"What ruins?"
They pointed to his fort. Hugo was hurt. "Those aren't ruins. I built that fort. It's to fight Indians in."
The pair ignored his answer and started toward the fort. Hugo did not protest. They surveyed its weighty walls and its relatively new roof.
"Looks recent," Smith said.
"This child has evidently renovated it. But it must have stood here for thousands of years."
"It didn't. I made it—mostly last week."
They noticed him again. Whitaker simpered. "Don't lie, young man."
Hugo was sad. "I'm not lying. I made it. You see—I'm strong." It was as if he had pronounced his own damnation.
"Tut, tut." Smith interrupted his survey. "Did you find it?"
"I built it."