The light in the shadows

"How long would it still be?", I asked myself while sitting on the bed. Ich didn't know.  I had been punished for ten years. Ten years I had to stay here, behind a wall of old concrete. Only the moon spent a little bit of light. From the bed below me I heard a quite whimpering. Somebody was weeping.  I bent my upper body over my bed. The screams belonged to Caleb. He was a  "newcomer". He was admitted yesterday. I didn't know why he was here. My gut told me it was nothing too bad.

"Hey you", I whispered, "are you awake?" Caleb turned his head. At that moment, I looked into a tear-streaked face. His hair was wet, his body trembled. I recognised it from his hands, he was really scared. I felt compassion. I knew Caleb was well behaved. My first impression of him was a friendly and helpful man, who just stepped in a wrong neighbourhood on his way. I didn't know the reason why he was here, but it couldn't be worse than mine.

"Hey, newcomer", called Elliot on the other side of the room, "shut your mouth. I want to sleep."
I threw him a reproachful look. I knew the feeling of being new. At school I always had been the "newcomer". When I was young, my parents traveled a lot, so I often had to change schools. The most of my time at school I felt lonely. I didn't have lots of friends. But that time it was okay. I was happy anyway. I spent my time with books or video games.

I grabbed a book form the shelf next to me. It was a fantasy novel. It had been my favorite book since I was a child. When I opened the book I looked at the grease stains. I smelled the ink. Everything felt so trusted. I borrowed the book from the library of the prison. I began to read. I enjoyed the moment. As a little boy I hid unter the blanket of my bed and read through more nights. I couldn't stop till I finished the novel.

Suddenly I got hungry. I grabbed under my pillow, hoping to find something edible from lunch. Sometimes I hid some sweets from Christmas or Easter in a small bag. Normally it was the bag from my sport package, I got one time a year. However, I used it for inventories.
I grabbed the bag. But when I looked in it, there was nothing. I couldn't find the smallest crumb. There only were shirts and trousers.

For this moment I needed a distraction. I climbed down the ladder at my bedside and walked to the window. It was the darkest night but- wait there was one star on the sky. He shone brighter than the daylight. A weak beam hit the floor. I was able to see my shadow on the ground. In it I saw the awful creature I had been years ago. I had a life on my conscience: The life of my own brother. I was a murderer. Now I guessed I had changed. I didn't want to be this monster anymore.

I had been jealous of him. But was it really his fault? He had been the favorite child of my parents. After his birth, they didn't care about me anymore. They always said I would be a useless and pathetic kid. In one point they were right. I was pathetic. I picked fights with weaker people. I could find a smarter solution. Instead I chose to wipe out my own brother from my life. Had I been a naughty boy?

Tomorrow was my birthday. I looked on this day with mixed feelings. I wonder if my family thought of me. Would they send me some presents? Would my parents come to visit me? Would they even want to see me? I looked at my watch. It was one a.m. fifteen (1:15 a.m.). So the night would take long.

Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. It was Caleb. "Is something wrong?", he asked worried. I turned my head: "No, everything is fine." I looked outside. One star in the sky shone brighter than daylight. I had the feeling, he was shining for me. The shadow behind me faded away. It was a kind of redemption. For one moment I forgot my bad deeds. I felt free.

I turned around. Caleb hugged me tightly. After that, he put something in my hand. It was a present. "Open it", he commanded. I tore the paper and hold a flashlight in my hand. He smiled: "May your light, even in the darkest days, never extinguish." I was surprised: "How did you get it?" He explained: "I asked the policeman. I gave him some money and he got it."
I had one more question: „Where did you get the money?" He smirked: "I deserved it at work. I helped in the kitchen and cleaned the hallways."

You have to know, that we prisoners didn't sit in our cells the whole week. Sometimes we met in a cafeteria of the prison or went into the yard. We also could do little jobs and earn a bit of money.

He winked at me. Together we looked up to the sky. The stars were blinking. "Look!", Caleb shouted, "a shooting star! Quickly, make a wish!" I closed my eyes. „What did you wish?", my friend asked exited. I smiled: "That is a secret." Do you want to hear my wish? I only can give you a wisdom:

Even in the darkest hours, you'll find the light. It's just hidden in the depths of the shadows and waits for getting discovered.

The End

Commentary:
I hope you liked my story. I'm sorry for mistakes. I'm not a native english speaker.
Nevertheless I gave my best.
I hope you enjoyed. ;)

Source of the images:

https://www.istockphoto.com/de/search/2/image?family=creative&phrase=gef%C3%A4ngnismauer

https://www.shutterstock.com/de/search/licht-strahlen?c3apidt=p66524797257&gclid=CjwKCAjwtp2bBhAGEiwAOZZTuIZVfSIOVjJij-QtJqXGcy1SQtdQt7LZ9r_3_BoS1gBlVl25EjmoTxoCDl8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&kw=frei+verwendbare+bilder