“Not even funny,” I said, reaching down and picking up a stone. “They’re heavy, aren’t they?” And I’m weary—this I didn’t say. A host of pains assaulted me, including the throb in my right temple.

“There are so many of them,” Malaiki said, giggling. “Where do you stop?”

“Why pick up any at all?” Victoria asked. “They’ll just slow us down.”

“The messenger told us to,” I said.

“We don’t even know the messenger,” she replied. “Nor what she meant.”

“The stones are rough and heavy,” I said. “We need to pace ourselves and not take too many. Don’t you agree, old man?”

He said nothing. He was too busy gathering rocks.

I picked up a few more stones, trying to choose the lightest ones. “Let’s move on,” David said. “We need to get across the riverbed and set up camp.”

I couldn’t see Shad clearly, but I heard him still huffing and puffing, picking up more stones than I figured he could carry.

You’ll be sorry later. Don’t expect me to carry your sack.

After crossing, we set up camp. I plopped my bag containing the few rocks beside my blankets. Then huddling close to Frodo, I fell into a deep sleep.

When the morning came, I found I was the last one up. Everyone was out by the fire with their hands on their burlap bags, straining and appearing frustrated. I went back to the tent and picked up my own sack, anxious to get a good look at what was inside. But somehow the top was secured tightly, even though I could see nothing to keep me from opening it. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get inside it. I worked at it, sweating and tugging and scraping my skin on the rough burlap.

“What’s going on?” I asked, bursting out of the tent.

“I can’t get my sack open,” Malaiki said, her eyes wet with frustration.

“Neither can I,” Shad said. “None of us can.”

13

“WE’RE EXPECTED TO PICK UP ROCKS,” I said, “yet we’re not even permitted to see them?”

“The girl promised that in the morning we’d be glad or sad,” Victoria said, smiling. “Well, it’s morning. So I guess the joke’s on you. I’m glad because I didn’t pick up rocks … and you’re sad because you did!”

“She must have meant something else,” Malaiki said, still trying to open her heavy bag.

“What’s the point?” I asked Shad.

“I don’t know.” His irritation was obvious. “Some things we don’t understand.”

“Maybe later we will,” Quon said.

“Don’t count on it,” David countered. “If you’re smart, you’ll leave those worthless sacks behind.”