Hubcap was frightened. Hubcap was a Pennsylvania prison guard, so he was frightened a lot, but this was worse. He was searching a prisoner's cell. He'd uncovered things in writing, lots of things in writing. To simple-minded folk, writing isn't just mysterious, it's frightening. The dumber the yokel, the more he's scared of things if they're written down. This fiendish prisoner had many writings, notes and legal information, addresses and names. Some of the names were names of guards. That was especially scary! Maybe it meant that a guard would be held responsible for some of his misconduct. Hubcap was VERY scared. Hubcap called his sergeant for advice. Lon, the sergeant, was shockingly ugly; Lon Chaney ugly, but he was a lot smarter than your average prison guard. He could even be clever given the right situation. Searching a prisoner's cell was not the time for clever. It was Lon's time for folly. Lon rose to the occasion. Unlike Hubcap, Lon wasn't much afraid of writings, but a prisoner's typewriter, that was a different matter. There were miniature plastic tabs on the keyboard cover. That would never do! Using his trusty pencil like Excalibur, Lon dug the offending tabs off the keyboard cover. Triumphantly, he seized the tabs. The world was a safer place! Lon was not the kind of sergeant to let a fellow like Hubcap in the lurch. Normal people have to make allowances for fellows with Hubcap's limitations. He was big and sweaty, but, like so many Pennsylvania prison guards, he had to rely on bullying. He liked to threaten prisoners especially if one tried to peek into the cell while he was trashing it. See, by trashing the prisoner's cell, Hubcap displayed his authority, his importance and his questionable masculinity. He might not know what "pudendum" meant, but he could conceal his inadequacies with bluster. Sergeant Lon helped cart off the prisoner's frightening writings. They would have to be turned over to someone who could read. What made this stuff really dangerous was that it was written down instead of remembered. Both Hubcap and Lon recognized that there was something unhealthy, abnormal, even subversive about writing things down. Remembering a guard's name was okay, but writing it down, that was threatening. With the writings gone, Hubcap breathed a sigh of relief. The worst of his trembling subsided, but then there was the sewing kit! That was pretty damn scary, too. Sergeant Lon wasn't afraid of the prisoners attacking him with a sewing needle, but Hubcap wasn't so sure. He knew that when you treat prisoners badly enough, they might seek justice. He didn't want his ears sewed back. A laconic prison maintenance man tried to remain unobtrusive while he watched in muddled disbelief. He'd rather be welding. Rebecca's Bargain Antiques Collectible Vintage Photos Fine Prints - Old Maps Sheet Music - Old Books Elegant Antiques and Collectibles "Public money is like holy water, everybody helps himself to it" Italian proverb You are welcome to use or republish any of our material. Please give www.prisoners.com credit as the source. Return to the Glimpse of Prison Life Menu Return to the Main Menu Go to our site's Search Engine Send us Your Comments or Input.