I stand facing the wall with a fraction of a millimeter between its cold reinforced concrete and the tip of my gnarled nose. I have been staring at a splotch of blood the size of my face for at least eighteen hours, over the course of which I have watched it coagulate and darken to a miraculous deep maroon. The back of my head is an equally uncomfortable distance from a large, unknown object. I am unable to tell if it is another concrete wall, but using my best judgment I presume that it is. To my left and right are infinitely open green valleys taunting me with their wondrous sense of freedom. You may be asking yourself why I don’t just slide my way out of this nasty little predicament, but a) my feet are buried in stone and b) I know deep down the sense of freedom is nothing more than an illusion fabricated by my own imagination. By freeing myself I would actually receive absolutely nothing. Nothing tangible that I could hold in my hand, cherish and say to myself, “This object that I hold in my hand is my freedom.”
A cool breeze passes through the little negative space that separates my body from the surrounding structure. The movement of air raises goose bumps over every inch of my naked flesh. It playfully tickles the tiny hairs in my nose and I feel what could be an absolutely bombastic sneeze claw at my sinuses. Whatever I do, I can’t let the sneeze out, for if I do my head will undoubtedly jolt and I will likely either bust my nose for a second time or crack the back of my bald head. I suppress the sneeze with my every last shred of self control and will power, but it persists scraping away like a frightened cat in a wet cardboard box.
I clench my fists, lock my knees and hold my breath to prevent it from occurring, but it’s no contest. My eyes close inevitably and my cold naked body goes into what anyone watching would easily describe as some sort of freakish split second seizure. The explosion of sound reverberates violently between the concrete walls…
As I instinctively shake my head and open my eyes I find myself standing fully clothed in the lush, open valley. The joyous ambience of birds and insects singing to one another wraps around me like a warm blanket. I look down at my shoes and find myself yearning for that cold, claustrophobic reality.
