the journal of literature and the arts at saint david’ s school
transported back to my farm, standing in my fields surrounded by crops, with the wind blowing in my face. I try to remember that day. I had ventured into town to get new tools to begin planting. Yet as I traveled into town, the king’ s guard rode alongside me on the road. That is when I remember, this is not a happy memory. They asked my name, I showed documents, and they seized me, leaving my family unaware of what had happened.
I fall into a trance-like state, replaying that day when my life was upended, until the guards call out,“ Dinner!” The sun soon will dip over the horizon, so I step off my bed and head toward my cell door.
The dinner consists of more bread and the same murky water. I estimate that there is around an hour and a half before the final rays of the sun dissipate, and no candles are given out, so I eat as quickly as possible. I finish most of it before the cell goes fully dark. I talk to Andres about the view from the window and tell him to look as well. We both get to our respective peekholes to the outside world and look at the sky. It is a gorgeous gradient of colors. Hues of purple and orange in the sky with pinkish clouds. For a moment, it is the prettiest sight in the world. That is until I hear a thump from Andres’ cell. But this one is accompanied with an audible crack. He fell asleep and fell off his bed, I tell myself. I press my face towards the bars, trying to peer into his cell.
I call out to the guards to help, my pleas echoing through the empty halls. As the light slowly fades, I accept the truth. I will have to spend the rest of my time here alone, with only my own thoughts.
~ Joseph B.
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