roger-50360282 @roger-50360282
The year is 1805 and I'm Allie, a sixty-three-year-old inmate in this British penal colony. It's a bleak existence, to say the least. My wrists are tied overhead to a sturdy tree branch, my ankles cuffed together, leaving me vulnerable and exposed to the elements - and whatever whims our overseers may have.
I've been here for what feels like an eternity, subjected to the harsh conditions and cruel punishments meted out by those in charge. The forced whippings are a particular favourite of theirs; the sound of the lash cutting through the air, the cries of my fellow inmates still echoing in my mind long after it's done.
But even amidst all this despair, there's something almost... beautiful about our collective suffering. A beauty born of resilience and solidarity, forged in the fire of shared experience. We're a group of women from different walks of life - British, French, Greek, Italian - brought together by circumstance to endure this hellish existence side by side.
We stand tall, despite the odds against us, our bodies bearing testament to our unbreakable spirits. Our wind-tousled hair and bruised skin only add to the rugged beauty of our collective form; we're a living embodiment of the phrase 'beauty in the eyes of the beholder'. And yet, even as I stand here, bound and naked before my tormentors, I find solace in knowing that I am not alone. We are all Allie -
