Thankful (Completed)

Chapter 18- Inside The Cave

Emily Johnston felt a scream catch in her throat as the wolves were in  pursuit. Though she wanted desperately to look behind her, she kept her eyes trained on the cave entrance, all the time keeping her hopes on the figure with the lantern.

'Surely he will save me from these wolves.'

Suddenly one of the wolves came up behind her without notice and took a snap at the girl's leg with its sharp teeth. Emily screamed and forced her already tired legs to push harder and faster.

"Help me! Etu! Magena!" She finally shouted, her plead dripping with fear.

Her heart was near to bursting as she neared the cave. It was small from the outward appearance, but Emily knew that help was inside and kept running.

'Almost there! Almost there!' Her mind screamed at her.

Just as she thought she could no longer run, she found herself dashing into the dark cave. Behind her the wolves were gaining quickly, but there was a new sound she heard. A sound that made her stop and look behind her. The cave entrance was crumbling down, rocks tumbled and crashed to the ground.

Emily soon found herself in harm's way and turned to move to safety. She was too late though. Her head was suddenly throbbing with pain and she fell to the ground, unconsciousness taking a firm hold over the orphan.

~~~~~~~

A groan echoed through the empty cave. Emily winced as the rush of pain came back. Slowly she raised up where she had been laying. Her light brown hair was lose from its bonnet and plastered to the sweat on her face.

After sitting up, she wiped her hair from her face. The darkness was complete now, and she was alone. She suddenly remembered why she had fled to this cave in this first place.

"Hello?" She called to the lantern bearer, wherever he was.

Emily moved to stand up and gasped in anguish and sitting down quickly in attempt to calm the pain. She lifted the bottom of her skirts to feel where the pain was. Though it was dark, she could easily feel that her ankle was swollen.

Fear came over the girl as she took in her situation.

'I am trapped here, wounded, with no food or water. And no one knows I am here!'

"I shall never get out!" Emily groaned.
She ran her fingers through her untamed hair. Her bonnet had come loose during the accident, leaving her hair to fend for itself in the dust scattered air.

"Please help!" She cried out, not yet willing to give up her last shred of hope.

Her voice felt sore and her throat threatened to close. The silence that replied seemed to devastate the girl.

'I was foolish to come here." She scolded herself for allowing hope to burn inside her.

Her head ached terribly and the darkness was beginning to frighten her. She felt uncomfortable surrounded by the emptiness at all sides. Emily made up her mind to do something about it. She felt the ground around her until she came across what she was looking for.

Picking up the small rock, she turned to look behind her and threw the rock. It hit with a comforting thud and Emily faintly smiled. She hesitantly scooted back, carefully of her injury. At last her back met the solid wall and she was able to lean back.

Emily Johnston felt a little better, having something solid behind her rather than the errie silence. But fear was still with her and it would take more than that to silence it.

Suddenly her eyes widened. The darkness was broken as a bright light came faintly swinging in sight. Emily sat up straighter and gasped as she recognized the lantern that had led her to this dreadful cave.

"Please help me, I am injured!" She called.

The lantern kept coming and the bearer remained silent. Emily stared closely, her curiosity burning. The flame was close to blinding as it was set down near her and the light reflected on the wall behind her. The figure bent down and Emily looked into the face of an elder indian, his face wrinkled from age. Silver hair tied back and his eyes were gentle.

"Do not fear, I have come to help." He spoke in a low voice.

Emily had many questions burning inside her but something made her keep them quiet. She watched as the indian tended to her ankle. The lantern allowed her to gaze around the cave a little better. She noticed how small it was. Her eyes ventured to her left and there she faintly could make out the wall of fallen rocks. They were piled high and many lay scattered around.

"Ow!" She said and jerked her foot away. She turned back to the Indian who had been trying to fix her ankle, or at least ease the pain.

"Your injury is healed. Now you must heal your deep hurt inside."

Emily looked at the Native American. He watched her with careful concentration, like he could read her mind and heart.

"I- I do not understand." She returned.

"Your eyes speak different, you have carried a deep pain." He said.

"I-" Emily had begun to contradic his statement when her young shoulders felt heavy and weary. If she had been standing she would have collapsed. She could visibly see herself laying beisde her mother's corspe aboard the ship. The pain of hearing her brother's cries from the raving fever. How her heart had broke watching her mother sob dreadfully as her father had taken his last breath. Her burdens finally became too  overwhelming to hold in and a wave of fresh tears threatened to spill over.

"I miss my family! I have been dishonest to them. I am not brave like my mother thought. I do not believe in God as my father believed. And I am not the kind sister my brother took me to be. I have been a dreadful  and cruel person."

The wise Indian had been silent as Emily had spoke. Now he replied,

"It is not too late to become those things."

Emily shook her head. "But it is! My family is all gone and I am alone!"

The man now gave a small smile. "You have never been alone. The Smith family took you in. Victoria still craves your friendship. Magena and Etu have also befriended you."

Emily could only bend her head down and cry. It was all true, though her family was gone, she had never truly been alone. She only desired to be left alone and therefore believed she was. Maybe, just maybe, she could become those things for the Smiths. Suddenly realization came to her!

"How did you know of-" Emily stopped as she looked into the Indian's kind eyes- only to see he was gone. The lantern was gone as well, as if it had never been there. She moved her foot and was amazed when no pain came from her ankle.

"An angel!" She said as she wiped tears from her tired eyes.

Her mother had taught her of these heavenly beings who were sent to guide and protect. They were messengers of God.

"God, sent an angel to- me?"

Deep down her soul stirred with unrest and she could no longer deny what she had stood firmly by for so long. With her healed ankle, she knelt down. In that darkness she wept, prayed and received the greatest gift of all.

Salvation.

No a/n necessary