Birthday in Hell

I lay on my back fastened to a narrow bed with a metal frame. I had long given up trying to free myself. I was fully awake but my eyes were closed. My mouth had been smelling and I had longed to brush my teeth.

I was listening to the sound of footsteps, which would mean the warder was coming. I had no idea how late at night it was but I sensed that it was getting too late. I was sweating. The cell was airless and hot. I was afraid but I felt a great pent-up rage. I was troubled by unpleasant fantasies about what was going to happen to me.

The warder came in. He held my night dress and pull it down. I tried so hard but I was tied, my mouth sealed.

He came on top of me and plunged himself into me. He was tall and I hated his smell.

After twenty-five minutes of going in and out, he stood at the foot of the bed and observed me for a long time. Then he spoke to me. He had a clear voice that pedantically stressed each word.

"Happy birthday! " He told me that it was my birthday and that he came to wish me luck.

He stood Still for a while without saying a word. Then he walked around the bed and tightened the foot restraint.

I was utterly helpless. I had been in prison and what the warder knew best was to get laid. It was my twenty-first birthday and I celebrated it in Hell.