It’s a golden prison. The light on my hair, flat and spiked, tears down and moves onto my body, scorching it with pain. I can usually stand it a little, but this is far too much I’m dying, and my friend, Shiso Maroon, isn’t any better. On my right her purple body bends low to the ground. She is already defeated, but I am not. However that’s only because I have to be strong and outlast this for her and for me. I know IT will not always be here, the menace that cages us in pain, but for now the pain seems to go on and is never ending.

As the evil fades away, I stretch myself and assess the damage. Most of my hair is crackly, dry, and will soon fall off; my body is also full of pain. I look at Maroon, and notice that she is far worse off, for she is bent and twisted on the ground, blackened. I nudge her as best I can. Oh, why did it come to this? I ask- what have we ever done to deserve it?

Maroon does her best to stand up strong, and she looks at me worriedly, “Shiso Verde,” she sings in the breeze, her body creaking, and wrinkled, she used to be so gorgeous. “We can’t handle this much longer-either of us!” I nod back, it was all HIS fault if he had not-no best not to dwell on it, anger leads to nothing, I sigh as I look down at my once vibrant hands, now mostly brown and burned.

“Hai, and it will be back soon, the menace.” I whistle back, feeling horrified, the monster is there more than it is not. This small reprieve we have is not enough to save us. Nor is there enough water to counter-act its’ pain.

“Ano, I wish someone would save us.” Maroon sighs wistfully, and I know that she will not survive the next pass, and then I the pass after that, for it will not be long. If only someone could hear her wish, see and save us. As the golden bars of pain arch up around us again I tremble and watch as my friend falls to the ground, struggling softly. I lean over and cover her as best as I can from our cruel jailor, even as I can feel myself shrivel and twitch from the strain of fighting the pain.



_______________________________________________________

“Daniel!” there is a slam of a door, and running footsteps. “You fool I told you to not put them there!” a thump as the person lands on their knees, frantically patting at colors purple and green infested with brown. “Get me a hand-held one now!” Is shouted, followed by pattering footfalls and a ‘ching’ of metal hitting the ground. The area around the mass of purple, green, and brown is dug up in panic. An hour later, frenzied movement slows to a stop, then standing up after being hidden in the dark the person stops and says, “You are one lucky buster! I almost lost my Shiso plants!”