Eight-year-old Ella wiggled into the tunnel, leaving her frightened friends to gibber nonsensical rumors. Though damp and dark, Dead Man's Cave seemed to lack anything sinister. Nothing and no one was in sight, and the only sound she could hear was her own breathing. Ella saw a dark passageway and walked forward intending to simply explore a little before returning to her jumpy playmates. The passageways twisted until Ella was soon hopelessly lost and then, just as she was beginning to lose her natural bravery, opened up and rose to heights beyond any imagination. Now fascinated, Ella entered the cavern and looked about excitedly. An eerie light caught her eye and, following it, Ella discovered breathtakingly green stalagmites. Then she heard a sucking sound, one like her brother made while trying to remove the last little bit of flesh from a chicken wing. She cautiously peeked around a stone wall and gasped as she saw a revolting monster. Huge rolls of ugly fat surrounded its body, and grotesque blind eyes looked out at nothing from its face. Its two arms were dismembering a small body and its mouth sucked until the bones paled to white. Ella realized the monster was eating a child. Horrified, she took a compulsive step backward into a puddle, which loudly splashed. The monster raised its head slowly, and she saw that it had fine shivering hairs covering its body, which moved at the noise.

“If I don't budge”, thought Ella, “maybe it won't realize I'm here.”

The monster began to slide forward, making its way towards her. Whirling around, Ella ran for her life. She ran until her sides burned and her throat felt as if she had swallowed fire. Knees buckling, Ella fell and listened to the monster slowly and ponderously lumbering towards her and its next meal. It knew had all day, for its prey would surely weaken and sleep, eventually. The fire in Ella's brave little soul suddenly ignited. She would not die in this dark, forsaken cave, away from everything and everyone she loved. Ella stood and walked back the way she had come. She was quite unexpectedly face to hideous face with it after she had quickly rounded a corner. Giving her a ghastly view of rings and rings of sharp teeth, the monster roared. Ella then did the only thing that she could think of in that moment of terror. She roared back. Very surprised, the monster shrunk back from the advancing Ella and began to cry. This development so shocked her, she stopped screeching, and gazed at it in wonderment. Brave as well as empathetic, she was struck by a feeling of pity.

“Do you need a hug?” She tentatively asked.

The sniveling monster nodded, and opened its arms to embrace her in its slimy hold. Though disgusted, Ella held the monster, and screamed as she felt its teeth rip her shoulder. While the monster devoured her, Ella learned a very important, if short, lesson. There is a time and a place for everything, including pity. Having finished its latest meal, the monster settled to wait for the next fool to blunder in, while outside, Ella's playmates wondered if they should go in after her.