Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
Denise is the host.
The challenge is to write a story, employing the week’s prompt word and keeping it to no more than not less than six sentences.
Note: This is from a ‘series’ of Sixes set in the infamous Parchman Farms, the state prison in Mississippi (actually the setting for the stories is more about the prison from the early 20th.) If you’re interested, here are the links: Parchman Farm ‘Shake’: https://wp.me/pRP3W-7QL Parchman Farm. ‘Polish’: https://wp.me/pRP3W-8Do. Parchman Farm. ‘Agreed’ https://wp.me/pRP3W-8TT
This week’s prompt word:
RELEASE
“You men don’t work so hard y’all can’t be awake enough at supper to give ole Elias here the sendoff he deserves,” laughing, Roscoe Williams looked down from his horse at the line of men, morning sun blazing through the mist, creating an improbable halo; not that anyone but a new inmate had enough foolish left in him to look directly at the man who ruled their days.
With the sun in the clutches of the treed-clad horizon and the final meal of the day done, Elias Teague Johnson, dressed in clothes that were new before some of the prisoners were born, stepped off the covered porch, walked through the wrought-iron gates of Camp 8 and headed towards a world that contained nothing but long-dead friends and total strangers.
Billy Tulene, release papers still four years into an uncertain future, spoke towards the old man sitting on a spindle-back chair, “I understand why Elias has a spring in his step, what I don’t get is Boss Roscoe, he’s got a look on his face like his wife burned his dinner, shot his dog and ran off with the postman.”
Arthritic knuckles adding a certain tenderness as he touched the wooden cross hanging from his neck, the man spoke from a place as foreign to the younger man as any atlas scribed in a long dead language, “That’s right, you’re new here, boy”; tipping forward to plant the front legs of the chair on the foot-polished boards of the porch, he turned his head towards the young man and away from the cageboss, pacing the tired grass lawn in front of the wide single story building.
“Boss Roscoe was a new guard, about your age, when Elias joined us, that’d be ’bout twenty-three years next August. You and me ain’t the only ones owned by Parchman Farm; that look on his sweaty face, that’s jealousy, boy, pure and simple, jealousy.”
About clarkscottroger
The music and the story go together nicely.
like this version of the song
I agree with Phyllis. The soundtrack for this piece is almost…spiritual.
Exceptional storytelling.
Great descriptive Six and beautiful music
“foot-polished boards” – Now if I could just remember where I have seen an example of this in my life. It will probably come to me in the middle of the night. LOL
Well played , Clark Scott Roger, well played. Great six.
thanks, Paul
Excellent six!
ty
Oh, yes, there are more ways to cage a bird than just to put him behind physical bars. Wow.
Well, said, M
To wear down the often scuffled wood took pressure from free and shackled just the same. The release of shackles may be most felt by the truest sense of going home. Descriptively stunning six.
Thank you, Lisa
Well done sir. Who knew this was about Boss Roscoe? Nice twist and true.
Thankee, Miz Avery
(therein is the fun of the story telling exercise… only after a number of revisions and drafts and such, did that insight (that the prison owns the guards as much as it owns the prisoners) occur to me.
What a deliciously written six. Some men’s time is never served… You’ve out done yourself, Clark, if that is possible..
Thank you, V. totally is the point, non?*
*to out do oneself**
** sure, but that multiplicity of the self is surely not the only path that is implied…
Great story full of thoughtful pursuit. A “walk-a-mile in my shoes” perspective.
Thank you, Oneta
Maybe fourth try at commenting will be the charm! First off, I love this song! Also, this was a great piece of writing, Clark. It brought home the point that there is more than one definition of living an imprisoned life. In fact, I dare say it’s pretty common, which is sad when you think about it, doing a job day after day that you wish you could escape from.
yeah, that business of being own by the institution/job, of course, in mostly of another time and place, but surely does exist. (there are even warnings to those who would retire after a virtual lifetime in a job to be careful to feel suddenly adrift in the world.
Finally, whew!! For some reason I seem to be blocked from using my WordPress ID when commenting on your website. I wonder if it has identified me as spam because I’ve tried so many times! 😊
Weird… both your messages have made it through at the same time, without moderation.
I also run into trouble sometimes (especially crossing platforms, like to blogger)…sometimes I use my twitter account, other times a different browser (Firefox or Chrome) helps.
I totally appreciate your perseverance.
Great take on the prompt, and thought-provoking, given the setting. I liked the line about the age of the clothes.
Hey! Thank you for the thoughtful gift (TToT post-its) They just arrived in the mail
Cool.
Very nice surprise.
Thanks. Not real such why the place has captured by interest as it had… what an awful place!