Rikers Island: Siddhartha’s Journal 2005
Hartley sat in his cell, minding his own business until an exceptionally grouchy guard banged on the steel door. For some reason(the guard did not know why), Hartley never got up when he came. The guard passed the tray of food through the slit in the intimidatingly enormous door. The guard walked off, swearing under his breath. The guard would never know why Hartley Rathaway ignored the door.
Unlike anyone else in the prison, Hartley sat on his uncomfortable bench, reading. The book, The Science of Sound would be memorized in a week. The Rathaways were a wealthy American family, good and kind, always caring for everyone. But, Hartley was the black sheep.
Hartley was in prison, on some God forsaken wasteland of an island. Hartley had no idea where he was, but he knew why. He had stolen a large diamond, but the funny part of it, he had stolen from his own mother. Hartley had sold his mother’s diamond to pay for his experimental hearing aid. Hartley was deaf and no one cared. He could not hear anything! He was completely DEAF!
He knew he would never be loved, he was dashingly handsome like the heroes in the novels he had spent his whole childhood reading. His parents provided food, but that was it. They would never love him the way he loved to hear things. So, his parents had helped imprison him. He was 17, and he was sentenced to life.
Rikers Island: Siddhartha’s Journal 2007
Hartley turned 19 today, and today like any other he mumbled about sounds. Being deaf Hartley could never hear sound naturally, so he mumbled to himself about his hearing aid. As always the angry guard banged twice on the door with no response from the occupant inside. The prisoner looked up from his sitting position, he sat on his bench cross-legged and saw his food tray. One of the warden’s men would pick up the platter and make sure it was replaced the next day. Hartley grimly got up and trudged over to his food, he had nothing better to do.
Hartley Rathaway was going to rot for a long time, might as well not starve during that time huh. He picked through his thick soup, it was probably chicken but it didn’t matter, prison food isn’t known for its deliciousness. Hartley dipped his fingers into the soup, high security prisons like this usually didn’t have silverware. He was delivering the pinch of goop to his mouth only to stop abruptly. He felt something hard and oddly shaped. He lifted the alien object to his face…
He gasped, could it be? No, his eyes must be playing tricks! He rubbed his eyes. He looked again at seemingly imaginary item. It was!
In Hartley’s hands, was a hearing aid! He put it in his ear, and turned it on. It still worked, though it was slimy from the bowl of slop. Hartley’s world expanded past the area that he could see, he could hear metal banging, footsteps pacing, and he heard the ominous screams of the other prisoners.
To Hartley Rathaway, it was beautiful.
Suddenly, a voice called out to him, that was my voice.
“Hartley, look in your bowl, I’m giving you a gift…”
I could hear him dumping his bowl out and then I heard him cry. I had given him the greatest gift that anyone could have given him. I gave him his hearing. He spoke in a hoarse voice, it sounded like a cat purring while there was also a sound like gravel rubbing together,
“Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?”
I spoke with a sweet voice, my Indian accent made it nearly impossible to mistake my homeland.
“All that I require of you is that you learn.”
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