Her prison walls stretch two thousand feet towards the sky and wrap a quarter mile around her ally. Nestled in the shadows of her commander and chief, She sits with her fearsome reputation. Miserable conditions in which prisoners were held. Rumors of torture and murder shrouded her mystic with nightmare fright. A two hour journey through the willows, sage and venomous sands bring you close enough to hear the screams, and growls of those who had failed. The turrets posed in such a way that a bowman can see for miles of those that dare approach her slippery slope.

At times the man in the iron mask could be heard echoing through the cold canyons breeze. His Shackles and chains would grind and shriek across the granite floors as he was pulled from cell to cell. We would sit and wonder who this man was and pray that we not see the treatment he received. At times we would stare at Voltaire with disgust. Always in passing, as we were covered in filth and he in his fine garments. Tall tales of his luxuries he had received during his stay circulated the cobbled streets of the kerosene town... Oh so far away.

But lies we tell you! He was treated well.... So well he returned fo' another stay! A writer... A poet? .... A liar!

We have been beaten, whipped, stoned and forgotten....

It was time...

My lover and I destined for an eternity of hell hatched a plan....

She so bravely spit in the guards face to be sentenced to the chamber. The howls of her cries, sent my body into shakes behind the heavy musty oak door...the one place we felt safe... Us and the rats. The cogs of the wheel could be heard as they turned and the screams of agony became louder. She was being stretched... Stretched to the limit where death was knocking at her door!

Then silence...

Did they dare take my dear Princess buttercup from me? Am I doomed to loneliness?

The door creeks open and she is tossed upon me feet... She is alive!

Curled and crying she pulls it from her tattered gown....
One mallet!
And five iron spikes...
We have begun!

We hold each other in fear in our damp confines, lovers and fighters to the core...

We want our freedom!

I must strike while the iron is hot!....

I go bizerk..

"You bastardized... No good... Take me! You should of taken meeee!"

I can hear them... The heavy chain mail clacking as it gets closer. I love you I tell my princess as I'm torn from the cell, feet dragging across the fecal floor. Guard on either side. They beat me with clubs, as I submissively sit. I can hear the dirty rope being tossed over the knotted beam. The rough fibers begin to cut into my neck as the noose tightens around me gullet. Toes scratching at the granite... I Am lifted higher and higher...

It goes black...

Schwap! I hit the floor... I can hear the guards laughing as I come to. The dust from my impact still drifting around me as some sort of rodent stairs at me with a hunger.

"That will teach you to shut your mouth!" One of the guards grunts at me in his French tongue.

"vas te faire encule" I respond...

I am knocked out once more...

As my blurry eyes open, to the ring of Skelton keys... I am thrown next to my life, as she curdles in a fear hiding our secrets.

My neck burns as the door slams...

As I sit up... She comforts me. "Stupid barbarians!" She mutters under her breath. She gently begins pulling the hemp rope away from my seeping wounds. As strong as I think I am... I cry.

As I regain my manhood, we begin to go over the plan... We have three days till they feed us... Five spikes, a hemp rope, and nineteen guards to put in there place. As darkness falls, we remove the stone where we have watched our friends the rats come in and out of...

Buttercup kicks and forces me through the flesh ripping hole...
I fall into the sewers, she lands on my back shortly after.

The journey begins!

A thousand feet of sewage we begin crawling through. Over embankments and naturally placed chock stones. Deep within the prison walls! We come across a great amphitheater of amazement,where the sewage has become no more than a trickle. We must collect and drink! We wallow in a small victory before I discover the dead wet wall rat living in me precious drink.

I wish to vomit....

My princess has not seen the disgust that we just swallowed!

Another hundred feet we take refuge above the filth. The moon is the brightest we have seen in years during our entombment. We are restless and stir with excitement.

Come morning we drop a guard as Buttercup climbs a crack up the giant prison wall, she drops two more metal clad guards to there graves as she tiptoes across the terrace...

Now under the ventilator shaft I take the lead... Hemp rope around me waist as we admire the master construction of the time. I swing the mallet furiously planting one of the five iron spikes. Running the rope through we continue.

We take gaze upon the narrows! Four metal guards must be buried within these castle walls. I fight! Kick! Wiggle! Worm! Bite and punch... I have reached the end of narrows, now on its precipice I take out a bowman leaving his steel behind! I begin climbing the turrets water pipe an excruciating ordeal as my love waits for her chance of blood and victory. We waist to more sword wheeling guards.... Pounding there swords in the wall. We must retreat back to the sewers for rest as darkness crawls.

In the wee mornin' we climb our abandoned line from the yesterday's venture. Below the balcony my Queen takes over. I can hear her fighting her way to safety. She wrestles a guard to the wall... And dances around his corpse with a smile... She finds a perch out of sight and out of mind, right below our next move. Out of no where to guards attack... Buttercup drives them into the wall. We bask and laugh as we gingerly hang off of their bodies, with are hemp line...

We can see we are close....

Three hundred or more feet and we are free....

We talk of other victors that had scaled there passage.... Tales of men named Fred and Brown. Ionman of there time that fought for freedom. Another group of lockdowns that fought the Papillon! We will soon be there...

The sun is ablaze... And we have very little sewage water left...

I take the rains...
Heading for the smoke stack...
I'm almost to its end..... A trap I yell down!
I start fighting with the guard... As he wounds my pride...
Retreat!
Retreat!
Retreat we yell!

Just out of sight of the bowman as his arrows graze past us.... We once dangle again on the corpses.

Now or never... We say....

Buttercup unties the line from my waist...

She is incharge!

She dodges arrows and screams in excitement as she discovers the great escape! She is taunting the guard as he fires arrows at her. She is relentless...The hemp moves quickly through me hands.

I can hear a racket....

As my queen stabs a guard with his own sword. His body flys past me as she once more drive his weapon into the granite stone work. I join her slamming another spike into wall.

The guard below still firing...

We have one more move to freedom...

The guard is yelling to his foe on the roof....

"The're' esc esc escaping !!!!!! escape! "

"Escape!"

We kiss one another, possibly one last time....

I work my way to the roofs hatch....
Throwing it open...
I turn the unknown corner and climb the last hundred feet to the guards stance. We begin fighting as he cuts me deep.

The last obstacle in our path...

I drive one of the two iron spikes into his heart...

Hammering him the granite cap stone.... As he muddles out a few last words....

"J..A..I..L..!!! BREAKKKK!"



Jail Break 5.11 R Grade IV
11 Pitches, Bastille Buttress ; Lone Pine, CA