141 3 Role models given shoes. Kathy, alone, received socks. Short trousers for Africans were meant to remind us that we were “boys”. I put on the short trousers that day, but I vowed that I would not put up with them for long. The warders pointed with their guns where they wanted us to go, and barked their orders in simple one-word commands: “Move!” Silence!” “Halt!” They did not threaten us in the swaggering way that I recalled from my previous stay, and betrayed no emotion. The old jail was only temporary quarters for us. The authorities were in the process of finishing an entirely separate maximum-security structure for political prisoners. While there, we were not permitted to go outside or have any contact with other prisoners. The fourth morning we were handcuffed and taken in a covered truck to a prison within a prison. This new structure was a one-story rectangular stone fortress with a flat cement courtyard in the center, about one hundred feet by thirty feet. It had cells on three of the four sides. The fourth side was a twenty-foot-high wall with a catwalk patrolled by guards with German shepherds. […] The cells had been reconstructed hurriedly, and the walls were perpetually damp. Many mornings, a small pool of water would have formed on the cold floor overnight. When I raised this with the commanding officer, he told me our bodies would absorb the moisture. We were each issued three blankets so flimsy and worn they were practically transparent. Our bedding consisted of a single sisal, or straw, mat. Later we were given a felt mat, and one placed the felt mat on top of the sisal one to provide some softness. At that time of year, the cells were so cold and the blankets provided so little warmth that we always slept fully dressed. I was assigned a cell at the head of the corridor. It overlooked the courtyard and had a small eye-level window. I could walk the length of my cell in three paces. When I lay down, I could feel the wall with my feet and my head grazed the concrete at the other side. The width was about six feet, and the walls were at least two feet thick. Each cell had a white card posted outside of it with our name and our prison to vow – sverja a warder – fangavörður swaggering – yfirlætisfullur previous – fyrri to betray – hér: uppljóstra temporary – tímabundinn quarters – vistarverur handcuffed – handjárnaður one-story – á einni hæð a fortress – virki a courtyard – garður a German shepherd – þýskur fjárhundur hurriedly – í flýti perpetually – sífellt to raise – hér: taka upp moisture – raki to issue – hér: úthlutað flimsy – lélegur sisal – hampur felt – filt to assign – úthluta pace – skref to graze – hér: snerta létt
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