Grinning, Gerhard helps Judy out of her sweater as she kicks off her slides. She helps him with her fly, and he strips off her tank top. For him, it’s like Christmas.

Once her underwear are off, he pulls her close; his fingers find the zipper behind a seam, above the cleft of her buttocks.

Her skin and the molded plastic underneath it are easy enough, but the iron-plated octahedron within them requires some work. Gerhard digs out his ratchet set. When the last bolt is out he has an irregularly-shaped stone–probably igneous.

He borrows a chisel from next door.