Page 164 - The Houseguest

himself. “C’mon man, you’re gonna be put on Ice!” he shouted. Ice was slang for Isolated Confinement. Prisoners in Isolated Confinement spent 22 hours every day locked in a cell the size of an elevator. They were allowed 1 or 2 hours of exercise, alone in a cage. Obviously, it was designed to inflict pure sensory deprivation.
Laura was quickly escorted out involuntarily. But not before she witnessed her brother being jostled and manhandled by the guards to the point of abuse. She felt so helpless, the same way she did all those years ago when Brian was forced to pay for the sins of their father. She asked God how this could be happening to a good man, a good soul. She suddenly understood why Brian believed He had been forsaken. If her own unwavering faith was being tested to this extent, how could she expect her brother’s newfound faith to remain strong?
When she got home, she called the prison and learned that Brian was indeed put “on Ice.” He wouldn’t be receiving visitors for 21 days. She knew that Isolated Confinement meant she’d have no way to continue instilling the word of God into his mind and soul. It could mean the end of all the progress they’d made together. She dropped to her knees and began to pray in between bouts of sobbing and vomiting.
The Houseguest by Linda Ellis www.LindaEllis.life
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