It was at that point he slipped the water and food mash bottles into their holders and stood back. I stared silently at him through the bars of and always the tears came while I thought about the terrible, twenty-four lonely hours to come, hoping for pity. He always looked back at me with a grim expression, determined to follow through on his commitment to my punishment, then turned and left the cell, locking all of the doors and leaving me to endure, paying dearly for my disobedience and crimes. I could nothing more that stare out through the bars at the back wall of the cell. The only thing that broke its otherwise featureless expanse was the wall ring to which my gleaming leashes led. I could not move very well while confined in the cage, and soon, began weeping with self-pity. Occasion
