"I want to hear confidence! Conviction! If you don’t know that we’re getting out of here, then we’ll likely fail!”

Baruch sat in the dingy cell, drawing in the dirt with a broken piece of metal. Even after eating only vegetables and being confined to such tight quarters for so long, he was still very strong, and the metal almost bent between his powerful fingers.

Sebastian visited him daily, watching with curiosity as Baruch worked out his plan. They would take the stairs to the main palace floor and walk together to the lion cage. Baruch would go in alone as Sebastian held his breath with anticipation and watched as the lion would invariably roar and attack the tall boy.

Baruch would wield his makeshift weapon, the rope attached to the metal pail, and he would use it only if the lion tried fighting him. But the moment the lion submitted, lowering its head with reluctance, the king of beasts glaring at the Jewish boy with eyes that seemed to flash with fire, Baruch would lower his pail and stroke the lion’s massive mane and feed him the meat.

Finally, the day came when Baruch entered the cage and the lion didn’t attack. Sebastian’s relieved and incredulous laughter echoed around the cage as Baruch lowered his pail and greeted the massive lion by running his hand through its mane. The lion nudged him with its nose, as if it were as harmless as a house cat.

“Bravo!” Sebastian shook the gate. “You did it! Look! Look how he’s eating out of your hand. What a performance, what a plan… a true feat of genius, my boy! You have conquered the monster!”

Baruch sat back, letting the lion rest its huge muzzle in his lap.

“Now what?” Sebastian’s eyes shone with excitement. “Where do we go from here, eh? I know you have something incredible up your sleeve. I’ve seen your diagrams. What say you, boy? When do we get out of this prison and return to our loved ones?”

“Soon.” Baruch gently pushed the lion from him and stood up. “Very soon.”