Yes, it's chapter 3 already (or finally?). I'm trying to crank this story out before I lose interest (such a fate that befell all the other stories I had up here at one point).

Chapter III: The Archaeologist

I woke up at 10. Early, for me. I wanted to meet this Mr. Carter Flora kept talking about. I imagined him as a man in about his 50s or 60s, with white hair and small glasses on a chain. In short, the man I had had as my professor during a short archaeology course in college.

What I didn't imagine was to find a sturdy, thick haired (My hair was already starting to fall out, although that may just be because I'm always ripping at it.) man that couldn't have been any older than I. They weren't staying at the Inn right in the middle of the valley, either, they were staying in a quiet little alcove off of Vesta's farm, next to a waterfall. In one tent.

Now, I believe even someone with half of a brain cavity would be forced to admit that a 20-something year old man and an 18 year old woman sharing a roof is asking for trouble.

And I believe that any man with half of a brain cavity would have done or considered doing some of the things I did.

It all began when I created a minor electrical current inside of their tent. It was meant to be harmless.

Flora's glasses reacted badly to the current and she had to yank them off and fling them out of the tent, then soak her face in the river.

Good thing I was hiding. I wouldn't have wanted Flora thinking I had anything to do with that.

The archaeologist attributed it to magnetism in the air—I suppose I'm lucky he wasn't a science major.

The next thing that happened was I put electrodes in Carter's shoes. This escapade gave me a pleasing display when he was jettisoned from them and wound up with electricity pulsing through his hair for the rest of the day.

I would tinker in my lab for hours and then set whatever trap I had concocted up for that archaeologist. After a while I think he began to suspect it was me, because he dropped heavy hints.

"My, I sure seem to be a target for electric shocks lately! Say, Daryl, aren't you doing research on electricity?"

"….Yes."

"Well, maybe then you'll know what's causing all this!" And then he would laugh.

I hate him.

I slowly weaned off of setting traps, and would just watch their site for hours. I wanted to make sure nothing indecent was done to Flora. I didn't even realize until my skin began to darken just how often I was out in the sun. It was a bit of a shock to look down at my arm and not see a road-map of blue and red veins coiling up and down it.

Watching Flora and Carter had almost become an obsession. I was always on the lookout for any sort of contact between the two of them, and never saw any aside from dig-related discussions. I didn't give up.

The Flora and Carter investigation was put on a short hiatus, however, once I came along a farm near the Fountain Spring, with cows in the field.