#mearaid

Jerult’s brows furrowed.

“With yourself?”

“Yas. It’s harder than you think”

“Really?”

“Yas. Cuz it’s really hard to look with your eyes closed and, also, cuz your eyes were closed when you hid, you don’t really know where you are”

Jerult’s brows knit tighter.

“I can imagine”

“Would you like to play?”

Tentatively, Jerult closed his eyes and placed his meaty palms over them.

Mearaid took a step forward with her arms outstretched in front of her.

“Oh!, oh, I’ve found...

“No. No, that’s not me”

She pivoted 90 degrees to the right and walked forward.

Jerult, eyes closed, considered what he would like for supper that evening.

"Now, I think you've got a pretty in the chest over there. You know, the one that you've locked up. You have, haven't you? You've got a pretty in there. And I want it. You need to give me the pretty"

Mearaid tried to put on her angry, scary face. She had yet to learn that her smile was terrifying.

"I know you don't want to give it me. But you will though. Yes. It's just a question of time.

"You see, I can keep burning you for ever and ever. But, you? You only have so much flesh to burn. And when it's gone it's gone. All gone.

"So, you have to help me. You have to help me get into the chest. And then I'll let you go"

The orc lifted an iron key from around his neck and held it out to her. Mearaid skipped through the flames to take it from his hand and tried the key in the lock.

"Oh, it's not very pretty at all. It's really more of an ugly. You are such a tease Mr Orc but I did make a promise"

Mearaid gestured at the flames. Nothing happened. She crinkled her brow and sighed.

"Oh dear. The fires aren't listening to me right now. They do that sometimes"

She stood a moment in thought.

"I'm sure they'll go out themselves eventually. When they run out of things to burn. And I really have to get back before it gets dark. So...

"Have a nice day!" and she skipped off up the tunnel twirling the ugly around her finger.