As the boot flew across the room he knew it would miss. The prisoner hung his head.

He had stared across the dark cell at the yellow skull with its hollow sockets and it had constantly smiled at him in mocking stillness.

Yesterday he had thrown his other boot.  He didn’t think much about it at the time but he was feeling sorry for himself and he’d begun to hate the skeleton.

It wasn’t a far throw, even now in his weakened state, but it was tough.  In fact, he had managed the distance both times (and then some) as the boots hit the opposite wall and bounced harmlessly to either side of the skeleton.

It wasn’t far at all; the problem came with the angle.

The room was exactly square.  The entrance was sealed by an oak door, stained by time and with thick iron bands, on the front wall.  The prisoner, barefoot and wearing dirty blue jeans loaded with shit and piss, sat against the back wall.  The skeleton, still manacled (albeit considerably looser than the prisoner due to the lack of flesh) dominated the left wall. The right wall stood ready for a third occupant but was bare.

With the prisoner’s left hand manacled to the wall in black iron chains and his right hand free and boot in hand, this meant he needed to throw across his body. On both attempts he had misjudged the release point; the first coming too late resulting in the first boot hitting to the left of the skeleton and the second too early and the boot had actually struck the corner of the stone wall and bounded back towards the figure.

The prisoner was not afraid of the skeleton in its present state.  He hardly felt anything towards it, aside from the hate, that is.  He thought it rather comical actually.  It seemed to be a skeleton that a science class would have on display.  The only difference was that this skeleton was seated.  It wore what at one time would have been a burgundy shirt that had become faded and covered in dust, most likely from the owner’s face as it had first rotted and then dried and disintegrated on top of it.  Brown corduroys, equally ancient looking, lay out in front of the skeleton with most of the skeletal feet intact.  Some of the small foot bones had become detached as the tendons and cartilage had disappeared and fallen to the ground.