Months had passed and Kari had managed to build up her treasure trove by adding six new items to it. The small cave she had been working in was now clear and so Kari decided to move to a larger cave further in. She really had no idea how deep or how far the caves went. One time, while exploring a small tunnel, Kari came to a drop off. Without better lighting she decided it was not a good idea to go further but just for fun she dropped a pebble. She waited but she never did hear if it hit bottom or not. The pathways in the caves often led nowhere but Kari had found two that sloped down. She followed one for two hours once and, marking the spot with a small pile of rocks, turned back. In her imagination, the caves went on forever into the depths of the earth.
The mysterious prisoner was still visited occasionally but for the most part the prison routine was back to what Kari had always known. When Kari had seen the bag of powder running low she asked the guards about it and was rewarded with a full bag. Not once had Kari heard the prisoner speak. This wasn't unusual as, depending on the crime many prisoners had their tongues cut off. Kari suspected this was mostly with political prisoners but she kept such thoughts to herself. What was unusual is that every prisoner tried at some point to communicate with Kari. When she first arrived at the prison she responded but quickly found they all wanted what she could not provide - death or freedom. Now, even if they pleaded for her just to speak to them, Kari said nothing.
Still, they pleaded. Sometimes it was just moans or a hand reaching under the door looking for a little human contact. Kari pitied them but dared not respond. The mysterious prisoner, the one Kari gave the medicine to had never tried to communicate. Kari wondered about that but decided that as she would never know why it was pointless to speculate. Even her gender was known only because Kari had been told. Nothing else mattered. Kari did her job as quickly as possible so she could spend more time exploring.
With her mind focused on her routine, Kari picked up today's food and water. There were almost no prisoners right now so the burden was lighter than normal which suited Kari just fine. That meant she would be done faster. Kari picked up her load and shuffled awkwardly into the prison holding area. The first cell was routine. Food, water. Done. Kari picked up the load and made her way to the second cell. Head down, focussed on her load, Kari shuffled towards the cell door.
Kari looked up to the door to see where the food and water containers were. A thin light penetrated the prison hallway. Is that door open? Can't be. Even when she has visitors, the door is always closed! Kari's mind raced as she looked again. The door to the prison cell was open and someone was standing, shouting at the prisoner within. Kari, shocked, didn't know what to do. Did she still try and feed the prisoner? Did she close the door? Cautiously and as quietly as she could move, Kari looked around for the food dish. There is was, just by the open door. Kari took it and filled it as usual.
Now where is the water container? Kari was used to each being right by the slot at the bottom of the door. Hunting for the containers was not part of her routine and Kari was very uncertain as to how to proceed. She was close enough that she could hear the muffled replies of the prisoner to the shouted demands of her questioner. She shut them out as best she could and searched for the mug. It was where it should be, right where the door opening would have been if the door was closed. Instead of being easy to reach, Kari realized that to access it she would either have to close the door or open it wider.
Knowing that closing the door would make the greater noise, Kari did the unthinkable. She pulled the door open wide enough to reach into the cell. Unfortunately for Kari, just as she opened the door to grab the water mug both prisoner and questioner went silent. With one or both of them speaking Kari's actions might have gone unnoticed. Instead, as she pulled the door open just a touch, it made a clear rasping sound of metal on metal hinges clearly heard by those in the cell. The questioner turned suddenly, faster than Kari had seen anyone move and with two light steps had reached Kari, grabbing her hand.
