bet it's just an empty cider bottle and a crisp bag," Martin quipped. "Wrong!" Dodge said, and at this moment, he finally moved the stone and dug deeper with both hands. "It's a juice can!" He lifted the juice can triumphantly, and Martin and I burst out laughing.Apparently the can of juice had been sitting in it for a long time.The metal bottle body has faded, and it is impossible to tell what brand it is.The jar was rusted around the edges and had a crack in the center. "Better call the National Museum." Martin giggled. Dodge ignored him.He knelt down and stuck his head into the hole he had dug. "Does anyone have a flashlight?" His voice was indistinct and distorted. "Ah, yes, I always carry a flashlight with me. Flashlight, Taser, plus a pocket map of Wales and a pair of trouser leg clips for cycling." "Haha." Dodge leaned back and glared at Martin with sharp eyes, "Did you bring your cell phone?" "I installed a flashlight app on my phone." I said as I pulled out my phone. "Thank you." He poked his head into the cairn again, just reached out and fumbled for my phone awkwardly.It turned out that what he grabbed was not the mobile phone, but my hand, and I immediately felt that my hand was on fire. "There's something else here," he cried, "and I might be able to get there." "What is it this time, Durex wrapper?" Martin snorted. Dodge made a face at him, and he turned sideways so he could slip his shoulders into the gap and extend his arms a little further forward. "Just a little bit," he said, trying to reach the thing. "Aha!" This time when he raised his hand, we were speechless.Without saying a word Martin and I moved closer to get a better look. "What is it?" I asked. This thing is small, flat, and round.The center is hollow, and a thin line runs across that hollow.The surface of the thing has many textures, bumpy, and full of dents, much like a piece of rusted iron, and it is covered with dirt.But beneath the rust and dirt, I could see faded etched curves and shapes on the thing's surface. "Don't know." Dodge spat on his finger, rubbing the surface of the thing, wiping off the top dirt. "It's metal anyway. It's old. Cool. Here you go." He tossed the thing to me. "Look at it." I wiped the dirt off with my fingertips, nearly breaking the fragile and corroded ring.I flipped it over and looked at the suggestive etching. "It needs to be cleaned up," I murmured, "otherwise I can't see clearly." "Go for a dip in the ocean." Dodge agreed. I looked up at him, a little surprised. "Are you going to take it to the beach?" "Of course, why not?" He smiled at me, confused by my tone. "But this is..." I wanted to say it was stealing, but I wasn't sure whether it counted, "But this is someone else's grave." Grave robbery is of course illegal, I'm pretty sure of that. "It's not from a tomb," Dodge disagreed. "Maybe someone put it here, as a sacrifice. The stone cairns are a bit like the circles of stone walls; people have long forgotten their original purpose, only remember them." Very important." I pouted.Explaining it that way didn't make me feel any better.But I didn't stop Dodge from reaching out and taking the ring from me.I watched him stroke it one last time before pocketing it. "Would you like to go back?" he suggested. "It must be lunch time. I'm hungry." With Martin's help, he carried back the removed stones and led the way to the beach, pointing out more sites of archaeological interest on the mountainside along the way.I tried to pay attention to what he was saying, hoping to learn something for my exams, but I just couldn't concentrate.All I could think about was the cairn and the dark cavern surrounded by ancient stones.And Dodge's joke: the ghosts of the druids roam there. I have a vague feeling that we did something wrong.Again and again my eyes fell on Dodge's pocket, where it was safe at this moment. I feel like a thief.