Chapter 12
Summer sun shone brightly down over the grassy hill from a cloudless sky, marred only by the white streak of a jet contrail far above. Birds sang, and trees rustled in a gentle breeze. It was a glorious, beautiful day. In the distance the whoosh and hum of cars passing was just quiet enough to not really interrupt the peaceful, pastoral scene.
There was no village at the base of the hill, but a road led to a small gravel parking area there, laden with signs about the history and significance of the hill with its crown of worn stone teeth. A small bus pulled in, and a gaggle of tourists spilled out of it. A guide wrangled them together for a moment, but then let them begin streaming up the path that wound up and around the hill at their own pace.
Most soon gravitated towards t
