Posted by Attica on June 18, 2002 at 14:16:12:
A Small Matter of Loyalty
Everything was fine until I was captured. That was three days ago. At least I think it's been three days.
I have been placed into solitary confinement. There is no light. It is pitch black and I cannot see. Despite this, I know a few things about where I am being kept.
My first discovery was that the walls were coated with some form of sheet metal. My first moments of consciousness were spent realizing this as I pounded on them in panic, the walls making crinkling, popping noises as they indented slightly and then flexed back. I would like to say that I recovered quickly, but my first ten minutes in this place were spent yelling and pounding on the cold hard surfaces.
After that, time and boredom took over. After the first ten minutes, I began to feel around in the dark and discover where I was. There are list of facts that I catalog and memorize in the darkness. The room was small, a perfect 12 foot cube. The sheet metal covering the walls is backed by what feels like plywood. I guess this because I can feel imperfections under the metal. Philips, not standard screws, holds on the sheet metal walls. I have a cot in one corner that is made with heavy canvas fabric, torn on one corner. I have a pillow of some kind, although I can't determine what it is stuffed with. Based upon the smell, perhaps it is better that I did not know.
There is a toilet in the corner. I discovered it by banging my knee into its metal side. It flushes. I have a sink. There is fresh water that comes out of a faucet there. Sometimes it is warm. Sometimes it is cold. Sometimes it smells funny.
I am glad for the darkness.
I do not know how high the ceiling is from the rest of the walls. I suspect it is not that high, because my voice doesn't echo much.
I have been fed nine meals since I have been here. I have tried to keep track of when they open the small hatch to shove a steaming bowl of rice through, but it is impossible to tell time in the darkness. I'm not sure that it's been three days. I'm only guessing based upon the tried and true rule of three meals a day.
I have tried to exercise and keep positive, but the darkness makes this impossible.