Going to Howth for the Day! Part One

The following is a continuation story written by Jason and I during our day trip to Howth, on the coast of Ireland, last weekend.
Bold= Jason
Italics= Stephie

The two Americans squirmed with excitement as the train pulled out of the station. Ralph pulled out his glasses and studied the map while Sam twirled her hair and stared out the window at the bleak Irish landscape, "going to Howth for the day, whatever mad you think of it?"
"Well Sam, there's something I didn't tell you about this day trip..."

"I know we planned on having a relaxing day away from the office so I went ahead and rented bicycles for the two of us. I think a ride up the coast would take off a lot of our stress."
Sam smiled coolly back at him and said she thought that would be nice. She turned her eyes back to the paper she had picked up at the station and thought how misleading her calm demeanor was. She had and inkling that this jaunt to the shore might not be just as relaxing as Ralph expected it to be...

Although they had been friends for many years Ralph still had no idea about Sam's double life. He would have to know soon though... Sam's thoughts were interrupted by Ralph's squeal of indignation, "Closed! How can the bike rental be closed? I must have gotten the date wrong! Now what?!?"
"I know," Sam said, "let's climb up that hill..."

Though a bit dissapointed about the bikes, Ralph eagerly agreed and soon they were padding their way through the flowering bramble. Just as thy reached the top of the hill, Sam spun around and yelled back to Ralph who had fallen behind. "I think it's starting to rain. Let's head to that cleft in the rock and see if we can find a bit of cover."
They scrambled over a pile of rocks and climbed into a small space with enough cover to keep the rain off.
Ralph pulled his coat around him and said "lucky this cave is here, but how did you know about it?"

Sam sighed. "Ralph, there's something you don't know about me," she began. As she spoke she removed a tape measure from her pocket and began walking the length of the cave. " I have this hobby you see. I'm an amateur treasure hunter."
"Huh?" A puzzled look crossed Ralph's face as he squeezed water out of his soggy socks. The squelching echoed off the slick stone walls.
"All of those nights I told you I was home working on my stamp collection- I was actually researching shipwrecks off the Irish coast. This morning I finally received the last piece of information I needed. If my calculations are correct, the treasure should have been lodged right around... here."
" I can't beleive you would be so deceptive; I don't think I know you at all S-" Ralph's tirade was interrupted by a stranger entering the cave."

Without notice something whizzed past Ralph's ear. "Get down" screamed Sam as she threw herself behind a rock. Ralph, now completly disoriented, had just enough time to lay down as again something flew by, this time raining him with pieces of the cave wall.
He heard an unfamiliar woman's voice come from the mouth of the cave. He thought that she was speaking Russian but he couldn't be sure. He tried to find Sam amidst the dust filling the cave.
"Sam, Sam, are you alright?" He shouted from the floor, for he dreaded lifting his head just an inch.
"Shut your mouth" was the only reply he received as the woman moved towards him. She was now speaking clear English with only a faint hint of what must be a Russian accent. Ralph had little to do but lay prostrate on the ground. Every nerve in his body was tense with fear.

"What are you doing here?" demanded the willowy blonde, her shotgun aimed squarely at Ralph's brain. There was no sight of Sam anywhere in the dusty cave.
"We-err.. I got caught in the rain, I was just trying to find some shelter." Definatly best not to mention anything about treasure he thought to himself.
The woman appraised him cooly over the rim of her gun. Her glamorous cheek bones suggested a James Bond villain, but oddly, she was dressed like.. well like a farmer Ralph thought.
"I think we should go see my husband," she said finally. Ralph had no time to reply before he was hoisted to his feet.
Outside the squall had ended. As he reluctantly trudged through the bramble undergrowth Ralph glanced back at the cleft and wondered what had happened to Sam.

Sam was shaking, not from the rain, which had now ceased, but from what she had got Ralph into. Poor, innocent Ralph was only looking to get away from the city and now he was in the hands of one of the most ruthless treasure hunters in the world. She knew she couldn't be seen and when she heard guns fired, she hid herself in a section of the cave she knew would keep her well hidden. "Ho had she been found?" she thought as she sat calculating her next move. "Elizaveta Kournikova is perhaps teh greatest female treasure hunter, and leagues above me," she thought aloud; "but I kept my research as secret as possible, how could she have any clue?"
Her mind raced back to Ralph and his situation, which made her sick to her stomach. She ran out of the cave and, hiding behind a rock, watched as they drove off. She could hope that he continued to be brave and keep up the impression that he had been alone..
For his sake, she prayed that he could figure he wasn't dealing with an ordinary farmer!

The house at the top of the hill looked like any ordinary farmhouse, which momentarily quelled Ralph's fears. Maybe this really was just a simple misunderstanding! As they drew close though, he could see that something was not quite right. A front window had been recently smashed apart, a thin patterned curtain flew raggidly in the wind. Propped by the front door were two muddy shovels and a very fancy looking metal detector.
The russian shoved him through the door, where a skinny man with shocking orange hair studied a huge curling map. He looked up angrily and a torrent of Russian words were exchanged between the two. Ralph hid his sly smile and tried to look as confused as possible. He silently thanked providence for the four years he spent at university, studying Russian.

TO BE CONTINUED