Tortures

My captor's current torture on this night was to have me sleep beside my cage. I was placed on a high cliff with the world of freedom to watch over, as it had done a poor job of for me. 1

In front of me was a drop that would kill a man of fear before he had chanced to meet the bottom. Behind me, behind me were guards. They watched me from just under the rim of their hats, taking bets on how close I would come to the edge. A man with more money than he could ever lose even fantasized about my jumping. He was well aware I wouldn't, but he was one to enjoy giving away money without the charity of it all. 2

I sighed and it was dark. Had I known better, I would assume I was floating in limbo inside a spherical glass ball, the few lights of the world so resembled those of everything else. How introverted we are as a planet. A system even. 3

I attempted a closerness with the edge, only to find an unseen but not unfelt chain give a slight tug, bringing me toward the cage, away from the edge. I perched on the ground and wrapped about myself the entire length of my own arms as far as they would stretch. As my hands grasped each other behind my back, I made my head clear. What was this perplexing bond? Freedom twinkled at me. I couldn't help but return the favor. Blink, blink. Back to my question I turned for a challenge, or rather sanity. So long now had it been an extension of my own self. I associated it with every meal, every rest, every safety.4

I became overcome with vertigo and sensed the chain dragging me toward safety. My cage. Yes, it was now mine. No longer was it a loan from my captor. I saw in it now: survival. The cage was fully anchored to the ground, unlike myself. In my fear, all I saw was rescue from a death or two. Surely the fall would only bring a prayer for death. The impact would be my genie granting me the first wish that came to mind, and only that one. 5

I opened the iron door and it let out a yelling creak that echoed through my head like an incurable disease echoes through the body. This made me pause as my hearing had grown sensitive in the silence I was usually kept. Every guard looked up from the money he was either dealing to someone else or receiving like a hand of well-shuffled cards.