 Posted:
Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:25 pm |
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Jernil was bored. He sat slouched in his chair, behind the small wooden table that was the usual spot for card games amongst the guards. There weren’t many of them here at this hour, however, only two others, actually. And they were in different parts of the jail keeping an eye on things. The rest of the men wouldn’t come in until almost dark and then Jernil would leave. It was figured that more guards were needed at night since that’s when most escape attempts occurred, and rightfully so. It would be much too obvious if one of the prisoners tried to escape up through the manor grounds during the day, what with all the civilians and soldiers going about their business.
Jernil usually passed the time observing the various occupants of his cells. They were a pretty sordid lot for the most part, but there was a strange one in here today. Jernil was used to seeing the normal assortment of petty thieves and troublesome beggars, as well as the occasional prostitute and there was always a debtor or two in a cell. He could pick them out pretty easily by now, by the way they dressed and talked, the look in their eyes, the way they carried themselves. But this one was different. He definitely didn’t look like a petty thief, definitely wasn’t a beggar, and obviously wasn’t a prostitute. That left debtor. Debtors brought the widest assortment of characteristics anyway, but they were, almost without a fault, either scared wet or extremely depressed and dejected as they sat in their cells. This man was neither. This man looked more bored than Jernil felt.
Jernil continued to ponder the discrepancies of this man’s character but couldn’t quite put his finger on what put him off about the man. Occasionally, a political prisoner found his way in here, but again, this man didn’t quite fit the bill. He didn’t look caught up in his own importance like those men usually were, and he hadn’t once demanded to be set free or to speak with Jernil’s superior. He just sat there, calmly examining his cell, or straightening his clothes, which were nice but not extravagant, or observing Jernil much the same way Jernil was surveying him now. At that moment, the prisoner looked up and locked eyes with Jernil. He just smiled, not unfriendly, and then started searching for any dirt under his fingernails.
Prisoners did not act like this. The cells were cramped, dirty, and cold. The people were in isolation, left with nothing but their own thoughts which usually centered exclusively on the unknown and, likely, horrible fate that awaited them. Thievery was punished with lashing, repeat offenders were executed. Beggars that wound up in a cell more than once or twice usually ended up hanging from a gallows, as well, because why feed someone nobody really particularly wants around anyway. Debtors usually were released from prison to find that everything they owned had been confiscated, either to pay legitimate debts, or because they had become entangled with the wrong official. Who knew what political prisoners worried about, unless they were going to be executed as a traitor, but Jernil did know that in their minds there were things worth worrying about. This man couldn’t look any less worried than he did right now. It was as if the man had simply come here on his own to get away from his wife’s nagging for a few hours.
Jernil wondered how he would take it if he was sitting on the other side of those bars. He didn’t think he would handle it nearly so well. Suddenly, the object of Jernil’s deliberation stood up. He couldn’t stand up completely straight in the cell, so he was slightly hunched as he looked through the bars at Jernil.
“Hello there, Jernil.â€Â
Jernil was stunned. He didn’t say anything for several moments, just staring dumbly at the prisoner, before he found his voice.
“How’d you know my name?†Jernil was able to force out, his mind racing now that the man had revealed this inconceivable knowledge. The man just smiled.
“I know a lot about you, Jernil. I know you work the day shift three times a week, midmorning to early evening, and the night shift three times a week. You get one day off out of every seven. You have quite a pretty girlfriend who you hope to make your wife one day and live with your mother. Your father died several years ago and you have no brothers or sisters.†The man was still as calm as a mountain pool, and was somehow able to not look uncomfortable hunching under the low roof of his tiny cell.
Jernil was starting to feel a little panicked now. There was no way this man should know these things. They had never met in his life, nor did it look like they would travel in anywhere near the same circles. Jernil could now tell by the way he talked that the man wasn’t local either, but he couldn’t place the accent. The man could be from anywhere.
“Who are you,†was the only thing Jernil could think of to stammer out. He wasn’t sure what kind of answer he expected to hear.
“Just remember that I know who is important to you in this life, Jernil,†the man said. Jernil had never heard anyone deliver a threat with such subtle ease. The man’s demeanor didn’t change in the slightest; he remained laid back and appeared almost friendly.
“Now you just wait one second,†Jernil started. “Stay there in your cell and stop bothering me.†Stay there in your cell? Jernil cringed at what he had said. Where was the man going to go? The keys to the cells were locked away in a vault upstairs. Only the gailor had access. The man couldn’t very well walk through the bars. “I mean…just stop bothering me. I can make things very difficult for you in here.†And that was true. Jernil controlled this man’s food and water, and if he reported to the gailor it was likely the man would get lashings. The man acted as if Jernil hadn’t said a word.
“Listen, Jernil. In about two minutes a man is going to walk in here and let me out of this cell. You aren’t going to try to stop him. You aren’t going to raise an alarm. It will all be over in a matter of seconds and then your life goes on. Don’t worry about being reprimanded. After I’m gone your superiors will realize there was nothing you could do about it. Don’t worry about how they will know.†The man spoke as if he was explaining something very simple to a close friend and didn’t expect any disagreement. “Any questions?â€Â
“How d’you know someone’s going to walk in here in two minutes? You’ve been locked in a cell with no windows for at least half a day. And how’s one man going to get those bars out of your way?†Jernil was starting to think that maybe the man was just playing a joke on him, trying to pass the time. He didn’t appreciate it very much.
“I counted. And he’ll probably use a key.â€Â
“Counted?â€Â
“There isn’t much else to do in here,†the man grinned. At that moment Jernil heard footsteps approaching from down the corridor to his left. That corridor led to the stairs and the higher floors, and, eventually, the way out. He looked at the prisoner and the prisoner returned his look with a smile, a smile that said just relax, Jernil, and remember every word I said.
A man walked into the room, he was tall and slim, gave Jernil one brief look and approached the strange prisoner’s cell. He pulled a key from his pocket, slid it into the lock, and it turned with a metallic click. Jernil could only watch as the newcomer swung the cell door open and stepped aside so his compatriot could exit. The man-who-once-was-prisoner gave Jernil one last disarming smile and led the way back out the way the second man had come, the way Jernil knew freedom lay. The second man looked back over his shoulder just before he walked out of sight and said, “Bye, Jernil.â€Â
Jernil could do nothing but sit and stare blankly after them. He lived with his mother and hoped to marry that pretty girl one day. |
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Anonymous
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