'Oh God!' exclaimed Con. 'Marooned with Sara and Daddy! What a thought!'
'Maybe she'd see him differently when he wasn't a billionaire.'
Con laughed wickedly. 'I'm sure she'd stop feeding him fruit. She might stop giving him other things as well.'
'Maybe Pandit would have his chance,' said Rick. 'I know he's smitten. He's more her age,
'Perhaps she'd prefer a jungle guide,' teased Con.
'No way!'
'I might claim you for myself. Are you a good pro-vider?'
'I could keep even you fed.'
'Really?' answered Con. 'Could you satisfy all my appetites?' She was amused when he blushed.
'We'll return to our time,' said Rick, trying to change the conversation. 'If Joe's right, we'll never see this place again.'
'That bothers you, doesn't it?'
'Yeah,' said Rick with a note of dejection. 'What a waste. Only you and James appreciate what's here.'
'Maybe the people who built the time machine will let you come back.'
'I doubt it. Joe says they might not even know this place is here.'
'How's that possible?' asked Con.
'It has something to do with history being altered.'
'That's so mysterious!' said Con. 'Don't you find it exciting? I wonder what this place is for.'
'I have no idea,' admitted Rick.
'Aren't you the least bit curious? Maybe there's more to this island than we've seen. Like the symbols on my wall.'
'I did see something ... a reflection on the top of the mesa.'
'Let's go there and investigate!' said Con excitedly. 'We can fish later.'
'I don't know . . .'
'Where's your sense of adventure? You're supposed to be a guide. Guide me!'
'I'm supposed to keep you safe.'
'Come on! I'm going, whether you do or not!'
Rick put down the cooler and the picnic hamper. 'Are you always this headstrong?' he asked.
'Always.'
Although the walls of the mesa rose precipitously where the stone rooms were located, on this end of the island they sloped, albeit steeply. The way was difficult, and much of the rock was loose. Con, who was wearing flimsy rubber beach thongs, had a difficult time.
'Maybe we should turn around,' suggested Rick. 'James would kill me if he knew I was taking you up here.'
'Stop worrying about James,' retorted Con. 'How are we going to get up that cliff?' Above the rocky slope, the last forty feet of the mesa rose as a vertical wall. As they approached the cliff, Rick looked for a route to the top. When they reached its base, it still appeared unclimbable. 'Why don't you rest here,' said Rick, 'while I look for a way up.' Con said nothing, but sat down on a rock. Rick scrambled along the base of the cliff, examining it with the eyes of a seasoned climber. He found a number of routes to the top he might attempt if he were properly equipped with
