The Captive

By Tony Flye

The Captive is the story of the red headed Bridget O'Keefe, a twelve year old Irish immigrant, the daughter of Irish immigrant farmers, captured in an Indian raid on her family's farm. A raid which saw her father savagely scalped and butchered and her mother abused, before being butchered. Hiding in the outhouse, Bridget is discovered by Running Bear, the Lakota Sioux Chief's brother and a himself a powerful man in the tribe. He binds her hands behind her and throws her across his horse's back. As he rides off. the last thing Bridget sees is her house in flames, the flames that were her parent's funeral pyre.
Bridget is carried into captivity and slavery by Running Bear, abused and beaten by his two wives. She is forced to do every menial tasks Running Bear's wives order her to do. She sleeps in the teepee of Running Bear's two wives. Bridget's life in the Lakota Sioux village is one of pain, torture and abuse.
Word of the captured red haired white woman circulates over the plains by word of mouth from trapper to another. Tom Roberts, a winter trapper and a farmer the rest of the year hears the story of the woman. One of his last stops of his trapping season is to Running Bear's village. Running Bear and Tom Roberts became blood brothers when Tom saved the Indian's life from a mountain lion attack and could talk freely and honestly.
Tom discovers the red haired woman, now sixteen years old, is in Running Bear's village, in his wives' teepee. Tom agrees to buy the woman from him. Tom returns with the agreed upon price and he and the red haired woman leave for his farm in the Dakota Territory.
Four years of captivity for the now sixteen year old girl left deep, indelible scars on her psyche as well as her body. The only people she truly trusted, per parents, were murdered by her captors. Now she trusts no one. She found herself alone in a hostile and life threatening existence with no friends and a village of people who would rather see her dead. Even at twelve years old she knew the only person she could trust was herself provided, she could stay alive. Even at her tender age she knew the only way she had any chance of staying alive was to do everything anyone demanded of her.
After all of the being forced to do whatever she had been forced to do to survive, Tom has the inevitable task of convincing Bridget to trust him; not an easy task for a young girl who trusts nobody. Tom had to find a way to get the abused teenager to trust him not to cause her more pain.
Tom's cabin reminds Bridget of her parents farmhouse and set off a flood of memories and tears. In addition to Bridget's lack of trust is her feeling of self worthlessness, her feeling she is the lowest of the low for being held captive and surviving her captivity.
Bridget lives with Tom as cousins for six years. Part of the time disguised as her brother, Breandan, before nature developed Bridget's feminine figure. They come up with a ruse where Breandan goes back to Ireland and his sister, Bridget, comes to America.
As the years passed, Bridget's trust grows but Tom realizes Bridget feel she's unworthy of finding happiness. With Tom's patients and Bridget's finally coming to grips with her past in the reality of her only two options at the time, life or death. She chose life at whatever the cost.
Over the years of their living together as friends, Bridget realized she had worth to someone, to Tom Roberts. That she was somebody who wanted more from her new life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tony Flye
• Release date: Jul 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370437689

Tony Flye

Tony Flye's third book in the Jake Curtis / Vanessa Malone Mystery series, DEATH IN DIVORCE is in the final stages of editing and should be available by Christmas Tony is also working on a collection of short stories tentatively titled STORIES OF HORROR AND MURDER

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THE CAPTIVE

Copyright 2016 Tony Flye, LLC.

Published by Tony Flye at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

The Captive

About Tony Flye

Other books by Tony Flye

Connect with Tony Flye

DEDICATION

For Susan, you always inspire me.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Cover water color by Karl Bodmer, ca 1833 from www.wikimedia.com

Cover art by Rocky M.

THE CAPTIVE

I spend my winters trapping beaver and other small fur bearing animals for their pelts. In spring, summer and fall I grow wheat on my little farm in the Dakota Territory. On one of my trapping trips to the foothills of the Rockies, I heard of a red haired white woman, a captive, living with a tribe of Indians. I heard this same story from several different sources so I had to go find out for myself.

I had no idea what I'd do if I ever found the tribe. If I did manage to find the tribe, the Indians usually hide their captives from the sight of any white man who comes to trade. I manage to get into many Indian villages as I carry trinkets, and a small supply of iron tools or knives to trade in exchange for the furs the Indians themselves take in trade.

I asked about the red haired captive white woman at each village I stopped. No one knew anything about any captive white woman, or if they did know something, they weren't telling me. I had only one more tribe to visit, a branch of the Lakota Sioux Nation before heading back home to the Dakota Territory. I have always been a welcome guest in any of the Lakota villages I stop in to trade. The secret to getting along with the tribes is to treat them with respect. When you respect them, they will respect you.

I saw no signs of the white woman as I led my pack horses into the village, but then I didn't expect to. My friend and blood brother, Running Bear, the chief of the tribe's younger brother, greeted me warmly. Running Bear and I became blood brothers a few years back when I saved his life from a mountain lion about to attack him from behind. I killed the charging animal just before its front claws ripped open Running Bear's back.

After a meal prepared and served by his two wives, Yellow Leaf and Star Dancer, they went to their teepee. Running Bear, with his first wife, Yellow Leaf's, consent married her widowed sister Star Dancer after her husband died in battle with another tribe. Running Bear was an important enough leader and wealthy enough to afford two teepees. He and I sat and talked over our meal.

My brother, I started. I heard of a red haired white woman being held captive in one of the tribes in this territory. Do you know of such a woman?

Yes, I know of her. I waited for more but Running Bear remained silent.

Do you know where I can find her?

Yes. Again I waited.

Where is she? I asked.

"My brother, you ask a lot of questions about this