Preparation

The days began to pass monotonously for Ezer who had been locked up in prison for more than a week, he was not sure of the exact time and later discovered that no one was keeping track of the days and they were guided by season.

The food was poor as well as the water, the air was not saved along with the sanitation and to say nothing of the privacy, the only thing that saved Ezer's nails from being eaten out of boredom was the unexpected company that his cell had.

Nataña was the only person who accompanied him unlike the other cells full of men, it was obvious that this was done on purpose since there was no way for a woman to live so long locked up with a group of brutes. However, Ezer was aware of the true intentions of the guards and the reason to isolate her. Several times during the night or even during the day, she would be taken away by a guard only to return hours later bruised and her body a complete mess.

Ezer was no longer a child, his travels forced him to mature much earlier than others and he knew perfectly well what Nataña had to endure several times during the week. However, he could only grit his teeth and return the smile she showed him every time they met again. Nataña was a peculiar woman, very talkative and with a strong charisma that counteracted against the gloom of the dungeon. It didn't take long for both of them to find small topics of conversation that killed the monotony and, at the same time, didn't touch the past of either of them.

The days began to pass in this way. Wake up, talk, eat, go to the bathroom, go back to find something to entertain yourself and sleep. At first it was difficult to fall asleep due to all the energy accumulated in confinement for so long, although as the days passed, the food continued to be just as scarce, hitting Ezer's well-nourished body until now, giving him constant fatigue and weakening. It didn't take long for him to finally understand how all the other inmates slept so soundly, they just didn't have the strength for more.

“So... you're telling me that you spent what? Months inside the woods?” Nataña asks after finishing the only light meal they received that day.

“Yep.” Instead, Ezer was still struggling to swallow the last bits of bread in his mouth.

"Incredible, so incredible that it seems a lie."

"You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to.” He just shrugs and gathers the little breadcrumbs on the ground to pop into his mouth.

"I believe you, I believe you... but you had company, right?"

Ezer is surprised at the apt question, though he just leans back against the wall and doesn't answer. The few days he had been there served to learn something about Nataña's personality and knew that not answering would not offend her, in this place one was free to draw clear lines.

“So that's a yes ... Was it a man or a woman?"

“Ahhh ...”

“Alright! It's okay, I was just talking to myself. There is no need to answer.” Nataña backs away understanding that she was crossing the limits, but even so she smiles, Ezer did not know that she already got what she wanted when observing the small change of expression on his face when saying the word woman.

The conversation dies for at least an entire hour, where one can only hear the footsteps coming and going of the guards outside in the prison yard and the occasional muffled cough from one of the prisoners.

“It's noisy outside.”

“Winter is upon us, their ankles are going to start to get covered with snow and only now are they worried. It won't be long before they send us out to chop wood. Ezer, save your strength for that.”

He nods his head remembering what she had told him earlier. The prisoners were in charge of cutting the wood for all the guards and to feed the bonfire in the center of the dungeon, without it they would die of cold in winter. They did not have coats and would not receive any to counter the frigid temperatures and freezing stone bricks.

"There's something I wanted to ask you for a long time.”

“What?” Ezer knew she had something on her mind for all the minutes she stared at him.

"Your hair... Is it gray or black? Or maybe...?”

“What!?” Ezer cuts her off and instinctively puts the hands to his hair. He knew very well that he had a limited time until he was back to normal, even though it was supposed to last a month.

“Maybe I needed to apply that thing more often... Ahhh! I was overconfident!" He talks to himself, it was all he could do to regret it. Can't help but think how useful a mirror would have been since not even water showed a clear reflection in the darkness of the prison.

“Then? Gray? Black?” Nataña asks again, finding her partner's reaction funny.

"What the hell does that matter now!? Can't you be quiet for an hour!? Ezer yells in irritation, all the tension built up in his body expelled at that moment drawing the attention of all the people in the cells, although they could only hear and not see through the low wall that separated them.

Ezer immediately notes that he did wrong, but was too concerned with himself to apologize. No, his pride would not allow it. This is why he does not perceive the change in Nataña's expression and how her cold eyes focused on him. Before he understands why he was lying on the ground with a knee on his chest and his neck surrounded by firm fingers, Nataña speaks.

“I think you're making a little mistake in the way you talk to me. Don't forget where we are, we all did something to be here. And the ones that didn't, spent enough time locked up to lose their minds and be crazier than me. Remember it if you want to live.” Her dull eyes impress Ezer as much as the coldness of Nataña's words. He can't believe that the person he knew for a week was the same person than now. However, before he could even reply, she lets him go and lies back down in the same spot she was before.