The freedom of captivity

What is crazy?

Alethea Barker

I kick the ball through the grass. We're in our good clothes, but we don't care if we'd ruin them, just like we wouldn't care if ourlives would be ruined, the orderlies look at us like we're mad, well frankly most of us are. I like the my brown checkered tweed suit, it was sent to me not too long ago. I am fond of it, it's really classy I think. Edmund tries to get the ball but I slightly push him away. "No fighting!" Solomon and Wendy say at the same time. Edmund and I laugh, but that gives him a chance to intercept the ball. "Oi come on!" I scream. "Your own fault." He says but then reggie tackles him. "Hey!" Solomon screams. Douglas laughs. It's so strange how easily all of this seems, why didn't we talk for such a long time? Why did we chose that silence over comfort? But to be honest I feel strange about not knowing why these kind people are locked up.

I look at Solomon and light my cigarette. "You have an accent don't you?" He looks at me. "No, I don't have an accent." He says with a smile. "What happened to your hand?" I ask. He shakes his head. "Cut it." I frown, 'they're hardly any sharp objects." "I don't remember" He says before standing up and joining the boys in trying to climb a tree which wouldn't be the best cadidate to climb, but still boys will try to climb everything won't they? I look at Wendy, she lights her pipe, I haven't seen her smoke a cigarette yet, perhaps she doesn't like cigarettes.

"I like your hair" I say, I do, they're fingerwaves, typical rich girl hairstyle. But she does look like a rich girl, not that I mind but I admire the poise she has. The way she would stride across a street, floating through the feminine air aphrodite has given us women. I've always been a bit unconventianal. But I admire all the beautiful women who are so elegant. she smiles. "So why are you here Thea?" "Wow, you're not very experienced in small talk." She shrugs, "Perhaps I am just not a big fan of it." I laugh. "I can't imagine a women of your standing not being skilled in small talk." She chuckles. "Perhaps I am good at it, I never said I couldn't do it." I laugh, that is true I think. "So, I saw you were reading the power and the glory" I smile. "You're right I have been reading the power and glory." I nod, "I;ve heard of it, would you recommend it?" I smile. "I would recommend each book I read even if I don't like it some people might like it, the more you read the more likely it's to find something you genuinely adore." She smiles and me, such a beautiful red lipstick shade, the colour of the blood spilled the last years, perhaps that's why we call it victory red. "And have you?" I look at her slightly confused. "found something you adore?" I look at the boys, solomon managed to climb into the tree and is now helping the others up while edmund is dangerously high in the tree, shouldn't the orderlies be concerned? "I think I might've" I say while looking at the sun that reflects the screaming shadow of the infinitely happy Edmund.

I sit down in front of the doctor I am not afraid of him. I do hate him though, he is yolding me here for the worst reason in the world. "So Alethea." He says while sitting down. "Why do you have the desire to act like a men?" I have absolutely no desire to act lie a men dpctpr. I think you are mistaking me for something that I an not. I an a wimen just to the women my family wants m to be." He writes something down. "I can write it down for you, that saves time doctor, I know full well I am here because I am too progressive for my family, I am here to be silenced doctor. And you know it, because you seem to be drawing doodles when we are talking." He turns red. I smile. "So if you'll excuse me I will go read a book that my parents would not approve of." I walk out of the office.

I'm playing cards with Douglas. "You seem awfully quiet." I say to him, his silence feels like a judgement of sorts. He smiles a surprisingly genuine smile, it feels the same as when a professor you are scared of smiles their charming smile. It's strange but comforting. "I am not a men of many words. I like being silent." I frown. "Why? WOuldn't that be incredibly lonely?" "There's a key difference between lonely and alone." "And that is?" I ask. "Misery." I smile, he's right but I don't think I would ever be as observant as he is. He's like a god watching over his creation neither proud nor disappointed in it's creation. "You seem a bit pragmatic' he says. I put my last card down. "Come on really?" I laugh, "Well it was pure luck!" he says. "Can't take a girl defeating you?" Wendy asks. "No. I'm not used to losing, that's the only thing" We laugh.

Reginald sits down at the piano that's not been used in a long time. Solomon has a habit of sitting behind it but he never dares to play something, it's like something is stopping him. I wonder what. It feels like he is scared to get in the o so familiar sea after almost drowning. But I think he'll never be truly mad enough to get back in the waters that almost killed him. Reginald start singing La Vie en rose and plays the piano with it. Edmund grabs wendy and they start to dance on the table, in a joking matter but still adorable. I laugh. "You're doing it all wrong!" Solomon says. "Everybody get a partner! Thea will you do me the honour." That leaves douglas and reginald. They look at eachother and Douglas says in his bes deep voice "Will you do me the honour Milady?" Reginald bats his eyelashes while elegantly putting his hand in the exstended one from Douglas. "I certainly will!" He answers in a high voice. Solomon grabs a record and puts it on. "I will teach you the English watlz first so prick up your ears everybody!"

I have never had so much fun while learning something. Solomon is trying his best to stay serious but Edmunds strange faces while concentrating don't help much. We're dancing till the sun is slowly going down, leaving us dancing in the cruel dark, but the lights of our growing hope seem to light the room just a tiny bit.

Hi everybody I am really not confident about this chapter. I am thinking of revising it again