Victor

• Monique Moore, Grade 11
• Poetry
• 2011

It felt like it had been days in only hours, my mouth was dry; and my stomach was rumbling like an old car. I looked around to see if Marco or any person for that matter was in or near the cave that could hear me shouting. I shouted for hours and hours, my mouth was so dry it felt like a desert had settled in it. There were footsteps I shot up hoping it would bring water to wash out my dry throat. The shadow was holding someone by the back of the shirt holding him high so he was dangling; he was kicking and screaming swinging around like a maniac. He was dropped in the cage, he quickly stood up and started slapping and kicking the cage door while screaming let me out. He gave the cage on last hit and turned around with a sigh. These big brown eyes with a ting of red looked up at me showing he was frightened and angry, they grew wider and he slowly straightened himself up. He pulled his leather jacket back up to his shoulders, leveled his jeans with his showing underwear and messed up his short brown hair with his fingers and finally spoke “Victor” he stuck his hand out expecting me to shake it, I looked down at his hand in disgust. He was acting like he was king of the world. “And you are?” he said impolitely “Loraine” I answered not being very impressed by his attitude. Victor went back over to the cage doors, “there has to be a faulty bar in here somewhere” he was taping the bars with the gold ring he wore on his left index finger “I can’t be stuck in here forever, and of course I have to get you out as well” his eyes flicked over to me then back to the cage doors. I sat on the wet floor, my blonde hair falling to the top of my shoulders. The light coming from the entrance darkened and the temperature dropped, I pulled my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs trying to keep myself warm. Victor was still trying to find the faulty bar “hey, um what’s your face, when I find it, how do you reckon I’ll break it?”
“Loraine, my name is Loraine. Do I need to wear a name badge or something?” I tightened the grip on my legs. “Okay sorry, Loraine. But how do …” he turned and stopped talking. He fixed his eyes on me curled in a ball fallen asleep in the corner. “I guess finding a way out can wait till the morning.”