Cheese & Garlic

The days had turned to weeks which turned to months of captivity. At first Asha had been outspokenly hopeful someone was coming for her, then silently hopeful, and then for awhile she sunk into a mood, worried that perhaps Elgar’nan was just too big a bad for her family to thwart.

But as the weeks turned to months, a flicker of hope returned. The thought of her family and friends gave her the strength to endure, and she began to formulate a plan of escape, despite the odds against her.

She took note of the guards' routines, observed the weakest points in her cell, and began to discreetly gather items that could be used to aid her escape. Every setback was merely a lesson learned, fueling her determination to regain her freedom.

Days turned into nights and nights back into days, in an endless cycle that seemed to blur together. Asha kept a mental note of time, marking each passing day with a small scratch on the stone wall of her cell. The rough texture of the wall beneath her fingertips served as a stark reminder of her circumstances, but it also steeled her resolve.

Then one day it happened, the stars aligned and she got the opportunity to flee her cell, but she hadn’t properly thought through what she would do once outside. It was night so she had the cover of darkness to help her, but ultimately she would be caught on the outskirts.

As Elgar’nan’s man dragged her back, she tried not to let the tears loose. She didn’t want them to see her scared or upset. Instead she hurled insults at the man as he dragged her back to the cells. Think you’re so big and mean and scary, you’re just Elgie’s lapdog. He doesn’t care about you. As they got to the cells, Asha bit the man’s hand and nearly tried to escape again, as futile as it was, she had to try. The man grabbed her and noticing they weren’t alone commented about how they were going to have to keep a close eye on this one.