threw me at the feet of the beast. " Mmm," said the creature. " That will do nicely.
The toll has been paid. Now begone."
The giant shooed them away with his staff, then he placed shackles around Thunderboy and myself and dragged us over the embankment.
Now, while I write this in retrospect, I did also have occasion to make time for my diary during our enforced restraint. I provide an excerpt here:
Date Missing
The others blame me for all the mechanical failures. What do I know about trusses and piers? This bridge work if far too laborious for a lady of my refinements. The beast is in his forge all night, and every morning we are woken at dawn to assemble these pieces into those infernal triangles. The others claim that the triangles that I assemble never come out aright, but it has to be the local gremlins, for I am certain I am just as skilled as anyone else in the camp.
The nights are the roughest I have ever spent in all my days. I cannot imagine a worse situation than sleeping seven to a room, with a drab little fire built straight into the floor, threadbare cotton quilts and shabby roof over my head. This must have been what sleeping was like for the Darwinian man, eating rocks and fighting tigers!
Good Lord, I hope the rest of the tour group finds me soon. I did not come dressed for this. I asked the Chinese migrants for some more suitable attire. I feel that they were making fun of me, for they gave me the most elaborate gown with sleeves that reached the floor. It was clearly some glorious court attire for some resplendent Chinese lady that the beast had no use for, nor the migrant workers, for they kept it in a trunk. They may think it is not suitable for hard labor, but I will show them that a lady of great refinements can accomplish her work in any attire.
Date Missing
Thunderboy and I have been digging for days. The others think I am not suited for such work, and say I am too accustomed to leisure. I am not afraid to work. I used to do a little gardening back in London, from time to time. And to say I am too fond of leisure! What do they know? I may come from a well-to-do family, but I am a monster hunter through and through.
I could work hard and live off the land as well as anyone