He immediately regretted his outburst. He thought about calling out for her. Begging her to return. But his pride was too great and he kept quiet.
All alone. In a cage. The anger and hatred and lonliness and sadness pressed down on him. And the cage began to shrink.
Alarmed, the boy held his arms out against the bars of the cage in an attempt to keep the cage from crushing him. But his efforts yeilded no success. The walls inched in, closer and closer. His breathing became shallow. Sweat began to dampen his forehead and neck. Claustrophobia strangled the boy.
....And suddenly he awoke. Gasping for breath. It was only a dream. The same terrible nightmare would be waiting for him everytime he went to sleep. Every night it was the same. This was his true eternal punishment. The passive lonliness in the real world was nothing compared to the darkness that consumed him in his dreams.
