"Brother…Brother!" Everything was dark; I couldn't tell where I was anymore. I ran from every sound, every shadow, everything that wasn't my brother. "Help me please." It was so dark I couldn't even see where the walls were anymore. We went into the caves every week, after we came back from the shuk. I had never been lost here before in my life, it was never this dark before! I didn't even know when I stopped running but I ran into something hard, so hard I fell back. The shock was enough to keep me on the ground for many breathes. Where was my brother? I didn't know I couldn't tell. I prayed to YHWH before I stood up. I reached out and touched the wall and started to follow it. After a little while I could hear what I thought was the sound of carriages moving forward, so I followed the sound. Soon my hand left the wall so I stepped back to it. A light shined through the top of the cave and I could see a stream flowing. I had never heard pure water before, everything we did it was for my older brother. Mother said he was a gift that should be cherished daily. I took off my sandals and touched the water, it was cold. I examined my shoes, they were called talaria, from Greece! Even though my parents valued my brother, I got fun gifts when they traded."Brother?" I waited; I couldn't hear anything but the water. I looked and something moved in the distance, a low shadow. "Brother?" I moved toward it but it moved back. "Brother!" I took off running past the water, to the dark again. I started to climb up the other side until I realized it wasn't my brother. First I heard an inhuman sound, like a grating growl; then suddenly heat came down on me, and finally the shadow returned with the being that made it. It wasn't my brother at all. In that moment I felt that there wasn't enough prayer that could help. I didn't move, couldn't move. I couldn't breathe, fear had taken over and I realized I never knew what true fear was before now. I had been attacked by snakes, I had been bitten by dogs, but I had never been lost in the dark staring at a monstrous beast! "BROTHER!" I fell back and ran as soon as my body would cooperate. The thing made a noise and then followed me. I ran in the light, following the stream, until I felt a pressure on my side. I stumbled a bit but I kept running. It started to feel wet, on my back and down my leg. I wiped my back and kept running, but then I saw my hand covered in blood and realized the monster bit me. I swallowed the last bit of my fear and ran into the dark of the cave. I held my hands out and picked my legs up higher as I ran but I could still feel the thing behind me. I ran into a wall turned and kept running. I heard the thing crash but it recovered quickly and continued to follow me. I couldn't see anything as I ran, I ran into wall after wall so I just turned and ran; I didn't allow myself to stop. I couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't breathe, but I still ran on. I saw a light and was too afraid to run or the monster would see me, so I ran past. But a voice stopped me in my tracks, "Nashyan!" my brother called to me. I looked to the light and the beast tackled me. I tried to scream but I was on the ground before it could come out. The thing was crushing me, and I began to cry. I felt heat growing on the back of my neck, and then it was gone. I heard a sound off in the distance and knew death had come for me. I started to rise and look around, in the dark something moved. I wasn't dead, I will still living in this terrifying place. The beast was somewhere, then I saw it fly toward and then past me. It fell into the light and rose to its feet; I saw it was a really big dog. Something ran past me and tackled it. My brother held it up by its jaw with one hand, it fought but couldn't release itself. With his other hand he gripped the dog's back and then separated its head from its body. He dropped the thing and walked back to me. I tried to get up but there was pain all over my body, and I collapsed. He washed off his hands in the water and came to me. One look and he walked back to the water. He took off his shirt and dunked it into the stream, then rung it out and came back. He pressed his shirt into my back and the pain made me cry out.
"It hurts that bad?" he pulled his shirt back.
"Bro-" I couldn't make the words.
"Hold on, Nashyan, I'll get you help little sister." The put his shirt on my back then slowly turned me over, my vision started to blur so I couldn't see his face. He lifted me up then carried me out of the cave. Fear was never a thing in my life before that day and was never a problem after. I had my brother by my side and with him fear was nonexistent. My brother did everything he could to protect me and I did everything I could so he wouldn't have to. I never thought one day it would change and it was me who would have to protect him; from an army, from himself. I could never have imagined he would be in so much trouble that even being related to him is a death sentence. I would give anything to go back to that day I thought was death, to go back and hug my big brother, to be able to say I'm proud to be the little sister of Sampson.