CHAPTER 27

  SWEAT & SUSPICION

  “The next morning, Vincent drove back to the train station for another four-hour round trip. This time, he was going to pick up Uri. It was decided that we could use the help on the farm before we even left Rouen. I made the call to Uri to see if he and Cadmus would want to join us.

  On the phone Uri said, “I, of course, will join you. But Jack, I have bad news about our friend.”

  I asked, “What is it?

  “Our friend, Dr. Haralambos is dead.”

  I couldn’t believe it. Uri continued, “You see, there was a car accident on his way back from Rome. I didn’t find out right away. I called him when I arrived home but got no answer. I then read about it in the paper. I didn’t know how to reach you. Otherwise, I would have let you know sooner.”

  I was shocked. I felt responsible, yet again, that someone had died due to my quest. Uri tried to comfort me.

  “Jack, it was no one's fault. It was just an accident.”

  I went on to explain to Uri that Vincent would pay for his trip out from Greece to France and cover all the expenses. He mentioned he had not been working since he returned to Greece, and his family really needed the money.

  While Vincent went to pick Uri up at the train station, Mimi and I stayed behind to clean up the cabin. Mimi did not want to be alone on the farm with just Mum, and she did not want to stay behind with Vincent if I went to get Uri. This was the only choice, and honestly, it was the best choice for both Mimi and me.

  “Where do we even begin?” Mimi asked as she looked around the dusty old cabin.

  “Why don’t you start by wiping everything down from the walls to the furniture. And I will start by sweeping the floors.” I answered.

  “Who builds a cabin without a single window?” she asked.

  “A blind man,” I said. We both laughed. It helped break the remaining tension between us.

  “Thank you for being a good sport,” I said, “and a great supporter. You know, without you, I could not do this.”

  She answered, “Oh, great, so this is my fault?” with a smile.

  “You know what I mean. I could not be doing this without you.”

  “I know,” she said. “I know it is important to you. I know if I stopped this, it would crush you. I love you too much to stop you.”

  I was grateful. There was no woman like her for that, I was sure. She was so supportive of me. I knew it was not every woman who would put up with a man chasing what the world thought was a fantasy. She knew no matter what, I could not stop the course of events that was taking place in my life. It was happening exactly the way it was meant to happen.

  “Jack, you know, when we get back stateside, we need to think about our financial situation. Eventually, I would like us to start a family and settle down,” Mimi added.

  “I know. I think this is going to be the turning point for us. I know this is the end of the road for us in Europe. I really feel good about this.”

  Mimi responded, “Jack. I really hope so.” She took me by the hand and looked at me with those big brown eyes, and I could read her mind completely at that moment. Her eyes were filled with the unknown. She was worried about our future and our financial stability, and rightfully so.

  “Jack, you have all my support and love. You know that. I just hope when we get back to the States we can settle down and enjoy each other more. That is all.”

  I knew it was her way of putting me in check. She was saying that she wanted this to be the end of the road for this journey. I was optimistic that we were working less than a hundred acres away from the end of the journey. I wanted nothing more than to find what I was looking for and be able to move on to giving Mimi what she wanted in life: a home, a child, and a normal existence in life.

  Vincent finally arrived with Uri. It was good to see him so soon – again. He greeted both Mimi and me with a hearty hug. He greeted Mum with a sweet date that he had in his pocket. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.

  “Jack, this is for you.”

  I immediately opened the unmarked envelope. Uri continued, “It’s from Cadmus. He had written it on his train ride home, you know, back from Rome. His relatives found it in his luggage. I had gone to the funeral and met his sister. She gave it to me in hopes that I could give it to you. I guess he was planning on sending it to you once he got home.”

  I opened the letter inside. Cadmus, as I would have expected, had perfect penmanship.

  Dear Jack,

  Do not be discouraged. Your heart is in the right place. I have gone over and over again in my head the mistakes we made in Rome. Things we overlooked. I think it would be worthwhile for us to return there. Please, at your earliest convenience, contact me. I’d like to discuss with you some of my thoughts and ideas. I have had some time to think about it on the train coming back from Italy.

  Jack, thank you for the work. You inspire me. Your work gives me hope and makes me believe in something I would never have even considered possible. Now, it is all I can think about. It is like an obsession for me now. Nothing matters more to me than this. And to think back to when you and I first met, my skepticism was overwhelming.

  I am your partner in this quest. I need this as much as you do. Let’s continue together to seek the truth.

  Sincerely,

  Dr. Cadmus Haralambos

  I didn’t know what to say. I had convinced Cadmus that my quest was an honorable one. He had not been on board one hundred percent back in Athens. Over time, he had become more and more of a believer. I was sad that his life was cut short and that he would not be here to see this thing through to the end. I tucked away the letter in my pocket without sharing it with anyone.

  “Let’s get going,” I said. “We’ve all got work to do.”

  The four of us jumped in the car and traveled as far as possible toward the site that would be the center of our lives for the remainder of the year. We were able to take the car as far as a fallen tree that blocked the dirt path before the mount.

  “From here,” Vincent said. “We hike. It is not more than fifteen feet up that slope before we reach the moat area.”

  As we began to walk up the sloped incline, it became evident that the slope was built as an optical illusion. The slope seemed manageable until you were halfway up it. Then its incline gradually increased to the point where you were exhausted. It was a brilliant design intended to make an enemy eager to rush the slope. But as one reached the top, one was more tired than expected.

  I would imagine raiders trying to pillage the castle of its wealth and rushing up the slope, becoming tired at the top, only to see the trenches and moat that would still stand between them and the castle. A journey that would be easy for a giant but would take serious effort for mere men. I could only imagine the scope of the team that would be needed to build up such a slope and the forethought to put the entire castle landscape together.

  As we reached the summit, the other side dropped straight down into the narrow valley that would have been the moat. At this point, you could still not see the foundation of the castle hill. It was hidden with thick brush that included billowing bushes, untamed trees, and fallen debris. The straight drop down at certain points had areas where the earth had given way. This made it easy for us to navigate down into the valley and across the moat. There was no water left in the moat, but the smell of the area was rich with old stagnant death. To navigate the moat area, we had to climb over debris and duck below the low-hanging branches of the untamed trees. It was apparent that we would have to forge a clear path to the location as soon as possible.

  We came out on the other side of the valley, but there was no easy way up. Vincent figured that beneath the dirt on this side of the moat was built solidly with the stone foundation of the castle mount. Uri took out a small trowel and began cutting ledges into the sheer valley wall so that we could place the tip of our shoe in on the way up. Uri cut the ledges all the way up, and the rest of us followed behind him. The earth was made up of mostly clay, so Uri was able to make holes very quickly with his trowel.

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  As we all reached the top of the plateau, it was clear that the mount was flat like a foundation. Not a single tree was growing on the nearly square land. It was covered only with meadow grasses and wildflowers. The lack of trees was evidence that there was no depth of earth for the roots of the trees to grow in. It was clear that beneath the meadow grass, we would find stone and perhaps open spaces of a subterranean series of rooms, including, we hoped, the throne room.

  On the square plateau was a faint outline of what could have been the castle walls. If you stood on the outlined mound and looked straight one way or the other, you could see that the outline mound would run straight to an end. There were some breaks, but it was evidence that, at one-point, thick walls had existed.

  What we did not know was what had happened to the walls or the above-ground structure of the castle. The perimeter walls of the castle were thought to be thirty feet high and some twenty-five feet thick. But aside from the outlined mound that remained centuries later, there was no evidence of a great stone wall. Perhaps the stones had been thrown into the moat to fill in an even deeper waterway. Or perhaps the weight of the walls collapsed. filling in most of the subterranean rooms below. Uri and I would stake the plateau mount at the walled outline. Our goal was to find the direct center so we could begin our dig there, where I hoped to find the glass ceiling for the throne room.

  We decided we would work in shifts between the four of us. We needed to spend most of our time in those first couple of weeks getting the farmhouse in order. Working on the excavation site would be a lesser priority while this happened. It was really exciting to be working on this project. With just the four of us, there was less pressure. The group was getting along really well. Uri was a great unifier. He is also an incredible cook. So, he was put in charge of meals. We had to cook and wash the dishes outside for the first week because the kitchen in the farmhouse was in such bad shape, and the cabin had only a fireplace for cooking. We also had to eat our meals outdoors because of the limited space in the cabin. Since it was late summer, this was just fine with us. Vincent had us well stocked with wines that he gathered from his parents’ old estate. The wine was flowing, and we all enjoyed our evenings around the dinner table out in the grassy patch in front of the farmhouse. We talked and joked with each other until the sun went down completely. Then it was off to bed for us. We watched no clocks, and time was of no importance. This was life on a farm, living and working by the rise and fall of the sun.

  It was three weeks before the farmhouse became livable again. Uri was quite skilled in getting the well functional. The water was cold and fresh. The old indoor plumbing was antiquated but functional. It was apparent to all of us that over time Vincent was going to have to spend quite a bit of money to get the house into the modern century. Our goal was really just to get the facilities operational to the point where we could function. Nothing more than that.

  It ended up taking the entire four weeks before the generator was delivered, and we had electricity again. There were a lot of candles and fireplace nights before that. Even after the generator was delivered and we had settled into the farmhouse, we continued the tradition of outside dining.

  Once the house was cleaned up and functional, Mimi and Vincent went into town and bought a truckload of secondhand furniture so we would have more options for sitting around the house. Plus, Vincent and Uri finally each had a bed. They also purchased a brand-new stove and icebox and stocked it and the pantry up with some food and more wine.

  For as much as Mimi fought coming out to the country on this journey, she really began to take to farm life in France. She had Uri build her a chicken coop and was so excited about having fresh eggs every morning. She also scouted some old grape vines, an apple tree, and berries growing on the farm, and would gather them all up. She insisted on getting a book in town on canning. It seemed she wanted to harvest as much as she could before the fruit was gone to make sure, we had enough food to last us through the colder autumn and winter months. It was not much longer after that than she was talking to Vincent about getting a cow for milk. Of course, we all laughed. This city girl didn’t know the slightest thing about raising a milk cow.

  Vincent ended up trading his car for a truck that someone was selling in town. We were in more need of a truck for hauling supplies than his car. We used the truck to pull down the tree that had blocked the path to the site. Eventually, Uri worked on a path up the slope that the truck could handle. We were finally able to drive the truck all the way up the slope leading to the valley moat. From there, we cleared a footpath into the valley and to the castle foundation. This made carrying supplies to the castle mount much easier.

  We ended up placing a tent on the foundation site for shade during the remaining hot summer days. We were intent on uncovering the earth to reveal that center window. We had staked out a circle in the center of the plateau, which was ten feet wide, roughly where I assumed the window would have been placed in the foundation of the castle. As I dug, I visualized what I had hoped to find. I visualized myself lying down on the ground and looking through what I imagined was the thickest glass possible. I imagined I would find the two stone coffins of Princess Fillon and the Queen in the room below the elevation. I imagined that much like the tombs of medieval royals and knights, atop the caskets would be the actual images of the dead giant royals. The sight would be so inspiring. The ultimate sight would be when we lifted the heavy stone casket lid to reveal the giant human remains of the dead royals inside. At last, I would have found and seen with my own eyes the proof that giants did exist. All my years of study, research, and dreaming would finally come to this miraculous conclusion. And I could go on to give Mimi the life she was dreaming of – with the house and kids. So much was dependent on this time in our lives, this site, and fate that had delivered us here.

  I am not what I would call a religious man, but I believed heavily in fate and more and more in the existence of a greater good. Mimi had been raised Catholic, and her influence on me was strong. Even though everything I had been taught as a scientist was in direct opposition to her true religious beliefs, looking back now I can see that time on the farm was such a key turning point for me in my own beliefs.

  I tell you this because, even though I was not very religious, I had begun to pray while I worked at the site. Too much was dependent on what we were working toward. I figured that praying was just the added advantage that we needed. I remember clearly the day on the site that I began to pray and what happened after that.

  I can remember the sun shining brightly, bluer than the normal sky, without a single cloud hanging in it. The breeze was cool and alive. I was all alone at the site. Uri was busy hauling the last of the brush away from the slope path to an area of the farm we used for burning the cuttings and debris. Vincent had gone into town for some more supplies, and Mimi was busy back at the farmhouse that day. I was spending every free minute at the site that I could. I had this overwhelming feeling of optimism about that particular day.

  I felt inspired. I dug and dug all day long without a single break until the sun had completely gone down. I was digging and digging and digging. I was not about to give up. I dug where I was sure I would find this great window into the world of the giants. As the day wore on, my digging became more erratic. I knew there would be plenty of days that would follow here. I did not care. I was sure something was going to happen on this day. My confidence and the beautiful weather were confirming to me that this day was the day. I kept digging one way and the next. I was impatient. As one area turned up nothing, I turned around and dug in the opposite direction. As the afternoon became evening, I was digging in the dark with sweat drenching my clothes and head. I could see the flash of headlights cutting through the brush in the distance.

  I knew someone had finally come to see what was keeping me. I heard one door slam shut and saw what appeared to be lantern light. There was no calling out for me and no other sound. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a light from a lantern coming up out of the moat. I did not look up to see who it was. But the quiet demeanor told me exactly who it was. And, as she approached, she still said nothing.

  “I thought you might need some help,” I heard as she came close to me. I did not stop I just kept digging.

  “Here, you take a break, and I will continue digging,” she said. “You need your strength.” And I could feel her hand on my shoulder. With the other hand, I could feel the shovel being taken out of my hand.

  “You sit down; I will take over from here.” There was a sense of authority. And, having already been defeated by the long day of nothing, I gave in.

  “You know, this is not your burden alone. We are all here to help. You should not expect that this is your task alone. I have been here with you and will continue to be to the very end.”

  I said, “I was sure I was close to something today. I thought today was the day. I need to find a little hope here today. I have gone on so long with so little in the way of what I need to continue. The day wasn’t turning out how I had imagined.”

  My own exhaustion was getting the best of me. I was feeling tired and hopeless. I continued, “I felt so good about this day and yet nothing. Here it is night, and I have nothing more than I had when I started.”

  “Jack, that is not true. You have me here to help you, and the rest you need to go forward from this point. Do not lose hope. Remember, I was there with you in that cave and the catacomb – you made it through because….”

  I then heard a voice call out for me from over in the valley moat.

  “Jack? Honey?” followed by the bark of Mum. And suddenly, the lantern light was gone, and I was sitting there all alone on a pile of dirt. I could see a flashlight dimly coming my way from the moat path. And I realized the voice I was now hearing was actually Mimi. “Jack, are you alright?” Mimi said. Her flashlight at this point was shining right on me while I sat there. I was certain that I looked like a mess. “Jack, I brought you some food and water. Honey, come in from the dark. We can start again tomorrow. I will come out here and help you. In fact, we’ll all come out here and help.”

  I could not figure out what had just happened. It felt like déjà vu. Like the same thing happened twice, but the second time it was slightly different. I figured it was just fatigue. I had been working for hours without even a break or even water. I had merely imagined it. Mimi and I walked back to the truck, and she drove us back to the house. I sat there mostly in silence. I was confused. She kept asking me if I was okay, and I told her I was. I watched the headlights from the truck bounce around the path and trees. The movement of the light going down the path made me think I saw things moving in the bushes. I guess I thought I would surely see something or someone else along the path. Light would catch my eye, and I would turn to see what the headlight was seeing, but nothing was there.

  “What you need is a nice cool bath,” Mimi said. “I think you are exhausted. Heck, we have all been working seven days a week without a single break. And this type of work is not standing in front of a class teaching. This has been hard labor. I think I will draw you a bath. And then you can have some dinner. There is ham.”

  I was completely out of my mind at this point. I was too tired to think straight. Of course, a cool bath and some food would do me some good.

  Back at the house, as I sat in the cool water of the bath, I felt the tension and pressure wash away from me. I thought about what had happened at the site. I realized that I was pretty upset about working all day and not finding anything. I was tired and confused, physically and mentally. I chalked up what had happened as fatigue from the long day. I did not say anything to anyone about what happened at the sight before Mimi actually got there.