Solitary Confinement

inspired by a story titled 'the bet' learnt at school.


I was sentenced for solitary confinement because I did not accept the new King. They said that i had committed a grave offence but my idea of crime was far different from theirs. For me , crime was declaring oneself as king of a people and coercing their obedience, snatching their money and spending it on luxury while the true owners live in squalor, denying education which is a beggar's only asset, pushing basic necessities of life far above the common grasp by demanding celestial prices and every other unjustifiable deed that the new King has took upon himself to enforce and I said as much. The last chance of mercy was thus dispelled and the king had no qualms in ordering me for ten years in solitary confinement.He ordered that this was a better punishment to severing my head at the guillotine because ten years with only my shadow and breath to bear me company would leave me deranged for life... a fitting end to one who was insane enough to oppose the king.
And thus began my life in prison. I was soon engulfed by the four massive stone walls .at nights i had nightmares that the walls were closing in on me crushing me beneath their unscrupulous solidity. during day time i spent hours reminiscing my past life , reliving them in full spirit , burning them into memory so that they would never leave me....I was alone here so I cried my heart out, my eyes dry. Food was brought at regular intervals. I tried to keep track of time by noting when the food arrived but the futility of the exercise soon dawned on me and i lost myself to the deep gorges of time. Solitude crept into me from all sides.....
"fatigued and famished, I lie, a mere slave
with bonds of time piercing my bones
memories i try to clutch in vain
desert me and move into the shadows
left here to live, abandoned and alone
to let the past prey on my soul
and let the future dwell in my thoughts
my mind explores ways as yet unknown
where i meet fears as yet unfathomed
wheels of time turn crushing my dreams
but hope lives for ever in my mind and soul"

it was one fine morning when i was running these morose thoughts over in my mind that i realized i was not alone. The sights and sounds of nature, alive and noisy caught my attention...several birds were engaged in a spirited conversation outside the prison walls...days, may be years of solitude have sharpened my hearing skills. The paradox of the situation gave me a thrill. here i was, condemned to solitude, but i was anything but alone. Sight was beyond reach but still i can percieve the falling rain, swishing wind and the birds flying to and fro shouting out greetings to their kin. the rain drops that still clung idly to the air wafted in through the bars at the top of my cell...invisible but betraying their presence when they occasionally came in contact...like a baby's kiss...soft , sweet and warm. the wind was my constant companion bringng me news of the outside world....it brought the fragrance of flowers in spring, the smell of wet earth in rain, and sounds of everyday life uttered far away during nights. Maybe my fancy but i can hear the rumbling sea at night, the waves tirelessly licking at the shore....my monotony was nothing compared to the sea's and still it continued its destiny without complaint. another companion was the guard who used to bring me food. he pushes the tray through the small opening under the door and took it back the same way. but i could hear his footsteps and making guesses about his height, build and what he looked like gave me immense satisfaction. i imagined his life, his wife and kids. how happy they would be when they hear his footfall in the dark alley that leads to their home.

one day, the door, that impenetrable piece of metal that had kept back the world , opened. I said a silent farewell to the generations of birds who have passed by my cell, to the faithful wind, to everything that only this stay had made me appreciate and walked out into the open. i revelled in the suns rays as it blanketed me in its warmth just as a mother would wrap her baby , and hungrily took in the beautiful sights around. I wanted to scream out that i was still sane that the punishment was nothing to me but kept silent because ten years had made me wise and i knew better than to argue with fools.