A Bumper Crop

Overnight I had a bumper crop of rats.  I seem to be getting more and more of them appearing through the run in the cell, despite my attempts to eat them all.  Part of the trick, I think, was to allow their blood to land on the floor near to the holes on the run.  It seemed to attract them.  I must have eaten eight or nine of them overnight while I sat waiting for more, and still I had over a dozen hanging on the back of the door this morning before the guards appeared.

I must have nodded off during the night, too.  It seemed to have passed very quickly, and I hardly spent any time sharpening my spoon-blade.  Cutting the skin off these rats did blunt the edge a little, and it took time to get the sharpness back.

As a result of this mucking about overnight, I wasn't ready at breakfast time to try and make an escape bid.  I'd curled up on the bedding only an hour or so before they'd be appearing and I fell asleep again.  The guards came in, in what is now the normal way, and hurriedly beat me while dropping off their poor excuse for food and some water.  Then they left.  I went back to sleep in the darkness of the cell.

I knew I couldn't sleep for very long though.  I needed to sharpen my blade, and sitting hunched up overnight left me feeling a little stiff in the knees.  I hauled myself out of the bedding and paced up and down the room while I ate some of the rats I'd caught yesterday.  I needed the energy, but I'm starting to get sick of raw rat-meat.  I've made my decision to try and escape anyway, and I began polishing my blade to get an extra keen edge on it.

As the day has drawn on I've begun listening at the door for signs of the guards.  I need to know when they are on their way.