The Cage

The young man woke up alone in the cell with no knowledge of who he was or what he was doing there. The cell door wasn't locked so he could wander at will through the damp, shadowy corridors of the underground prison. He found food on a platform at the base of a shaft, but encountered no other person, neither fellow prisoner nor guard. Returning at last to the cell, he noticed a name on the door. O'Malley. Was it his? It triggered no memories-none whatsoever.

Later this first baffled prisoner is joined by a second boy, a third, and more. Each has a vividly different personality, but all their pasts are as blank as O'Malley's. As the boys explore the confines of their subterranean world, the mystery deepens. Is this a prison at all? Or have they been chosen to take part in some bizarre experiment, like laboratory animals? Tensions mount when some of the boys begin to suspect that one of them is an informer. But which one?

With its absorbing interplay of personalities and steadily mounting suspense, The Cage raises questions about such issues as mind control and behavior conditioning. The ironic climax offers no final answers, but does affirm the resilience of the human mind-and spirit.

Jacket painting by Richard Egielski.