Far in the distance I hear the faint ‘thud, scrape, thud’ of earth and rock being piled over what is my only point of reference.
And as the sound becomes more and more muffled, and the air grows danker, I see in my mind's eye, the pile growing ever bigger ...wider ...denser.
I already know from experience that no one can hear me down here.
I curl into a ball, rest my head on my knees and try to adjust to the air quality, while I contemplate my fate anew.
As I gasp for each vital breath, my pulse pounds in my head. Pictures flash through my mind of the purple-hued rage set in the terrifying grimace on my spouse’s face, as he waved an image of a sweet young thing, his rigid fingers gripping and bruising my flesh and the sound of his bellowing, even now, vibrating in my chest ...his cruel words echoing in my ears.
"I don't want you -You're too old, too ugly - Nobody would want you now!"
At the time I tried not to listen but, after the turn of events since he uttered them …I believe him.
Since plummeting into this abyss, the only signs of life have been a couple of spiders, en-route to a better place, and passing single rat. Nothing else ever comes here.
The rat was badly injured and I cared for him. While Rat recuperated we became great friends and planned our mutual escape …but when it came down to it, Rat had his own unique ability to climb and didn’t want something like me holding onto his tail.
I sigh deeply, lift my head and open my eyes, and I wait for the vague shapes of my surroundings to emerge from the darkness. Nothing is clear. I sense something close by and reach out my hand. My fingers meet cold, hard, damp rock. Solid and unyielding, it is the only thing that survives in such a place.
I think maybe, if I really concentrate, I will feel a vibration of the activity beyond …......nothing.
The faint sounds have faded to silence. The rock is mute.
