Waiting for the son

The pregnant silence that followed seemed to last for hours as Fred glanced to the old plate, then the cell door. Was it too late to grab the plate? Would smashing a cheap bit of enameled tin over the head of his jailer do anything more than aggrivate the situation? Who was this now-dead old man? Why was the old man here? Why did the jailer stop? How far from the cell door was he? What was going to happen next?

Those and a myriad of other questions raced through Fred's mind, and then his thoughts stifled as the guard's feet shuffled on the dirty cobbles of the hall, turning, and walking back from wence they came. Fred realized he had been holding his breath, and exhaled slowly, catching his breath as the adreniline flow in his veins ebbed.

Fred stood and walked to the plate. Stooping to pick it up, he noticed a modicum of fresh dirt in the plate. He glanced around the room quickly, and found another small pile of earth along the back wall of cell. He quickly checked the stones of the wall and floor and found a large rectangular stone at the base of the cot concealed a secret tunnel!

1. Fred quickly crawls into the tunnel. pulling the stone in place behind him
2. Fred starts banging the plate on the bars to warn the guards of the old man's foiled escape plan
3. Fred checks the old man's body for spare change

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