Let Truth Unleash

With the break of dawn, his eyes flickered open. He stared at the dark-brown, metal-like ceiling. The sun rays were penetrating through a small window on the top right. Four months. Four months in this awful, dirty cell. This thought made his head throb with excruciating pain. For what he had done, he hadn’t known.

The guard outside was shouting. Waking everyone, with his thick, metal rod clinging hard against the cell bars. He had an annoyed look on his face. He always did. The prisoner could see another guard dragging a man along the floor mercilessly. There were handcuffs locking up his hand, of course, so he didn’t understand the need to drag him like that. The guard was reaching to his cell and he watched as the guard unlocked his cell and threw the man inside. The urge to try escaping grew in him. The door was unlocked, even if it had been for a brief moment. Although, he knew there was no way he could escape. Instead, he helped the man to his feet.

“Are you okay, young man?” He must have been in his twenties.

“Yes.” and the man sat down on the small chair nearby.

“I am Finn. Your good name?” He offered his hand. The man glanced up at him with blank eyes, as if showing no reverence.

“Mickael.” The man said, without shaking the hand in return. He was a fair man, with a British accent in his voice. He had broad shoulders and a round face, with brown eyes and dried up lips. He looked dehydrated and sick.

They both stayed in their respective places without the utterance of any sound.

The night enveloped the sky. The day had gone down but Mickael seemed to have sewed up his lips tight. Without accepting any more silence, Finn broke out. “What is that you have done to end up in a place like this, Mickael?”

There was a long silence. Mickael’s face was stoned as if there were no life in him.

“ An accident. I was drunk and out of control.” He looked at Finn whose expressions hadn’t changed. Finn just stared into emptiness. “What did you do?”

He was still staring, nowhere in particular. “I killed my brother.” Mickael jerked upright, too shocked to say a word. “It was a fight. We never realized it had gone out of our control. I had always kept a gun with me. Just.. in case it would be necessary. I hadn’t thought it would be to kill my own flesh and blood. I deserve this. Every bit of this.” His fingers were clenched tightly to form a fist, and his knuckles whitened.

“What would he have possibly done to deserve that,” Mickael asked and regretted it as he couldn’t take back any of what he had just said.

Finn finally looked at him with desperation filling up his eyes. “He was beating up my son for something he had done. I don’t know what but I just can’t forget the rage that I felt at that moment. I slapped him across his face and it all began from there.”

Both of them stared at each other. They knew the same thought was playing in the back of their heads, They deserved this and only this. No one will ever forgive them, and even if people did, they wouldn’t be able to forgive themselves.

Their eye-contact was broken by a guard, who slid their dinner meal from under. The plate was made of bent metal, filled with a piece of dry bread and soup, which had made Finn vomit several times before. The guard shot a disgusted look at both of them and shifted his gaze to Finn and grinned. “Made a new cell-friend, Mr. Woosley. Just like you and the others.” he turned away on his heel and walked away.

Finn turned to look at Mickael who had stiffened. He looked lost and dreadfully sick.

Finn gave him a hard shake, “What happened? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“What did he say your last name was?” Mickael was not amused at all, his heart was banging hard against his rib cage.

“Finn Woosley. But..why? I don’t..”

“What is your wife’s name?” There were desperation and urgency in his voice.

“What is wrong with you, Mickael? Her name was Charolette. Now can you please tell me what is wrong? Do you know her..? You must..”

The rest of the words disappeared into thin air. He was sweating profusely. Images flashed in front of Mickael’s eyes.

He sat on his dining table, switched his television on with trembling hands. The news flashed on the screen. Today’s Breaking News: The court has declared its decision. Mr. Mickael Trev will be imprisoned for the accident committed by him- the tragic accident of Mrs. Charolette Woosley.