Caged

Mr Oxford

When morning approached there was a dim light in the attic. It shone through the cracks in the floorboards but it was pale and weak. My eyes began to water. A tear rolled down my cheek. I heard a knock on the door. I wiped the tears from my face and stood up. One of the orphanage workers passed me some thin soup, stale bread and a glass of water. It looked delicious, more than I had ever eaten all at once. I slurped up my soup and broke off bits of bread. It should have been lovely but the food tasted like cardboard in my mouth. I still had no one and I was back ,where I started, locked up in a small dark room. After a few days I heard the door creek open. In stepped Mr Oxford. "I think you have learned your lesson" he said, "got off to a bad start haven't you?". He gave me a long cold stare. I tried not to meet his eyes. He brought me down to the canteen. I hung my head, completely aware of all the eyes looking in my direction. I walked over to the bench and sat down. The people beside me edged away. I stared at my feet and ate my bread and cheese. I hated this orphanage, I hated my life, I hated everything. After the meal we went up to our sleeping quarters. I washed my face, put my pyjamas on and slipped into bed. I couldn't get to sleep on the hard, damp mattress. I tossed and turned all night.