Mmmhm: A Collection of Short Stories

Intellectual Imprisonment

September 19, 2019

Dear Aiden, 

I stare at the wall. It is incredibly ugly. Cinderblocks painted a debatable shade of white. The bottom is smeared with what I hope is dirt. The corners are crumbling into a beautiful yellow. Nothing about it is worth spending any time looking at but it's not like there is anything else for me to do. Just me and the room.

I don't mean to lend so much criticism to the wall, every other part of the room has its fair share of disgusting characteristics. The floor is hard and scuffed.. It is molded in some parts, but I feel the need to cut it some slack. The weather is humid and my barred window provides almost no sunlight. There is no way for the little mold-friends to become dried out. The bed is framed with a rusted metal structure that looks to be on its last legs. The mattress is decent enough. If bed bugs aren't visible, I really don't have anything to complain about. I'll give them credit where it's due. The bathroom is separated with a few flimsy walls. The toilet clearly has never been cleaned. The sink lets out about three drops every few minutes and that's when it's turned on full blast.

It reminds me a little of the water pressure at home. You would always try and take showers at the same time as me. I had a couple problems with that, but I never told you. Firstly, do you know how cold my showers always ended up being? They were so freezing. Also, the water would barely come out of my showerhead. I was trying to wash my hair with droplets. I know you think I'm joking but I would cup my hands and wait like thirty seconds before I had enough water to do anything. Man, don't ever tell yourself that I'm not the best big brother. You're just lying to yourself, my dude.

As far as other life in the place that I will sleep, there is one spider. I destroyed its web, but it scuttled off before I could kill it. I hate spiders. You were always the one to kill them.

That's all I have in here though. Everything else is communal. It might be a pain but I'm sure I'll adjust over time. Awful but livable. Don't you think?

Love,

Ryan

———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— ———— —-- September 23, 2019

Dear Aiden, 

There is noise all around me, but I tune it out the best I can. It's not like anyone is saying anything useful. You have no idea how badly I wish I could pop my headphones in and blast some music. I know mom and you would get annoyed with how often I ignored you guys, but I promise that I have always cared. But I am only fifteen and sometimes you two get on my nerves. It's not like you guys wanted to listen to my emo music anyway. Mom always thought I was going to start painting my nails black and wearing chokers. You just have horrible music taste. I remember when that one disney princess movie came out and you would not stop singing—horribly might I add—"Let it go!". You did that for weeks. WEEKS. I can't believe you ever gave me crap for my music preferences. That's why headphones are a must, you'll understand soon. Also, a lock. Force dad to put a lock on your room, otherwise you're going to have some awkward encounters in the next couple years.

It sucks though. We're not allowed to have any technology here. That's why I am writing in this journal. How am I supposed to pass my time when I can't chill on my computer or give any of you guys a call? They don't even have a landline! I haven't seen a single piece of electronic equipment except the damn cameras. It's boring. The only entertainment I have is the spider. He's back. I gave up trying to dismantle his web. It now spans a whole corner of the room. Maybe if he makes his web thick enough, I can use it as a blanket. It's always so damn cold here.