Echo Mountain

Esther struggles to navigate the steep, rocky path in the darkness, but Ellie encourages and helps her. When they reach Cate’s cabin, Cate is not inside. Esther’s breath is taken away when she sees all of Cate’s books, and Ellie notices blood on the bed. They go outside to find Cate lying by the shed with a blanket over herself. Together, Ellie and Esther carry Cate inside, and then Esther goes to get wood for a fire. Ellie teaches her how to start the fire using pages from a book as kindling. Ellie sees that Cate’s wound is open again and the honey is gone; she assumes Cate must have somehow gotten it wet in the bath. When Cate awakes, Ellie shines the light over Esther so Cate can see her, and Cate realizes that Esther is the girl she cared for when she was sick with earaches years before. She called Esther Rapunzel because of her long hair. Esther takes a moment to realize who Cate is, as she has thinned and aged dramatically, but finally she sees her nurse, Mrs. Cleary, and breaks down in tears.