Chapter 6

'Good one' the brute hissed. He stepped back to allow me to leave the room; my first home. As I reluctantly began to step forward he wafted his right hand outward, in a manor resembling that of a butler, to gesture that I leave.

The dank corridor seemed merely like an extension of my room, same grotty concrete walls, tiles covered in so much dirt grease and fungi you would think that it had never been cleaned and of course the small hatch of a window coated in aging mesh at the end of the passage. Great to know that the extensive reality I had now experienced was such a pleasant place.

Those few minutes it took to walk from the cell to my new residence seemed like forever, I took the opportunity to grasp each tiny detail I was able too perceive, the specks of dirt that lay on my fingertips after each time I ran them along the wall, each glimmer of light from the windows, everything was so new too me I could hardly contain myself. As the man pushed his key into the lock, fumbling with his fat greasy hands, I absorbed every click the mechanisms made, watched every little movement his repulsive hand made. And suddenly, in a flash of wonderment, the door opened to reveal my first glimpse of the beautiful world Israel had created; the world that had been kept from me for those 14 torturous days. Behind the tall metal fence of the compound I could see the endless blue sky, so crisp and cloudless. The fields of hay and grass seemed so distant, but so much closer than they had ever been before. But right there, right before me, for me to experience myself, was the cold, bright air; I could feel the beautiful cold sensation run down my throat, I could taste its freedom. Freedom I thought, "Good one" – what was that supposed to mean? Am I free or am I not?

I closed my eyes and felt the breeze, and for a second I thought maybe I was, but to be honest, it wouldn't have mattered if it was true. The man continued on along the concrete floor enclosed by high solid fences, turning left too follow the wall of the cell block. I followed him, taking in the most of the fresh air that I could. There was another door ahead of us, just the same as the last, only this one was slightly lighter in colour and had a little rust on the frame. As he turned the key in the lock a different variation of clicks struck my ear, different keys I noted for future reference, though not knowing exactly why. He pushed the door open and a blast of sound appeared. I entered the rowdy room hesitantly, following closely behind King Kong in front of me. My chin stayed firmly on my chest and my shoulders stayed hunched, however every so often my gaze would wonder over too the oddly familiar looking figures positioned safely behind the bars, some of the stared back. Sharing a destructive glance we would quickly avert our eyes.

About half way down the corridor on the left hand side one of the sliding metal doors was left open, it was made of strong iron bars and coated in chipped matt green paint. Kong stopped by the door so I stepped into the tiny cell, perhaps even slightly smaller than my last. I sat on the straw mattress, facing the wall.

'Back then?' A familiar voice asked, I looked over too the face peering out of the opposite cell.

'Back…' I muttered, and laughed.