maintain her battle.
When one ankle finally pulled free, the girl was so exhausted she lost consciousness against the ground, damp now from tears and perspiration.
Sunlight poured through a large crack in the timber wall streaming along the floor and illuminated the dusty interior of the dilapidated shack in a bright haze. Rebecca whimpered quietly and attempted to lift her head. Her stomach churned and she struggled to focus on a rustling sound within the tiny enclosure. A shadow came towards her slowly and as it merged from the darkness into the dim light Rebecca could make out the outline of a massive rodent. Its face was white against a huge gray body, the nose a bright pink and the creature peered at her inches from the girls face with mammoth black eyes, its menacing grin exposing razor sharp teeth.
Rebecca screamed deafeningly, sending the startled creature scurrying into a smooth tunnel beneath the cot. Giving no thought to discovery by her captors, Rebecca continued shrilly, terrified that the beast might return should she stop her earsplitting wailing.
With indignation Mark had forsaken his responsibilities at the cabin and, after a restless night, decided that he could no longer wait to check out his venture at trapping. He knew that his intended victims were nocturnal beasts and if he were successful, it would be in the hours of darkness.
When he heard the shriek of a living thing he froze. Suddenly regretting his disobedience he stumbled and tumbled to the ground tripping over the forest floor and dropping to his knees. The wail of the animal’s terrifying cries tore at his conscience and he pressed his palms against his ears. He swore to himself out loud that he would never again defy his father’s wishes. He would behave ever after and never question the authority of the man. He would accept and obey all rules. Mark’s mind screamed out in contrition, promising to do anything to be good if the animal would only stop.
Yet the being continued with a terrified screeching and Mark scrambled to his feet. Against his better judgment and overwhelming fear, he ran towards the sound.
Coming abruptly upon the shack nestled deep in a stand of trees, Mark was perplexed. The boy knew the surrounding forest as well as any tracker, but he had never come across this before. He took quick stock of the immediate area and was certain the structure had been constructed only recently, at least in the past summer months. He ran up to the makeshift door and caught his breath. Whatever was inside was not a beast caught in his trap, but he was not relieved. He pulled at the leather binding that held the entry closed and threw open the door.
Rebecca saw the silhouette in the bright doorway, caught her breath and began to repeat her wails. The person simply stood there framed in the vivid dusty light with arms hanging limply at their sides. Her captor was a huge woman, too tall and immense to fit easily through the opening. The figure brightly outlined before her now had not nearly half the bulk of her enslaver and Rebecca stopped screaming abruptly and tried to wriggle under the cot. The recollection of encountering the huge rat and its route of flight stopped her suddenly and she lay quiet, trapped and unable to escape.
The boy dropped to one knee in the doorway struggling to comprehend what he was witnessing. On the muddy floor lay a bundled human being, perhaps a young boy, bathed in dirt and blood and crying softly.
“Hello?” Mark offered cautiously, unsure as to exactly how he might handle someone properly in such a situation.
Rebecca sobbed deeply. “Who are you?”
“Mark,” the boy replied and ventured closer. He quickly realized that his original identification of the captive was mistaken. This was instead a young girl, perhaps not too far from his own age and she was
When one ankle finally pulled free, the girl was so exhausted she lost consciousness against the ground, damp now from tears and perspiration.
Sunlight poured through a large crack in the timber wall streaming along the floor and illuminated the dusty interior of the dilapidated shack in a bright haze. Rebecca whimpered quietly and attempted to lift her head. Her stomach churned and she struggled to focus on a rustling sound within the tiny enclosure. A shadow came towards her slowly and as it merged from the darkness into the dim light Rebecca could make out the outline of a massive rodent. Its face was white against a huge gray body, the nose a bright pink and the creature peered at her inches from the girls face with mammoth black eyes, its menacing grin exposing razor sharp teeth.
Rebecca screamed deafeningly, sending the startled creature scurrying into a smooth tunnel beneath the cot. Giving no thought to discovery by her captors, Rebecca continued shrilly, terrified that the beast might return should she stop her earsplitting wailing.
With indignation Mark had forsaken his responsibilities at the cabin and, after a restless night, decided that he could no longer wait to check out his venture at trapping. He knew that his intended victims were nocturnal beasts and if he were successful, it would be in the hours of darkness.
When he heard the shriek of a living thing he froze. Suddenly regretting his disobedience he stumbled and tumbled to the ground tripping over the forest floor and dropping to his knees. The wail of the animal’s terrifying cries tore at his conscience and he pressed his palms against his ears. He swore to himself out loud that he would never again defy his father’s wishes. He would behave ever after and never question the authority of the man. He would accept and obey all rules. Mark’s mind screamed out in contrition, promising to do anything to be good if the animal would only stop.
Yet the being continued with a terrified screeching and Mark scrambled to his feet. Against his better judgment and overwhelming fear, he ran towards the sound.
Coming abruptly upon the shack nestled deep in a stand of trees, Mark was perplexed. The boy knew the surrounding forest as well as any tracker, but he had never come across this before. He took quick stock of the immediate area and was certain the structure had been constructed only recently, at least in the past summer months. He ran up to the makeshift door and caught his breath. Whatever was inside was not a beast caught in his trap, but he was not relieved. He pulled at the leather binding that held the entry closed and threw open the door.
Rebecca saw the silhouette in the bright doorway, caught her breath and began to repeat her wails. The person simply stood there framed in the vivid dusty light with arms hanging limply at their sides. Her captor was a huge woman, too tall and immense to fit easily through the opening. The figure brightly outlined before her now had not nearly half the bulk of her enslaver and Rebecca stopped screaming abruptly and tried to wriggle under the cot. The recollection of encountering the huge rat and its route of flight stopped her suddenly and she lay quiet, trapped and unable to escape.
The boy dropped to one knee in the doorway struggling to comprehend what he was witnessing. On the muddy floor lay a bundled human being, perhaps a young boy, bathed in dirt and blood and crying softly.
“Hello?” Mark offered cautiously, unsure as to exactly how he might handle someone properly in such a situation.
Rebecca sobbed deeply. “Who are you?”
“Mark,” the boy replied and ventured closer. He quickly realized that his original identification of the captive was mistaken. This was instead a young girl, perhaps not too far from his own age and she was
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