Member-only story
Twenty Minutes
A mindful mind’s tale
Ryan got pushed into the van that sat outside Green Mountains Penitentiary. They hadn’t been rude this time, he thought. It was a slight, almost like a “friendly” push. Still a push, but who cares.
Ryan sat across from two older men who he had never met. They were probably from another sector of the prison. They didn’t make eye contact. So Ryan just sat and stared out the window.
Mr. Scott, the prison warden, showed up and gave one last look inside the van. He wanted to make sure the young correctional officer had tied the inmates safely and securely. He nodded at Ryan, and he nodded back. He wasn’t going to miss this old place, but he would miss Mr. Scott and some of the other guards. They had been nice to him, at least. Ryan wasn’t like the others, he’d heard them say. He was chill and polite, and he spent most of his time at the library and out of trouble.
The Green Mountains Penitentiary was a brutal place to be, and although Ryan’s crime hadn’t been a rookie’s crime, he had been placed there for some reason. But everyone in the prison knew that was no place for Ryan.
When a new prison had been opened nearby, Ryan asked if he could be transferred. They had a good machinery program, and Ryan had intentions of doing that after leaving prison. Mr. Scott said he would put on a note, but he…
