by Darrel Bird
chance of us going anywhere.”
The man turned, “Sure why not, back up against the bars.”
They backed up against the bars. The man began to cut the ropes, and when he came to Jade he reached into the bars, and grabbed her butt. She turned her hips and slammed his hand against the bars.
“Aw! You damned whore!”
“That’s not yours so keep your hand off it!” Jade spoke with enough venom in her voice that would wilt a cabbage patch.
The man laughed, turned and walked out of the room leaving her tied. Jasper quickly untied her ropes as easy as he could. Her wrists were chafed raw again.
“Just about time I get myself healed up, I get roughed up all over again.”
“You about broke his hand.” He laughed.
“How can you laugh at a time like this?” Jade looked at him amazed.
“I’ve been worse. Lets try to grab a little rest, you girls take the two bunks, and I’ll take the floor.”
“I have to pee.” Sondra said.
”Girl, I got no interest right now, just go over there and pee in that commode.”
Sondra looked at the small window in the steel door that was across the hall until she was satisfied there were no peepers, and then walked over to the commode, and sat down on it.
“You are just one of the girls huh?” Jade asked.
“No, but there’s a time and place, and this ain’t it.”
“The commode didn’t flush Jasper.” Sondra said, as darkness descended over the town.
“They probably carry water from a well to flush it.”
“Whats going to happen to us Jasper?” she continued.
“Now don’t start giving up hope, we’ll find a way.”
“If you say so I believe you Jasper.”
They slept in the dark all night, and the night cold crept in. Jasper was glad when day break began to stream through the windows. His body was stiff, and sore, as he hobbled to the commode. He hoped that something would happen this day. Lord, if you don’t mind, I ain’t complaining mind you, but we could use just a tiny bit of help. I know I don’t pray long prayers, but I sure mean the ones I do pray. If they decide to kill me today, I know that they can kill my body, but that’s it.
Neither of them had had a bowel movement which, in a way was good they didn’t have to stink up the cell, but that good would only hold so long. As the sun came up he heard the outside door open and close, and then the steel door with the small window across the hall was unlocked. A rather handsome man of about thirty years old walked through the door. He was blonde headed with a goatee growing long on his chin. He sported a western hat with a leather vest, and a black bow tie. Two other men followed him through the door.
He stood outside the cell, and looked at them through the bars, “I hope the hotel staff treated you well. What were you doing in our country?”
“Its my country same as yours, but we were just passing through.”
“Going where if I might ask?”
“To Colorado.”
“Well…you’re in it, and we own it. If you promise to behave, I’ll feed you.”
“That would be good.”
“Dick, get them a meal.”
“Yes sir.” The man said, and left.
“What are your names?”
“I’m Jasper, and this is Ronda, and Jade.”
“My name is Rick Perkins. Are you capable of having a serious conversation, or are you uneducated as the rest of these children?” The man looked at Jasper thoughtfully.
“I could if I had someone to converse with.” Jasper returned.
“I’ll give you one thing, you have spunk mister. I’ll be back after you get something to eat, no man feels like talking on an empty stomach.”
He turned and went back through the door. Ten minutes later a woman came through the door with covered dishes of food. The food wasn’t bad, and Jasper didn’t ask what it was either. It was some kind of meat, and a mix mash of vegetables. His stomach began to complain about having enough to eat, and after the meal his guts began to twist and turn.
After the meal the blonde returned, “I trust you had enough to eat.”
“We got by.” Jasper returned.
“Jasper, I’m trying to bring back the constitution here, and I’m hoping you would join me in my efforts.”
“By capturing us, and tossing us in a jail?”
“Well, you see Jasper, the men go a little overboard every now, and then. I keep them in line as best I can.”
“Uhuh. Let me see the document.”
“What document?”
“The document…the constitution document, you have one don’t you?”
“Of course, I have it right here.”
He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a folded paper. Jasper took the paper through the bars, and quickly scanned the first page.
“This is not the constitution.”
“What do you mean it’s not the constitution?”
“Half the first page is redacted; I don’t need to see the rest.”
“I had to cross out the parts that are no good any more.”
“Perkins, you’re nothing more than an outlaw who’s holding a town hostage, there are people like you all over America…or what’s left of it.”
Perkins face turned livid, “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to kill you.”
“Oh, you may kill this body I live in, but you can’t kill my soul, therefore you cannot take my freedom.
“I’m trying to give you freedom Jasper!” He yelled.
“I’ve seen the fear in the eyes of the people here, you are ruling by fear. If you really want to give freedom, give them back the constitution…all of it…every word…not just a redacted simile of it. That’s what got us into this mess in the first place. The government began to pick and choose which parts of the constitution they wanted to keep. The people weren’t being heard. If they had been, the shooting would never have started in the first place. A man by the name of Judge Alex Kozinski said, “"The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed -- where the government refuses to stand for re-election and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees. However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake free people get to make only once."
“When the people waited too long to correct the government, Kozinski’s words came true. Perkins, unless you get that through your head, you’ll lose big time, and some other more powerful would be dictator will hang you from the town flag pole.”
Perkins looked at him, “I’m a fair man and I’ll think on what you said.”
“Well, don’t think too long.”
Perkins turned, and left. When he was gone Jade said, “You must have a death wish Jasper.”
“No, but I’m not going to grovel at the feet of a two bit dictator to live, that’s not living.”
They began to have to defecate in the commode, and by the time evening came around, the smell was terrible in their cell. The same woman brought them a sandwich around five PM. It was some kind of meat in moldy bread. Sondra tossed hers into the filthy commode, “I can’t eat that.”
“I’ve had worse.” Jasper mumbled.
“Everything that happens to you Jasper, you’ve had worse. I’ve never met anybody like you.”
“Who am I too complain? God gave us America, the constitution, and the Bible, and we screwed it up. We decided we didn’t need God, or the constitution any more, and we signed our own death warrant, so who am I to complain? Sister, if they leave you long enough without food, you’ll be picking that sandwich out of the shit.”