The Tally

“Day 2,683©” I said as I slowly wrote the number on the wall © Ihad forgotten to write it down earlier, as my schedule had becomequite hectic working a double shift in the factory© Looking down to thefreshly drawn black chalk on the wall I realized that the number taken up the last free bit of space left on the walls, and a new day was starting© It had not occurred to me that I would ever be in here so long as to run out of space to write the day© I looked down at the floor frommy bed, making sure not to smudge the numbers on the floor with myfeet© While they issued shoes to us, I found them to be quiteuncomfortable, and wore them only on the days that I had to work© Looking through the bars on my cell I caught a glimpse of risingsunlight from the rather miniscule window down the hallway© It was sobeautiful, I nearly began to cry© Two thousand, six hundred andeighty three days since I had felt its brilliant rays sparkle down on myskin© I put my hands out through the bars, hoping to catch some of thelight, as if to draw it away from the rest of the Earth© No guards weresearching the prison this early, and there would be nobody here toscold me© Besides, there was nobody here to judge me anyway©

They kept me locked away, on the top floor of a sixteen storymaximum security prison complex© I suppose that they wanted tomake sure that a man like myself could never make it back into theworld© The only way down was either a two hundred and eighty footfall, or a walk through fifteen floors of loud prisoners and guards atevery turn© Even if I could escape, I would never make it past thewatch towers© Watch towers with highly powerful automatic machineguns© The guards never let anyone know that they were watch towerswith automatic machine guns, though© To the public, they were just“watching stations©” Why would anyone close their eyes like that? But, even if I were to make it past the watch towers, then the dogswould get me© The dogs, those bastardly growling beasts who seemedto haunt the escapees© And even if, somehow, I managed to outrunthe dogs, then of course, the seven miles of ocean, with the lifeguards and other assorted “helper ships” would find me withinminutes, and shoot holes in my body until the water around me turneda bright red© Though, even if, by some ridiculously low chance, I wasable to make it past the ocean, then every single person on Earth knewmy face© I was the most hated man that had ever walked the face of theEarth© That includes Hitler, Stalin, Zedong, Lenin, Satan© Of all thefoul beasts who ever walked the green grass of the world, I was thescapegoat of all humanity© The escaping part, however, was the mostdreadful of all© The guards already tortured me in unspeakable ways© If they were to discover disobedience, surely they would make me begto die©The prison consists of three types of people© There are themurderers, the torturers who find some sick pleasure in watching theirvictims die a slow, horrifying death, and then there was the othergroup© The final group consisted of me© I had never hit a person, much less kill them© I crawled over my bed to retrieve my shoes fromthe sink, I had yet to wash them© The warden had given new shoes toeveryone in the prison; which I did not understand considering that wenobody had actually worn them out, and they were the sameuncomfortable model© He told us to wash them because of their newcondition, but he did not tell us how to wash them© This being aproblem because nobody had soap© Our cells consisted of a lumpybed, a sink, and a toilet© There was nothing else© As I tied them, Inoticed that the laces must be at least five feet long, and that they werefar longer than my previous ones© So long, in fact, that it becameimpossible to tie them© I threw them on the floor again, of coursebeing sure not to smudge my markings on the floor© I lay down on mybed trying to rest my head on the small pillow that was issued to all© The sun was getting brighter, but the light faded away© Someone musthave blocked off the window with barrier of some kind© I heardchuckling in the distance© The guards must find it amusing to steal thevery light that sustains me© I thought back, now, to the days where I was still free toexperience the sunlight, and breath in the air that was fresh© I thoughtback to the days of my childhood© How the light seemed to fill thewind forever© When I was still free, I had a nice little cabin in thewoods just North of©©© the name of my home has faded© After so manyyears, I have forgotten about almost everything© The cabin, though, Iremember© It was miles away from anything human© I had all of mysupplies wired to me from the city miles away© I lived a rather quietlife© All of the money that I needed to survive I gained from writing© Iwrote a daily column in a paper, the name of which, I cannot recallanymore© After my column was completed, I wrote something else© The rouser of much controversy, and also the cause of myimprisonment, I was the editor, the publisher, and the author of asmall time bi-monthly supposedly anti-American paper that protestedagainst the government© Against the Sedition Acts of©©© the year thatthey were passed, I cannot remember, prohibited such a thing© Thejudge said that he was being very generous considering the charge© Isuppose that he actually thought that his decision was lenient© He gaveme two consecutive life sentances© I stared at the tally marks on the wall© Had it really been that long, I thought© I had often thought that I would get paroled, even thoughthat was impossible© There had to be some salvation from this place, or at least the hope© And, alas, there was none© The days never gotshorter, they seemed to get longer© Every second seemed morearduous than the last© There were no clocks in the prison© If you werevery lucky, a guard would throw you the time© The guards, however, did not like me© The tally marks were the only time record that I kept© I refer to them as tally marks, even though I had been writing thenumber out since the six hundred and seventy-eigth day© Somethingabout making a record but not even being able to read it seemedincredibly stupid to me© This was the last day that I would be able tokeep track of the days; and while this may seem rather insignificant, Iwould consider it the worst thing that has happened to me since I cameto this prison© Now all the years of my life would seem as onecollective mold, and the though of not being able to tell how long I hadbeen in captivity frightened me to the point where I became to feel sick© My emotions were mixed about being alone© I liked not having toworry about being beaten or killed by fellow inmates, and also my lifewas rather quiet and undisturbed by the ramblings of psychotic fools© But, after years and years of being alone, you begin to wonderwhether or not having security was worth being all alone© I sometimeshurt I became so lonely© The guards were no help© They came to mycell maybe once a day at most, and always at the same point in the day© I knew that it was always the same time because once a guard had toldme every time that he came© The guard was my only friend since Icame here© I had always wondered why he had been kind to me, untilone he leaned over to me and said, “I know you’re hurting sir, but itwon’t be longer© My name’s James, by the way sir©”He was a revolutionary, and apparently one who read my oldmagazine© He, along with a handful of others, were in anunderground society that was for disestablishment© When he told methis, I felt a jolt of joy through my body© The very next day, a newguard came to check on me© When I asked what had happened toJames, the guard said that he was on temporary leave, and would notbe coming back for a while© I almost believed him, until I sawJames’s watch hanging out of the new guard’s pocket© I never askedagain what had happened to James, nor did I really care© After myincarceration, I really did not pay any attention to what was happeningon the outside© There was a loud crash from across the hall© I reasoned that thebarracade that blocked the window had fallen, because light started toflood the halls and the area immediately next to my cell© I suddenlyrealized my eyes growing heavy© The last time that I slept had beenthree or four days ago© I slowly began to drift off into sleep, when aloud voice screamed through the speaker system© Even though thespeakers were at least ninety yards away from me, his voice stillechoed through the halls©“Prisoner on two, on one© Get dow- Damnit! Who’s watchingthe exit?!”I rose up sharply and in great surprise© Someone, by the grace ofGod, had managed to make it out the gates of the prison© Quickly Irose to my feet still on top of my bed© I put my ear to my cell doorlistening for any noises that may indicate the condition of the escapee© My hands tightened around the bars©“Go, man© For God’s sake go© Do it for those of us who cannever try©” I said, being sure to keep my voice quiet as to not arousethe attention of the gaurds©From the window I could hear the watch tower’s speakers blaringscreams at the ground mounted guards© I heard shots fired, and moreshots fired© This could only mean that he had evaded the first part ofthe outside perimeter© I became so overjoyed that I almost forgot aboutthe hounds© Their barking came through to me muffled, but still theybarked, never ceasing© The man had actually made it past the hounds© It was just a short jog to the ocean© It was too early for there to beguards on the water yet© This was the beginning of the happiest day ofmy life© I began to cry in happiness as a sense of invulnerability sweptover me© I was back in the sunlight, at least for a moment© There washope even in this place© Just then a blast of sound shot through thehalls, shredding the silence© Oh God, I thought, mines© It had been along time since I had been imprisoned, and I suppose that they wouldhave had to upgrade security by now© I stood on my bed still, leaningagainst the gate of my cell with my hands© I began to weepdesperately© I did not even hear the foot steps trailing up to me© “What the Hell are you doing? You’re trying to escape!” A guardstood in front of me exhilerated and enraged© “The warden’s gonnahave you for this© Attempted escape is dealt with with torture© Oh, God are you stupid©”I stood looking through the bars of my cell as the guard ran off© Just then a voice shot throughthe speakers again, it was the daily wake up call© I fell on my bed with my head buried in my arms© I kept hitting my hand against my head© This was when I saw the shoe lace, so long and so perfectly firm© I glanced up to the cieling of my cell, and realized that the light was strong enoughto withstand a great weight© I picked up the shoelace and wrapped it around the top of the light, quickly doing the math in my head© Twelve feet off the ground with a five foot long lace and a six foot tall man© Over a foot off of the ground© I rose slowly and wrapped the lacearound my neck, so that it would fasten around my throat when I stepped off of the bed© I laughed mildly and kneeled down, picking up my ash black chalk© Staring intently at the cieling I grimly took the lace off of my neck and put my chalk up to the cieling© The space had not even occurred to me until now© Indifferently I wrote, “2,684©”