Construction Season
I stared at the black lid inches over my face—sealing me into the container. I didn’t have a choice. Being securely tied and gagged made it difficult to move. But the sand packed around me made it impossible. I was buried so deeply that only my forehead, eyes, and nose were free. I was forced to stare upwards so that I could breathe through my nostrils—a few millimeters above the level of the sand. As promised, the hours of struggling have been fruitless: escape was precisely as distant a goal as it was when I started. Perhaps it’s even further than before given how tired I was. Securely bound, gagged, and not knowing when my girlfriend would come to free me, I was reminded that dating a woman stronger than you can be rather dangerous. ...