The Prisoner

no. 1

The wind whistled in my ears as I walked silently through the woods surrounding my house. The air was cold and fresh, true signs of fall approaching soon. The leaves were just beginning to fall off the trees and it was cold enough to need a light jacket. This is my favorite time of the year.

The scene around me was painted with beautiful dark reds and greens and some of hints of yellow. The leaves crunched beneath my feet as a paced along the dirt path I've made over the years.

I took this route as often as I could, usually in the mornings on my days off work. These walks always brought my mood up, even on the most difficult days. It was a path just leading from my backyard, where nobody could bother me.

I sighed and found a bench to sit on. I admired the pond sitting before me, its small waves moving briskly in the cool breeze. I took it all in, wanting to remember everything.

I was in complete solitude; the closest neighbor I had was nearly 17 miles away.

Closing my eyes, I listened to the beautiful sounds of nature. I didn't realize how easy it was to doze off.

***

After an hour or so passed, I stood up and began walking the path leading back to my house. I took my time, stopping every once in awhile to admire a certain view or listen to the birds chirping in the trees overhead. I wasn't in a rush.

When I arrived at my house, I shut the door behind me and pulled my sneakers off, setting them aside with the rest of my shoes.

"Max! Come here, boy!" I shouted.

A small Yorkshire Terrier came running up to me, barking. I smiled and picked him up.

"Hey hun, how are you?"

He licked my cheek and I carried him to the kitchen. I set him down and looked at his food bowl.

"Someone is a little hungry, aren't they? Does somebody want some kibble?" I rhetorically asked, already grabbing the dog food and pouring it into his bowl.

Max was already devouring his helping of food when I heard a shriek coming from my basement. I made my way over to the door, fuming.

Swinging the door open, I yelled, "Shut up!"

The shrieks got louder, so I stomped down the stairs. A large cage, about the size of an average jail cell, was sitting in the corner of the room was being rattled by my girl in rags. She was screaming and kicking the cage with all her might. What on earth was she trying to accomplish?

I stood from the bottom of the stairs. "I said, shut up!"

The screaming continued, but she stopped kicking. Instead she just hung her arms through the bars of the cage and pushed her head against the bars.

I got up close to the cage and yelled, "Shut your mouth before I unlock this cage and shut it for you."

She whimpered and quieted down. She unhooked her arms from the bars and lay down in a ball on her mattress.

I stared at her, daring her for a moment to get up again and yell. When she didn't, I simply said "Thank you."

I turned around and trodded back up the stairs, closing the door behind me. I'm really going to have to get that room sound-proofed, I thought.