“You’re gonna use a knife to cut the ropes? But your hands are tied too... you won’t be able to see what you’re doing...”

The rope was tied in a tight, merciless knot. Avi’s wrists chafed against the roughness.

“How, exactly, are we going to take these off?” he asked Elchanan helplessly.

Elchanan glanced over at the sleeping guard, then began scooting along the floor carefully. “With this,” he said, finally, jerking his head toward a knife tossed haphazardly on the tent floor beside an ancient-looking black pot. “We’ll have to do each other...”

Avi’s eyes widened. “You’re gonna use a knife to cut the ropes? But your hands are tied too... you won’t be able to see what you’re doing...”

“Do you have a better idea?” Elchanan was working his way across the floor again. He swiveled round, gripping the knife in his tied hands. “I won’t move. You position yourself in the right place... and just move the rope back and forth along the blade, it should cut through. And then you can take care of mine.”

Avi looked at the gleaming blade, then he thought of the men outside... and the Boss, who would be waking up at any moment. Slowly, he wriggled around, positioning his bound wrists opposite the knife. They were sitting back-to-back now; neither of them could see the knife.

“Don’t move,” Avi breathed, as he stretched the rope taut and slowly, delicately, probed the air for the sharp blade.

There it was... a little to the right... “Hold it still, hold it!”... the rope was starting to fray... Avi worked his aching wrists up and down, up and down, forcing the rope against the knife until finally, the bonds fell away and his hands were free.

“Got it!”