When the mouse spoke, I realized that I had been confined way too long.

He ... or she ... had been my only companion for two years ... I think.

Suddenly it became important to me to Know. To know how long I had been here.

When I woke up ... with the worst possible hanover in the world, it was dark ... not night dark ... I see objects ... by starlight ... as well as the nexgt guy and there weren’t any stars, so it was DARK. I walked ... I do north excellently as long as there weren’t masses of iron. So I paced ... and ran into a rough wall.

A good Turk always turns right. I’m not Turkish but it always seems like a good way to keep from getting lost. Left hand on the rough stone I followed the wall until I came to a corner ... Turn Right ... follow the wall ... corner ... turn right ... and a rough iron clad door. Keep going until I was back at the door. I ran my hands all over that door and snagged something with my little finger. I stuck the finger in my mouth to stop the bleeding.

Carefull examination revealed a bent nail. I had nothing to prize out that nail ... until a trap in the bottom of the door opened and a wood tray with a meal and a spoon was passed through. The meal came twice ... then a long pause and another meal ... two meals a day.

I had spent days worrying the bent nail straight ... every meal passed through the trap in the door came with a spoon. I tried to keep it ... but ... the next meal came without a spoon ... that lasted a week ... I think ... I had spent the time obtaining the nail. I used the haft of the spoon to pry the nail out of the beam.

After the week with no spoon it was one meal a day.

I was used to two ... so ... a meal came ... I made a scratch on the wall next to the door. The next meal came, no scratch. I had no idea that the meal deserved a scratch. Two meals a day ... two meals - one scratch.

A meal, a scratch.

A meal, no scratch.

And so on.

and on, and on, on, on.

Two meals.

Two meals.

Something fell on my head.

I felt it.

I searched my hair until I found it.

It was a new thing ... it had an overpowering odor.

I pondered the thing and the odor.

My mind ran away with the smell.

I remembered childhood ... playing with a saw.

My hands immediately went to my ass.

The spanking.

It ... the flake from my hair ... smelled of fresh sawn wood.

Not rotten wood ... my nose remembered rotten wood. Fresh sawn.

My prison ... such as it was ... had no light ... the only light I’d had was the beam when the meal was shoved under the door. Otherwise ... pitch black ... I found my way by feel or smell. Days were passed by counting the meals and the scratches by the door. The hole in the floor took my waste and I only stumbled in the hole once.

I had no idea why I was in prison.

The second flake fell ... and a third.

Soon ... as soon as I measured soon ... a myriad of flakes fell and there was a tiny spot of light on the floor ... and it moved. Sunlight ... time returned to me.

“Hey,” a voice, whether perceived by my ears or heard in my brain. “Catch.” I put out my hand and a white lab mouse fell into my grasp ... White with pink eyes.

“Put the spoon back on the tray,” the voice was squeaky and maybe my imagination...

“What?”

“Put the spoon back on the tray.”

I did.

The next meal came soon. Much sooner than I expected.

I shared.

I realized my scratches were wrong. I had no idea how many days were in that single meal.

Things rocked along ... The mouse taught me tricks ... I fed it. The day I laughed at it’s antics there came a rattling at my door.

“Shut up in there.”

That was funny ... and I laughed some more.

Some few meals later, the door rattled again...

... and opened.

The thing that came in would cause a monster to have nightmares.

I laughed. couldn’t stop.

The thing stepped out of the way ... more things came in and took me out. Dragged me up many flights of steps ... out a door and into the light. They dragged me through the streets. Things ... everywhere ... things. I laughed ... wet myself ... laughed more. There was a formidable wall ... a door ... a bridge over a stinking pond ... a path leading to woods. At the end of the bridge I was tossed on the path and I was alone ... except for the mouse in my pocket.