The Prison Warden (Marianne X Mifune)

Ashely drove her car quite fast; she wanted to reach the prison as soon as possible. She looked at her wrist watch and it was quarter to 10 A.M., although this was the normal time but she seemed disturbed. And she had good reasons to be disturbed, morning, while she was getting dressed; she got a phone call from the prison informing that the guards found some drugs. This was not happening in her prison, she had along experience and this was the first time something like that happened.

She was warned a year back when she took the job, the city mayor, a close friend of hers, did inform her that the prison wasn’t like one of her routine prisons. It was a gathering of 1500 plus most serious criminals and a 300 plus corrupt guards. She took it like a challenge; she fired some of the guards, brought her previous officers but things weren’t coming under control. She wanted to put things in place soon because that would mean a promotion in coming years.

Ashley pulled the car in the parking lot, climbed down and walked to her office. She was wearing a business suit, that’s all what she wore. She threw her leather bag on the couch on the left as she walked to her chair behind a massive Victorian wooden table but rather sitting, she pulled her desk phone and dialed a number. “Send the guard who caught the drugs…” She whispered. Ashley stood there next to the table waiting for the guard. She wanted to know the actual matter before taking any decision.

Ashley Pennington took the charge of the prison almost 10 months back. She had a very good experience and reputation to replace the last warden who quit following riot in the prison. Ashley at 34 had achieved much more than she expected. Ashley was a white strictly catholic girl, who graduated from a reputed college. She started her career with the mayor’s office as a secretary and grew to heights. She married her childhood sweetheart David Pennington who was a rather knows lawyer in the country.

A mature white male walked in her office, “Good morning Warden” He smiled as he stood in front of her. “Good morning…so what’s the matter” Ashley smoke politely.
“I was on a round when I saw prisoners exchange something. I couldn’t recognize the second prisoner but I was able to catch one…I checked him and found this” The guard tossed a tiny packet. “Grass…” He grinned mockingly.

Ashley picked up the packet “Where is he?” she asked as she took out a thin wooden stick, which was designed to do unseen harm on prisoners. She had used it pretty often; it would damage the thin nerves and leave pain for days. “Basement…you know where we keep them” He smiled. Ashley walked out of her office and marched to the basement. She made her way to the cell which wasn’t being used on papers; it was a thick walled, metal door torture chamber. Nothing could be seen or heard from outside.

“Is he handcuffed?” Ashley asked the guard on the door, a young American African male. “Yes…madam” He grinned. “Ok…thanks, you can leave and put nothing on records” She whisper and walked inside the chamber.

Clark was the only prisoner that was brought to the basement. The twenty-five year old young man couldn’t stay still. He was pacing back and forth in the room that he was brought to. What was about to happen? Why was he here? And what did the guards mean that the Warden wanted to speak to him? Did she want a piece of the cut?
He learned firsthand that the only way to stay alive in prison was to have something other people want. Now, Clark wasn’t set to prison because of a murder charge, or anything that serious. It was grand-theft auto, and because his lawyer was pretty crappy. It landed him in this prison.

The first few weeks, Clark got beaten up. It wasn’t until someone realizes that Clark was getting goods from a guard during lunch time. Rumors started to spread from one prisoner to another. He realizes this was his ticket to staying alive in this prison. Especially since there seem to be a different warden every time a riot happens.

The goods that Clark would provide to other prisoners would be stuff like grass, some dimes, and nickels. Some of them wanted some magazines, not the kind that gave them knowledge of the world. It was easily accessible especially since Clark was here because he took the fall for a friend.

He didn’t look like a threat when he entered the prison. But taking beatings every day and not knowing whether or not a turn someone makes in this prison would be his last one; made Clark begin a training regimen. Clark suddenly stopped when he heard voices coming outside of the room he was being kept in. He was handcuffed, and was in his orange jump suit.

“What the fuck you want…bitch…” Clark said, acting all tough and gangster. It was the life he knew. Living in the projects, and life of crime, Clark’s education potential may have been promising if their parents didn’t divorce. But here he was face to face with the new warden. What shocked him the most was that the rumor was true that the new warden was a chick. “If I were you…I would have that guard here…you wouldn’t be safe with me by yourself…maybe I get the idea of holding you hostage…just saying…” he said, jerking his face towards her. He was prepared for whatever punishment she had for him.