When You Were Young

The beast was gaining on her. She drove into the brush, turning left and right at random intervals in the hope of throwing it off her trail. No matter how fast she ran, she always heard the animal not far behind.

Then her foot caught on a root and she tumbled forward. She tried to stand, but pain shot through her leg. She crawled along the brush a few feet until she heard the growl behind her. She rolled over to find the black beast coming towards her. "Go ahead!" she screamed. "Go on and finish it!"

A whistle sounded before the animal could sink its teeth into her throat. Pryde and Reverend Crane appeared. "Fatty's still alive," Pryde said.

"My child, you act foolishly," Reverend Crane said. "You cannot escape me. It is God's will for us to be together."

"No, please, if you really love me then let me die. Let me go to Rodney. I beg you, have mercy on me," she said.

The reverend scooped her up into his arms and touched her cheek to his. "I know you don't mean this. Come, it's time to take you home," he said. As he carried her through the forest towards the cave, she cried for having failed not just Rodney but all those natives and the settlers. She had failed everyone, including herself for not plunging the dagger into her own heart instead of the reverend's arm.