Then he gave her water.
“My name is Imran,” he said.
She could barely speak.
“Please help me.”
He nodded.
“I will.”
Those two words, Layan would later say, were the first reason she believed she might survive.
How Imran Kept Her Alive
Imran knew the cave system better than anyone Layan had ever met.
For decades, he had traveled through the mountains, collecting edible plants, repairing old paths, and using sheltered limestone chambers as temporary resting places.
His knowledge had been passed down through family members who had worked in the region long before the surrounding trails became popular with hikers.
He knew which passages flooded after rain.
He knew where underground water emerged.
He knew which narrow cracks connected to larger chambers.
And he knew that the place where Layan had fallen was dangerous.
The opening above her was unstable.
Loose stones hung along its edges.
The passage through which Imran had reached her was steep and narrow.
