Waiting

You are sitting in a cage. The cage is made of steel and each bar is about one-half inch thick and separated from the next bar by about five inches. The steel of the bars is a dark color similar to what jewelers call "gun metal". Each cage is roughly a seven foot cube, built completely of these bars. The only opening is a hinged trapdoor on top that is one half the width of the ceiling of the cube. The door is locked.

Your cage is surrounded in every horizontal direction by identical cages until they fade into obscurity. No landmark breaks this plain. Above and below this plain is twilight, unbroken by anything. In the "morning" the twilight brightens and in the "evening" it darkens. The changes occur regularly and are approximately twelve hours each. The twilight stays the same otherwise.

In every cage (except your own, of course) there is an identical monkey. The monkeys are relatively quiet, having seemed to accept ther fate. You try to stike up a "conversation" with those around you but they are not interested. Still, the monkeys seem animated, pacing back and forth in their cages. Not having much else to do, you methodically check the cage for weakeness or other possibilitie of escape. Failing this you, too, pace back and forth in your cage.

Mysteriosly, a plate of mush and a bowl of water appear in everybody's cage. The monkeys eat up their mush with relish. You, however, don't exactly appreciate its flavor and become quickly bored with it, too. Still, it's nutrition and you methodically consume yours every day.

All of sudden, without any warning whatsoever, The top of your cage opens.You are amazed, partly beause you recently checked the cage and detected nothing resembling a hatch.The same phenonmen affects the monkeys', too. General jubilation ensues as all climb out of their cages and and do backflips. You get caught up in this celebration and dance along with the monkeys.

Some of the monkeys head off to explore the situation.You can see their bodies disappear into the depth of the expanse. Other monkeys stay put and watch as their comrades fade away. Along with the monkeys you watch with antipation. It's unclear what everyone is waiting for. Perhaps an escape from the cages and a return to normalcy.

It's difficult to tell time but it feels like the roaming monkeys come back in about an hour or so. They hop from cage to cage. There's chatter between between them. You listen carefully although you have no idea of what is being exchanged between the monkeys. The chatter eventually dies down and each monkey returns to their cage where they sit on the open top quietly. The hubhub subsides to silence.

You, too, seat youself quietly inside the open cage. The vague distant chatter of monkeys fades. Finally dead silence settles like a pall on the endless cage expanse. Like the monkeys, you sit and wait in silence in your cage.

One day, when the mush is served, you recieve something different. On your plate is a red rose and a chrome razor blade. The chrome only covers a part of the blade, exposing a sliver of the razor. You pick up the razor and contemplate it.

With a shiver you suddenly realize that all of the monkeys, as far as you can see into the distance, are staring at you.

Waiting.