Fire at Dusk: Part 15

In spite of the cavern's hard walls, Buck felt comfortable. He was unsure of how long he and Shirley Sue had sat there cloaked in darkness. The smell of dirt and moss filled each of his breaths, the only movement he dared make so as not to disturb his companion, whose head lay gently on his chest. His arm was wrapped around her holding her closely to him. Her breaths were slow and deep, her warm breath caressing his arm. Had she managed to drift off to sleep, knowing that the beast could be waiting to besiege them once more? He considered asking, but he feared that speaking would either summon the creature back to their alcove or it would break the cozy trance they had slipped into.

An owl inquired “Who?” in the distance. The noise caught his attention and he gazed out through the opening. He squinted his eyes, but could not make out any familiar landmarks from his vantage, and wondered how Shirley Sue had discovered their fortification. He had explored the area near the mill as a child of course, though he had never come across a cavern like this. His eyes were drawn back to the entrance of the cavern. The pale moonlight ventured only a foot or so inside, illuminating the combination of moss and ruble.

He recalled seeing the entryway crumble when the creature crashed into it. The scene of their last encounter played through his mind, the vision of Shirley Sue stabbing the beast with its own claw. The look of rage which twisted her face had been nearly as terrifying as the beast's, though it was not her ire which captivated him, but the long, straight nail which she had wielded. The pearl tones of the claw reflecting the red glow shimmered in his mind. Those once bright, opalescent hues now lay cloaked in the darkness of the cave. He recalled how, sitting in silence as he was now, he had jumped at the dull, almost metallic clattering noise it made as it hit the stone floor. He wanted to examine it, to discover what it was made of. He turned his head toward the direction from which he remembered hearing it fall. Was that a faint glow he saw, or were his eyes playing tricks on him?