“Have you lived here a long time?” he began.

Tabitha looked up in surprise. The shepherd had never spoken to her before. She responded with an enthusiastic nod. “W-w-when I was a g-girl, S-s-sister Joan brought me here.”

Jesus frowned at the mention of the giant woman who had foiled his escape. “Why did she bring you here? Did she capture you, too?” he asked. He wondered if all of the women were prisoners like himself.

Tabitha smiled and wagged her head. “No. Not like that. I lived with my b-b-brother. Joan took me away because he w-was not k-kind.” She tipped her head forward. “He gave me this,” she said, parting her hair to one side. Jesus gasped. Underneath the wisps lay a thick, knobby scar. Ruth would later tell him that all the beatings Tabitha endured had left her unable to speak with clarity.

Jesus lifted a hand to his cheek, his fingers playing along the scar his own father had inflicted.

Tabitha blushed and pulled her hair back down. “I do n-not t-talk about that.”

Returning to her task, she pressed her palms along Jesus’s calf, kneading the muscles underneath. As she did, Jesus prepared to ask her about the location of the cave’s entrance. But when he opened his mouth to speak, he spotted a tall shadow darkening the doorway.

One morning after Tabitha had come and gone, Jesus heard a strange sound coming from down the corridor. It began as a low hum but gradually increased in volume. The sound slipped around the walls and funneled into his room, where it concentrated and blossomed with alarming power. He could feel the tone buzzing in his breastbone. Frightened, he rolled onto his knees. For the first time in what felt like ages, he pushed himself to a standing position. His leg held the weight, though the effort made it ache. He hobbled around the room, his hands gliding along the wall for support.

The intensity of the sound increased.

He found that by leaning against the wall, he could move with surprising ease. He hopped to the door and looked outside. Down the hallway, to the left, he saw a glow, the color of pear, spilling from a side chamber. It was the place from which the sound came.

Driven by curiosity, he hobbled toward the vibration. As he drew closer, the sound changed. Its pitch reached higher and its edges smoothed.

It was nearly perfect.

When he arrived at the door to the side room, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and peered inside. What he saw held him in amazement.