Mind Cage

Dancing flames. 

Alister turned away,fighting the urge to extinguish

the candle on his desk. He forced himself to stare at the pages in front of him, 

but the letters and numbers were winding like snakes. 

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, not even opening them again.

As a knock broke the eerie silence in the tunnel. "Dead end", Alister thought. 

The loud voice of Drama Drummer pierced his ears like a howling winter storm: 

"You called... boss?" "How did you like lunch?" 

Drummer pulled out his drum sticks then replied: 

"The potatoes could have been less... salty." 

 "Now, you may go." Alister waited until the echoes of Drummer's steps had died away before looking down onto the paper. 

Once he had finished work, he'd look for Broken Ben and ask him for the lyrics of that song that's been popular with the miners lately. 

Anything that would help him force a smile onto his lips was good enough as a cure from the homesickness that has been plaguing him ever since his departure. He missed Busted Gulch so terribly that the mere thought of its citizens caused heartache. 

Letting Stray Dog riding back might not have been a wise choice after all. "The heck with it!" Alister took care of the candle and started his search.