Guy Sullivan died shortly after that.

I don't really remember it.

There was a rage, the King lashed out, and suddenly Guy was in his grip. Then the King marched him through the sands, a hand gripping his ear like school punishment in the olden days. They turned round the bend, and I could hear them climbing down the rocks to the river. None of us at the logs moved. Our ears were straining to pick out the faintest of sounds.

Not much. Only a little splash.

The King returned. No Guy was in sight.

He demanded the diamond. Mum hastily went to the main gazebo and searched all the bags but we couldn't find it. Then the King disappeared off to the river and returned with Guy's trousers dangling from his grip. After a quick search, we found a jewel the size of a fist that twinkled in the moonlight. Of course, Guy would have wanted something so precious so close to him.

The King thanked us and left promptly. There was a loud rumble and lots more shaking but it soon faded away.

We all assume Sheila ate Guy.

I have not seen anyone from the river since.

Life is different now. Mum doesn't shout at people quite so often. I think it was losing me that made her realise where things were going wrong. She and Dad are a lot happier now. At least I think so because he never seems to go on so many business trips anymore.

Mum has quit her job as a seller for archaeology diggings. She says she doesn't want to work around big sums of money since it always seems to lead to some form of corruption. She's an estate agent now, which isn't much better though because she sells pricey houses. It's the thought that counts.

Bea applied for art school last year and, unsurprisingly, got in. It was her portfolio that really wowed the examiners. She'd illustrated key parts of our journey together. Before she left, she gave me her original picture of the diamond. I still have it now, pinned to the corkboard on my bedroom wall, her signature neatly printed at the bottom of the page.

As for me, I'm not sure. I'm still trying to figure things out.

They've banned archaeology from that part of Spain. Not because of the King but because many 'unusual, unnatural earthquakes appeared' around that area and 'there have been strange sightings of a river fish'. Because there have been many archaeologic diggings, scientists fear that this may have disturbed the foundations of rock underneath, and so no one is allowed to dig there anymore.

Only a handful of people know the truth.

And now so do you.

THE END