The Cage - Chapter One

John woke up abruptly. He’s not sure what it was that brought him out of slumber. He didn’t hear anything or smell anything. He turned over to kiss his wife but she wasn’t there. He thought that was kind of odd. He called out for her but there was no answer. He was going to get up and look for her but he didn’t feel like getting up. The fact was he was very comfortable. He thought to himself that this was the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in. He knew he should get up, but whatever was going on could certainly wait a few more minutes. He wanted to indulge in this comfort. He even thought of taking the day off from work.

Finally he got a hold of himself and sat up. What he saw startled him. The reason why his wife didn’t return his call was because he wasn’t at home. He was somewhere unfamiliar. He tried to remember how he got there but his memory failed. He tried to remember the last thing he could before going to sleep, but his memory failed him again. He just didn’t know where he was or how he got there.

He was in a small room. In addition to the bed he was lying in, he saw a simple dresser and a closet. A door led out of the room into a hallway. When he finally got out of bed, he noticed that he was wearing silk pajamas. They felt wonderful and he didn’t know why he hadn’t noticed it before now. He usually never wore pajamas, preferring to sleep in boxers so this was something else that was unfamiliar. He checked the dresser and found some shorts and a t-shirt. They seemed to be his size so he removed the pajamas and put them on.

Across from the small room was a bathroom. It was also simple. It contained a toilet and washbasin and was just barely big enough to fit in. The small hall opened up into a living area. The living area contained a plasma TV with surround sound speakers. John had always wanted a TV like this but could never bring himself to purchase one. John and his wife had two small children and there were always expenses that had to come first. He found the remote and was tempted to turn it on. When he finally got the courage to do it, a football game appeared. There was something odd about the game but John couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Next to the living area was a small kitchen. John found that he was hungry so he turned off the TV and checked to see what was in the refrigerator. He found some bacon, a carton of eggs and a pitcher of orange juice. When he checked the cupboard, He found some English muffins and also noticed there was a toaster nearby. As he was preparing his breakfast something occurred to him. This was the third thing in this house that seemed like it was there just for him. The bed was just like a bed he always wanted. He also always wanted a Plasma TV and when he first woke up he thought that it would be great to have bacon and eggs for breakfast. It couldn’t just be a coincidence.

He ate his breakfast at a small table. There was only one chair which meant that he was the sole occupant of where ever this place was. His family wasn’t joining him. It seemed to him that his family was probably safe at home wondering what happened to him and that he was the one in peril. The thing was that it didn’t really seem all that dangerous.