give me a thousand dollars for one of these coins , and i will give you one to keep -- -as a gift from me for your collection . `` after all , you are no longer an innocent . '' my stomach is tied in knots dale smiled . oak nuts , branches , brambles , leaves and twigs showered down upon all three as the massive creature scrambled above them in the tree 's canopy . but each time he saw her , it was like being stabbed through the gut . as a result , he felt smothered at times . 