A Cage of Silence

Discovered: October 29, 2021

Tags: Scene

An old woman is thrown into a dungeon.

OLD WOMAN: Argh… these cursed floors… (she rubs her elbows)

It is complete darkness in here, but she lights a match she has stashed away in your clothes. She notices around her, bodies of the previous inmates, still chained to the walls. But she is unphased.

On the other end of this dungeon, is a scrawny man. Dried to the bone, his body flat on the ground and his arm reaching out towards a bowl of water, slightly out of reach. She moves the bowl closer to him, before taking a spot on the opposite wall.

The man, with very little energy, brings himself to sip the bowl and eventually sit up right.

OLD WOMAN: So. What are you in for?

The old man does not respond, still busy with his bowl of water. After a few gulps, he stops.

OLD MAN: (the sound barely escapes his throat) Thank. You.

OLD WOMAN: Yeah. My pleasure (she sighs). I don’t sit well with silence.

She watches him continue his drink. But then she continues:

OLD WOMAN: Though this is probably my last one. These shackles are getting too heavy for a woman who’s seen these many days.

A pause, as she inspects him.

OLD WOMAN: You the only one in here?

The old man nods, slow but rhythmic.

OLD WOMAN: Been here long?

The old man continues to nod.

OLD WOMAN: Those Imps, ey? Bastards, the lot of them. Just blindly following every squeak that slips out of their slimy excuse for a king. You’d think more people would see the terror they’ve unleashed on this world. They’re the ones that should be in here. Not us.

She looks for a reaction, but the old man seems inattentive.