With the dragon blocking the entrance to the tunnel, the light had been decreased considerably. It was almost back to the blackness that he had woken up in earlier. So, Charlie took his lighter out again and used it.
The great beast's head was only about ten feet away. It looked like it was about to breathe fire on him, but then it suddenly stopped. It seemed to be interested in Charlie's lighter. It was almost mesmerized by it. Maybe it wondered how he made the fire.
Charlie took the opportunity to move back further. Maybe if he moved back enough, the dragon's fire wouldn't touch him. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but Charlie needed some kind of hope right now.
