Escape Ruse

A pretty woman was serving a life sentence in prison. Angry and resentful about her situation, she decided that she would rather die than live another year behind bars. Over the years she had become good friends with one of the caretakers. His job, among others, was to bury those prisoners who had died, in a graveyard just outside the prison walls.

Each time someone died, the caretaker would ring a bell, which could be heard by everyone. He then got the body and put it in a casket. Next, he would go to his office to fill out the death certificate before returning to nail the casket lid shut. Finally, he would put the casket on the wagon and take it out to the graveyard for burial.

The woman, who knew this routine, devised an escape plan which she shared with the caretaker. The next time the bell rang, she would leave her cell and sneak into the dark room where the coffins were kept. She would then slip in and lie beside the body while the caretaker filled out the death certificate. When he returned, he would nail the lid shut and carry the coffin out of the prison, with the woman inside. He would then proceed to bury the coffin.

The woman knew there would be enough air for her to breathe until later in the evening, when the caretaker would return under the cover of darkness, dig up the coffin, and set her free.

Initially, he was reluctant to go along with the plan. But since he and the woman had become good friends over the years, he agreed.

The woman waited several weeks before someone in the prison died. She was asleep in her cell when the bell rang. She got up, picked the lock of her cell, and slowly walked down the hallway. She was nearly caught a couple of times; her heart was pounding.

She opened the door to the room where the coffins were kept. After some groping in the dark, she found the one that contained the body, climbed into it and pulled the lid shut.

Soon she heard footsteps, followed by the pounding of nails. Even though she was very uncomfortable in the coffin, she knew that with each nail, she was one step closer to freedom.

The coffin was lifted onto a wagon and taken out to the graveyard. The woman could feel it being lowered into the ground. She didn't make a sound as it hit the bottom of the grave with a thud.

Finally she heard the dirt hitting the top of the wooden coffin, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before she would be free again. After several minutes of absu\olute silence, she began to laugh. She felt free!

Then, feeling curious, she decided to light a match to find out the identity of the prisoner beside her. To her horror, she found herself staring at the stiff caretaker!

Many people believe they have life all figured out. But sometimes, things just don't turn out the way they plan.

Sent to Starmag by Pola Singh