Boots made his way to the back of the cave without the aid of any light. Though he had not been there before, he moved like a dwarf through the dark tunnels of Moria. The entrance soon gave way to a small chamber that was dimly illuminated by a chasm in the roof where star and moonlight fought their way to the cave floor. Stepping inside, he surveyed the scene.
To his left, Boots found a small, half-burnt candle and picked it up. Out of his satchel, he grabbed a match and lit the wick. The small flame did little to cut the darkness, but he held it in front of him as he walked forward.
Across the small room, Boots saw the young girl lying on the ground. Her legs were brought up close and she hugged them with her arms. Her dark hair masked her face and she appeared to be sleeping. The light from the candle reflected off a thin chain that ran from her ankle to an anchor bolt in the wall behind her. A captive.
Boots approached softly and worked the chain. The clasp opened and he freed her from its bondage.
———
The motion caused her to wake with a scream. Molly, in a state of narcoleptic hysteria, swung at the man and knocked him upside the head, causing him to spill over from his squatted legs and tumble on the floor. She shot up and gave him a swift kick in the stomach. She felt weak and realized that she had no power in her leg. The blow didn’t seem to faze the man. She backed up against the wall, shaking like a trapped animal and ready to fight for survival.
Regaining his composure in the dark, the old man stood to his short height.
“It’s all right now, I’m here to get you out,” he said, his voice echoing off the stone walls while his hand rubbed his stomach.
“Stay away from me!”
“Now, I’m not going to hurt you . . . all right?”
“Get back!”
The man reached down and grabbed the candle. Took another match and relit it. He then raised the candle to his face. “I know I ain’t much to look at, but I’m here to get you out. Now don’t go kicking me no more.”
Molly stared back at him. Her eyes darting from the cave entrance, to the old man before her, and then back. She was sizing him up, thinking whether she could outrun the bearded elf who stood before her.
“You can run out that door and be in the same awful mess, or you can come with me and we can get someplace safe.”
She sorted out her options as best as she could, but the endless days of hopelessness had exhausted every ounce of energy she had. Just standing was proving too much to handle as her head began to swim. She fought the urge to faint, not wanting to be like one of those movie heroines who collapse at the worst possible time, but the room began to spin and she fell under her own weight.
———
From the entrance, a breeze began to blow, slowly stirring the placid air. The moist, cool air one breathes right before a storm.
Boots looked at the entrance and then back to the girl now collapsed before him.
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”