the dungeon

The dungeon

John found an abandoned tower in the country in a very mountainous area. It was deep in the forrest. It had a door at the side of the tower with steps down to a dungeon. The dungeon was dark and had no light except for the light John had on his phone. He knew immediately that he would have to rectify that. He got a generator and because he had a background in construction he was able to wire the dungeon with some lights. He dug a hole in the ground and put long chains and shackles on the walls.

Meanwhile, Suzanna woke up one sunny morning without a care in the world. She had no idea what the day was going to bring. It was her birthday. She walked through the threshold of her kitchen and was amazed. She pointed at the table because there was a present on it. It was a big box. She shook it curiously and opened it enthusiastically. In the big box there was a medium box, and in the medium box was a small box, and in the small box was an envelope. Inside the envelope was a voucher for a fortune teller.

Suzy didn't know what to make of this. She didn't believe any of that hocus pocus. However she went to see this woman. Her appointment was at 4 pm that day. She didn't know what to expect.

She went up to a tiny mud hut that smelled of incense. She knocked and heard this very high pitched ‘come in’. When she opened the door Suzy saw this very old woman bent over with a big hump on her back and she was stirring a cauldron full of green bubbling liquid. On the shelves behind her was jars upon jars of dead and dismembered toads and mice and other small animals, and powders of all colours and textures. Suzy was freaked out.

The old witch had a bag beside the table that Suzy was asked to sit at. She introduced herself as madam Pomfree. Suzy handed over the voucher. “A fortune is to be told here” she started. She came and sat at the table with a bag in hand. She then she took a live turtle out of it. “ hmmmmmm, a spell will be put on you soon. “. Then there was a map. “ mmmmm, a map you must follow”. Then finally she took out a book. The book was without content. It was blank. She said “ a reptile is in your life isn't it?” Yes Suzy replied. I have a lizard tattoo on my ankle. I got it because it looses its tail when it's distressed and they can grow it back with time and hard work. “ mmmmmmm, a journey your ankle is going to take”. Then the old lady got up and went back to the cauldron. “ the map and book you must take and follow, be careful on your journey, hard it will be, flashlight mite help”

Suzy came out of the mud hut holding the map and the blank book and a flashlight very confused. She said to herself that she will follow the map and see where it would take her. She took a hiking stick along with the map and book and a flashlight and stood at a cross roads. The map was telling her to go right but her gut was telling her to go left. The road on the right was the road less travelled – it was full of evergreen trees towering over the path like a tunnel. The road on he left had daffodils and roses and the grass was well kept. She didn't want to but she took the right road against her better judgement

As she walked through the towering trees she felt small. There were apple trees and oak trees and every type of tree you could imagine. She found some fallen apples and acorns. She thought the apples would Fill her up which was good because she was starving. She looked at the Apple, there were maggots crawling in it. She was disgusted. Suzy was furious with herself. She left for the Forrest directly after leaving madam Pomfrees  so she had no time to bring her usual sandwiches. She usually  would make sandwiches for journeys of all kinds, oh the journeys Suzy has been on. There was the airplane and the hospital and the vets and the beach and the mountains and fishing…………..the situations are bizarre, Suzy agrees. She is known for the sandwiches.

After walking for what seemed like hours in the Forrest with her flashlight, the batteries died. However, she only had to walk another few minutes when the forest just ended. It opened up a sea of green. It was ages until she realised it was cannabis.

Suddenly Suzy felt a tug and there was a cloth over her mouth. She had no choice but to inhale the fumes, so within seconds she was unconscious

She woke up in shackles tied to a wall in what she could only see was a dungeon. There was no natural light so Suzy didn't know whether it was day or night. She didn't know how long she had been there and he, whoever it was who had taken her had the key to the shackles.

The hatch above opened and a man came down the stairs to Suzy. Thank god as far as she could tell, she hadn't been raped. The tall thin greasy looking man slowly walked down the steps and put a paper plate with a cheese sandwich on it and a bottle of water and slid them to her. “ John would like for you to eat this, john made it. John is sorry for tying you up. You found John’s livelihood. You made John’s business found, you will pay” “I've done nothing you sick bastard.” And she tried to hit him. The shackles had her restrained. He had a cattle prod “ you be careful, John has no fear of using this” then he gave her a shock as he spoke to her in the first person.

She was scared as she watched him go up the slimy steps and through the trapdoor which she then herd bang shut with a click she could only imagine was a lock. She had little light. It was obvious it was being powered by a generator because they kept flicking.  She devoured the sandwich and gulped the water down.

She found a rock and reached and reached to get her hands on it. When she finally teased the rock into her red raw hand, Suzy tried hitting the shackles with it but without success. She cried in despair.

The seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours and hours to days. She had no way of telling what time of the day or night it was or how long she was actually there. This John guy came and went several times, each time bringing the same thing, a bottle of water and a cheese sandwich.

She had figured a way of getting out of the shackles – her hair clip. She had seen it been done in so many old movies before. She used the clip to try and open them. She used her teeth to change the shape of the hair pin so it would go into the lock easier. Left hand first, click. Right hand next, click. Her arms were free at last. She came to a halt when she heard footsteps coming towards the hatch. She quickly put them back on, the last click closed as the trap door opened with a jolt.

The third time John came in the sandwich was on a normal plate and not on a plastic one. John had slipped up! She hid the plate after he left and had a plan for it. She waited for the next visit from John. She knew that she had a couple of hours at least now to play around with now.

One by one she heard a click on he shackels and eventually she was free. She took out the plate and Suzy  broke it in such a way that she had a long sharp shard she could use to defend herself. She went over to the slimy stairs under the hatch with the piece of plate in one hand and the rock in the other.

She must have dosed off because she woke with a start at the sound of the lock opening. Her heart started pounding with both fear and anticipation. “ good morning dandelion” he only managed to get out before she grabbed his legs and with their bodies entwined they fell down the stairs with a thud.

She heard him moan and felt warm liquid on her hand. It was his blood. She had done it, she had actually stabbed him. He had no idea what had happened. He was in shock, his eyes open as wide as saucers. She rotated her hand and heard him moan as the shard of plate twisted in his gut. As he was subdued she walloped him with the rock in the other hand and he fell unconscious.

As he was out she dragged him over to the shackles and tied him up limb by limb. She went over to the hatch and opened it to a sea of bright light. It was blinding. She put her hand to her eyes to stop some of the glare.

She knew there was a generator somewhere because that was the only thing she could think that would have powered those lights. Where there's a generator, there would be petrol…..  well the man did have chloroform….

The generator he had was massive. It must have been powering the castle as well as the dungeon. There was a shed about ten feet away from it with a massive barrel of petrol. She rolled the barrel over to the hatch and opened it. The petrol flowed down the stairs of the dungeon light a waterfall. She had a lighter in her pocket. She lit it and said “ goodbye you sick bastard” and dropped it down the hatch. The place was ablaze within seconds. She was able to hear him scream as he was being burnt alive. The smell of the burning flesh made her violently ill.

She went looking for a phone. There was one in the shed she found the petrol in. She rang for help. She didn't know where she was or how long she had been there so it took ages for the rescue helicopter to come.

There were bright lights and sirens hours later but she just couldn't take it all in. She was asked questions from everyone she came across. The rest of it was a blur. She was in a dissociative state. She was brought to a hospital and slept, under sedation, for days. She had been through a lot.

Suzy is seeing a phycologist now weekly. She is still trying to come to terms with what had happened. Johns farm was the biggest pot farm found in years.