They called it his death stare. His eyes would become completely absent of any emotion. The inmates knew there was no room for messing with the warden.
They nicknamed him Cerberus because when he barked, “get behind the lines!” even the toughest prisoner would scramble.
When you are an inmate of Coldford Correctional you are under the care of Warden, Remar – codename: Cerberus.
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“I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me!”
Name: Wayne Grundy
Occupation: Bamber Bear mascot
Charges: Multiple murder (mostly children under twelve)
Sentence: Life
Wayne Grundy is a burly man with a natural strength about him. He has a naivety about him too that some see as a child like innocence. Others see it as simpleton stupidity. Then there are those who see it as frustrating psychopathy. And why wouldn’t they? They call him the Bamber Bear killer and he is caged in Coldford Correctional for the massacre that happened at the restaurant for little tykes. He maintains that he is innocent. Is anyone really innocent behind the walls of The Boss?
Raised by his father, Lenny, Wayne was bullied badly growing up. He was kicked around his whole life and some feel he just snapped. He played the role of cartoon favourite, Bamber Bear, at the restaurant for years. Perhaps it just finally got to him.
Wayne learned to escape into the imagination from his dad. Lenny was a delightfully delusional man who taught him to escape on fantastical flying machines made out of blankets and sofas. There’s not a flying machine that will get him out of his current predicament. Not even a heavily armed army helicopter would dare fly over the prison without permission.
Physically large and strong Wayne can take the beating. He is a bear after all but even the mighty bear has been made to dance in chains. If he is innocent he is in the wrong place. If he wants to prove it he’s running out of time.
They say he’s the Bamber Bear killer but anyone who knows Wayne Grundy would say he didn’t have it in him. Maybe he snapped. Maybe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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I have hit on this subject matter before but since it is something that really resonates with me and it seems something that so many people have to deal with in their daily lives I am going to broach the subject again. Since we are now heading a little further into 2022 (I can’t stop myself still writing 2020. Where did 2021 go?) we are leaving behind the holidays that force you to interact with relatives and acquaintances that, shall we say, aren’t the most positive influences in your life. That means that you may find yourself a little freed from toxic people. I hear all to often good people putting up with toxicity because ’they’re family’ . Toxicity is toxicity regardless of blood. It doesn’t matter if she birthed you. It doesn’t matter if you shared parentage. It doesn’t matter if some DNA test would confirm you are related, toxicity is still toxicity.
Just the other day I was having a zoom call chat with a friend and they were telling me just how anxious and upset they were because their elder sister had been staying with them and she was making their life a misery. Now, if someone came to you and asked, ‘can you put me up for a little while? In exchange I’m going to take over your whole house, I’m going to treat your hobbies and interests like a joke and I’m going to make your life a misery to the point your stomach starts to rumble with nerves as you reach your own front door, you would say Hell no. However, when they come flashing that magic DNA access pass it seems to make the whole situation more difficult. It shouldn’t be. You have to prioritise your own well being. Being related is no excuse to disrespect you. Your home is your haven and you can’t let it be invaded by noxious forces.
Maybe you have that friend from school that their very company leaves you emotionally dehydrated. You listen patiently for hours as they list off the problems they face and their hatred of the world around them but never ask how you are doing. Life is tough enough. You need people who lift you up not put you down. Knowing someone for a long time and them still behaving like putrid ponce should tell you all you need to know about them. I’m no expert and I dare say I have my own share of behaviours some would consider toxic but to me any relationship is a partnership of sorts and requires mutual respect.
In ode to this I say to all of you have the best 2022 there can possibly be for you. Clear out those cupboards, wash up those messes and dry those tears because every day is another chance to start something new and it can start right now.
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“I loved my wife but a decision had to be made.”
Name: Matthew Lane
Occupation: Exchange worker/ poet
Charges: Murder
Sentence: Ten years
Matthew (you can call him Matty) is a mild mannered man with the spirit of a poet. He hails from an artistic family. His cousin, Harper, owns the Dalway Lane gallery in City Main and his younger cousin Moony is a junior cartoonist for Roby Studios. Having lost his mother at a young age he was raised by his Aunt Gladys. Originally from the country of Subala the Lane family settled into Coldford and thrived for generations. When Matty meet his wife, Wanda, and she gave birth to their son Walter, it seemed like the perfect life.
After the birth of Walter, Wanda became absorbed in post natal depression. With a stubborn pride she feared being seen as a terrible mother so she shied from what little help there was available to her. When she fell to severe depressive episodes Matty was at a loss to be able to help her. He supported her as best he could but it appeared to be a battle he could not win.
Tragedy struck (and was somewhat prevented) when Wanda tried to kill their infant child in a murder suicide. She saw no way forward. Matty in turn shot his wife dead in order to save little Walter. It didn’t matter his intentions, a grisly murder was still committed and he was given ten years at the behest of The Boss.
Quiet, polite and agreeable Matty never poses any trouble for the guards of Coldford Correctional. He is pleasant to the other inmates and he is always where he needs to be and when. Not that he has much choice in that matter.
A decade behind bars is a long time but he knows his son is safe in the hands of his Aunt Gladys. In the meantime it is up to his legal representative, the well known and respected Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Owen, to appeal to the Office of Law Makers on his behalf in the hopes his sentence can be reduced due to the circumstances.
In a desperate attempt to save the life of his child, Matty Lane wielded a gun. Now his wife is dead and he has been imprisoned in Coldford Correctional for ten years … At least.
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“Just remember to breathe. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Count, 2, 3. Count, 2, 3.”
Name: Lucca Markov
Occupation: Model
Charges: Grievous Bodily Harm
Sentence: Five years,
They call him ‘Lucky Lucca’ and he’s been in all the big magazines. His profile for ‘Eloquence Magazine’ received millions of views. He was much sought after. His public persona was played to marvellous effect. He had it all. That was until his modelling career came to an abrupt halt when media mogul Kathleen Gray discovered he had taken part in some adult films. Suddenly, life didn’t seem so pretty.
Lucca was used to putting on a pretty face for the public. But when there is such close scrutiny on your every move it’s difficult to keep up appearances. Lucca hit rock bottom. His fans called him an attention whore until eventually he made one final public appearance that resulted in a man having his member bitten off. There came the GBH charges Lucca finds himself caged for. He was Mr Popular. Behind the walls of The Boss isn’t really the place you want to find yourself that sought after.
Lucca could put on a show for the cameras but underneath there is far more to him than meets the eye. He is kind natured really, albeit a little vain. He was seven years old when his dad gave him over to talent agents. He was brought alone from his home country of Levinkrantz and he would be the first to say it was the best stroke of luck he had ever had. He wouldn’t have thrown all that away for nothing. Attention whore? Maybe it would do well to look at what really went on. He had a good life. Someone set out to ruin it.
‘Lucky’ Lucca Markov had it all. He was young, attractive and had the world at his feet. When that sweet lifestyle started to fall apart he tried to do everything he could to hold it together. Now he finds himself an inmate of The Boss.
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“Well that’s that then, innit?”
Name: Jake Fullerton
Occupation: Construction CEO
Charges: Aggravated Assault
Sentence: Two years.
Jake is the head of the Fullerton Family who in Coldford City are the first in construction. They are responsible for building the Shady City into the modern beauty it is today. ‘Building Bridges’ is their motto and their most notable addition to the landscape is the great Fullerton Bridge which connects the city to the borough of Cardyne via the Fullerton home town of Filton. Construction in any city is tough but in Coldford you need real nerves of iron.
Like the rest of his family Jake has a steely determination. He is generally a kind hearted man who just wants what’s best for his family, especially his daughter Lucy. However, he does have a temper and nothing flares that temper more than when his family are attacked.
An incident on one of his building sites led Jake to lose that temper of his. His victim landed in hospital and he landed himself behind the bars of Coldford Correctional, better known as The boss.
Charged with aggravated assault jake has two years to serve (at least) so he had best knuckle under and keep that temper in check if he ever wants to leave again. However, The Boss has Her way of aggravating her inmates. Keep your hands to yourself there 2011 and stay behind your bars.
Jake Fullerton builds bridges. His daughter, his sister and his family legacy will all be lost if he doesn’t act. Where inside prison will he find materials to build a bridge that big though?
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“Ms Bergman will now ask some questions.”
Name: Sophie Bergman
Occupation: Law Maker (Hell Hound office)
Features in: PURPLE RIBBON ; KNOCK KNOCK
Sophie is the younger sister of Howard Bergman of the Bergman Diamond Parade in City Main. Like the rest of her family she is loving and kind. She is sharp witted and not easily fooled. Among her family she is the one that carries a reputation of being strict which is to be expected when she is a high ranker from the Office of Law Makers. Her two sons, Issac (the elder) and Elijah (the younger) are well mannered and law abiding thanks to their mother’s upbringing.
Sophie and her brother Howard were born in the country of Levinkrantz until the blitz. During the blitz they were offered escape. Their parents perished leaving young Howard with his little sister, to come to Coldford to start a new life. She has seen war. She had seen it at a young age and it gave her the determination to become the Law Making force she is.
Sophie is also congenitally deaf. She reads lips very well so rather than criminals trying to sing sweet words to her ears she can easily decipher the truth of the matter straight from the tongue. She is accompanied mostly by her interpreter, Dmitri Raminoff, better known as Golem for his protective nature and sheer size.
Upholding the law in the Shady City is a tough job but Sophie isn’t shy of it. She was just a little girl when the bombs began to fall on Levinkrantz. She escaped a war zone. She has little fear.
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It began so slowly. First there were meetings, then there was fighting and then there were soldiers on the streets. When the bombs started to drop it was all over. As the Church of St Wigan calls for the end of days, Howard Bergman wondered how long it would be before the bombs started to drop on Coldford.
“I always thought there was something terribly odd about him.”
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Welcome to 2022 folks!
I can almost hear the collective moan as we recover from a year long hangover of lockdowns and all sorts of other struggles. Regardless of that I hope you all had a great holiday. This time of year tends to bring a lot of stress on people (most of it unnecessary). We are conditioned to want to spend money on elaborate gifts, debt rises and the pressure of having to enjoy ourselves really takes it toll.
I for one like a quiet holiday with those nearest and dearest to me. I grew up in a raucous household so nowadays I like things more subdued. It makes me sound like an old woman but life is tough enough without some overly commercialised holiday forcing you to spend time with people you can’t really stand throughout the year. We’re told to grin and bear it, they’re family. They’re blood. Like Hell they are! Family are people who come into your life to make it easier, to support you. If Uncle Jim across the table is on his fifth glass of wine and demanding everyone listens to his racist tirades then that’s not family. When Grandma is guilt tripping you because you’d rather spend your Christmas day happy than crying in the bathroom because she hated your gift then that’s not family.
As someone with no kids I can only imagine how dreadful the approach of the big man with the beard must be for those who do. It has to be tough seeing all those photos of bragging parents with the mountain of gifts they bought their little precious when you are worried if you can even scrape enough together to get those shoes they really wanted. It’s unnecessarily showy. ‘What are you trying to prove?’ I always wonder.
I don’t want to put a downer on Christmas. The truth is I do find it a fabulous holiday. It’s message is to be kinder to each other, to bring joy and cheer to each other and to spend some time in celebration with those close to us. That is a principle I will always champion. I guess my point here is don’t let yourself get bogged down with the pressure of it all. Remember, toxic people are toxic people and don’t deserve a seat at the table even if they are blood and Aunt Kate will be really put out if not invited. Screw you, Aunt Kate. If you force yourself in then cousin Derek will have to come too and he can start a fight in an empty house.
We all have them. This time of the year is always a real test. But it can also be a marvellous opportunity of new beginnings. A new day, a new month, a new year. When you are given the chance of complete revival it doesn’t matter what came before. Look forward and make this the best year ever!
I love you all folks and I sincerely wish you the best time ahead.
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Gather round ladies and gentlemen, for a tale of four desperate men on society’s ultimate time out. We’ve got vagabonds of all descriptions behind these bars and someone has to keep them in line.
Coldford Correctional is better known as The Boss for the way it looms over the town. It’s the toughest place in the Shady City. Some even say it’s Hell on earth. It’s lucky that the warden they have guarding it earned the nickname ‘Cerberus’, the loyal hound of hades and guardian of the underworld.
Warden Gianni Remar has kept all kinds of monsters behind bars. The strongest prison in the Shady City seems like the perfect fit for him.
Coming April 2022
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