Torture

I knew in advance what lay ahead for me. In the back of my mind I wanted to believe that I could find a way out. Right up to the last minute I tried to put it out of my mind and hoped maybe it would just go away. But that never works and this time proved to be no exception. So I steeled myself to face the inevitable. I wasn’t alone but  my partner in this venture did not provide any solace. She was the reason I was here in the first place and even seemed to take a sick pleasure in what was going on.  My only comfort lie in the fact that this was only temporary and would soon be over. Soon is subjective though.

Almost immediately I could feel sweat breaking out on my forehead and  tension starting to churn in my stomach. “Steady now”, I told myself. “You can’t let it get to you  this quickly or you’ll never make it”, and so I soldiered on. As I took in my environment I could see others who shared my struggle.  Some like me were just beginning their sentence while others had the haggard look of veterans who had already seen and endured too much. I knew I would soon be joining their ranks.

The first thing I noticed was the pain in my feet, nothing much at first, just a dull ache. That was soon to be followed by cramping in my back and legs. Fatigue set in even more quickly than I had anticipated and for the first time fear crept in. “If it’s this bad now”, I thought, “what is it going to be like later?” That was a question I didn’t want answered.  That's because I already knew the answer.

Worse than the physical pain was what I endured mentally. What I looked at, I don’t even want to think about  now. In addition, my ears were  subjected to what can only be regarded as a brutal assault. This two pronged  attack on my senses began to wear me down. My brain fogged up. It was difficult to form coherent sentences or understand even  the simplest sentences directed at me. I started to hum songs to myself to keep from going mad or maybe it was because I was already going mad.

I looked at my phone to see how long this had  been going on. I was shocked to see how little time had passed. What seemed like hours was mere minutes. It was like I was trapped in a Twilight Zone episode where time stops, where hours take days and nothing and nobody ever seems to age.  My fear grew.

My companion however didn’t seem to be feeling any ill effects at all. She seemed oddly energized by this horrible place. What I  found excruciating she found fascinating. What had me begging for mercy had her hungering for more. I have to admit that while I found this to be  more than just a little disturbing I also admired whatever inner strength she possessed that enabled her to thrive. It was quite amazing.

I finally reached the limit to what I believed I could endure. The pain in my feet had grown to a full on throbbing burn. My legs ached and my back felt like it was going to completely lock up. My vision was blurred. Dizziness and nausea now enveloped me . My speech was nothing but incoherent mumbling. I was a shell of the man I had been when all this started. Just when I had reached and surpassed my limits a light finally appeared at the end of my seemingly endless tunnel. The portal from for  my escape was in sight.  The mere sight of it lessened my pain and strengthened my resolve. I spied the final guardian who stood at the gate. His eyes were cold and his mouth was frozen in a contemptuous smirk. I stared back at him defiantly as I limped passed  and  took my first steps towards freedom. Behind me heard him call out, “Thanks for shopping at Hobby Lobby and you folks have a great day!”