It saves, it destroys. It’s necessary, it’s avoidable. It protects, it obliterates. It cures, it worsens. It restores, it deteriorates. It’s a solution, it’s a problem. It saves, it kills. It’s fair, it’s imbalanced. It’s deserved, it’s excessive. It’s security, it’s annihilation. It’s a good thing, it’s a bad thing. It’s reliable, it’s defective. It’s organized, it’s inoperative. It’s success, it’s failure. It’s consistent, it’s inadequate. It’s efficient, it’s unsuccessful. It teaches, it depraves. It instructs, it leads astray. It educates, it corrupts. It improves, it degrades. It’s positive, it’s negative. It disciplines, it misleads. It bridles, it impels. It’s methodized, it’s chaotic. It’s impartial, it’s abuse. It’s order, it’s anarchy. It’s dominance, it’s submission. It’s control, it’s impotence. It’s benefice, it’s waste. It’s help, it’s damage. It’s the answer, it’s a question. It’s improvement, it’s decadence. It’s a blessing, it’s a threat. It’s safety, it’s danger. It’s needed, it’s pointless. It’s justice, it’s inequity. It’s clean, it’s dirty. It’s salvation, it’s perdition. It’s clever, it’s stupid. It’s comforts, it’s affliction. It’s relieve, it’s pain. But eventually, no matter what we think and where we stand, a prison is what it is: designed by and for men, it’s none of these things and all of them at once, and really, no more and no less than a human cage.
About the Author:
Born and raised in Switzerland, Céline Spierer moved to America by herself as a teenager. She established herself in NYC in 2010 and graduated from the dramatic writing department at Tisch, NYU, in 2011. Her work includes plays, screenplays and short stories of all genres. Her play « Forgive me for I have sinned » is currently staged at Thirteen Street Repertory Company.
Great short story! Very compelling!