It is day five. My arms and head are restrained between two wooden bars. The bars are connected T style to another 2x4 that keeps the first bars off the ground just below head level. As a result I have to stand. My legs are burning as if they are on fire. I have been standing for five days straight now. I could relive the strain on my feet by letting my feet go and resting my entire weight on the bars holding my arms and head, but this is only temporary at best and quickly becomes more discomforting than standing. There is a king size bed in front of me and across the room, but I will never sleep in it. I must stand here.

I was late for a date and this is my punishment, ten years in the pillory, harsh but fair. Only after my sentence began am starting to realize some things. I am only just starting. Even after five days I still have ten years in front of me. I am going to be here a long time. My every day exactly like the last five, standing in the pillory in this poorly lit room. All I will do is stand in the pillory. I will probably never see my family or my friend Jenna again. I won't be able to watch TV or go outside. Visit the beach or listen to music. Ten years is a long time. The world will go on. People will live there lives. New things will be invented. All the while I will just stand in a pillory as the world turns around me.

I want to cry.