The Count of Monte-Christo
Chapter III
In his prison cell, Terry was looking for something to do. He would write on the walls, he would look at the birds coming in by the high window of his cell… It was a sign that life outside continued… How long has it been since he's been in that prison? He didn't know… But the prison manager arrived to give him a reminder…
- Happy birthday Grandchester!
Terry walked back against the wall. The manager approached him with his guards… Terry was whipped for his birthday in jail.
- See you next year! Said the manager leaving his cell.
Terry really had had enough of life… he wanted to end it… he tried to hung himself… he looked at was was written on the walls, even if he didn't know how to read, the prison manager had said :"God will do me justice", so Terry stop his plans to hang himself… He went to write on the wall again on those words, on that famous sentence… he would also draw some bars to count his days and time passed, it had now been 4 years since he had been put in jail…the manager had come to whip him as usual… they gave him his daily ration of food and that's how he fed himself to stay alive.
One day, during meal time, he heard some noise… where could that noise come from in this horrible prison? He saw the ground move and he got afraid, he walked back to see what was going to happen… He got afraid, what if it was an animal who was coming to eat him? Where was he going to run? By the high window? It was too high… He calmed himself and he thought he saw the shape of a head full of dust… an old man came out of the hole…
- Hello, he told terry, calculation error. I thought I was going to find myself outside… do you speak French, English or Italian? He asked
Terry didn't reply.
- I'm father Martin. I've been here in Chateau d'If for 11 years, and I spent the 5 years digging a tunnel in the wrong direction! He said smiling and bursting out laughing
Terry looked at him stunned. He was laughing? He wanted to cry!
- What are you doing here? Asked Terry
- What's your name young man? Asked the father
Terry couldn't take it anymore. He burst into tears, sobbing… was he asked a normal question? What was his name? Father Martin approached him to say:
- Come on, it's going to be fine, don't worry…
Terry calmed down and Father Martin asked him:
- Can I climb on your shoulders?
Terry didn't reply. He helped the old man climbing on his shoulders. And he was able to look outside by the high window and he was able to see the sky. Then he came down.
- Thank you young man, it's been 11 years since I've seen he sky. Thank you God!
- Don't talk to me about God, father…
- And what about what's written on the wall? Said Father Martin
- That's not true. God is not here… said Terry, I want revenge…
- All right, said Father Martin giving him some bricks from the floor and getting out by the hole where he first came in…
Terry followed him…
- It took me 7 years, said Father Martin, continuing his way underground and Terry followed him and he found himself in Father Martin's cell… He was surprised to see ha had a table and a chaise made out of a rock. Terry that was luxury, since his cell was empty… he was able to sit and appreciate the comfort of the rock by closing his eyes. Father Martin was looking at him smiling.
- To escape, said Terry
- There's two possibilities with the tunnels or by the sea… you have to take the right direction… can you help me?
Terry burst out laughing.
- In exchange for what? My freedom? Said Terry
- Your freedom could be taken, said Father Martin… I can teach you my knowledge, maths, economy, science…
- Read and write? Said Terry
- Of course, said Father Martin
He had books on the table and terry took one and opened it and he looked inside, he looked at Father Martin and he said:
- When do we start?
They started working…. They were digging the tunnel…
- The doors open twice a day, for food and for the bathroom… that's how we're going to hide the dirt, in the plates for food… said Father Martin and in the mean time, we could work without fear of getting caught
And Terry was learning how to read and write… For light in the tunnels, Father Martin would use some of his hair and burn it… And they were studying at the same time… And Father Martin was telling him how he found himself in prison… a nobleman had accused him of hiding a big fortune, but he was put in jail and the nobleman die and the nobleman died without finding out where he had hidden it… Two weeks later, Father Martin was arrested for complicity and they said he knew where the treasure, that his stay in prison would trigger his memory…That's how he found himself in prison with God as a friend…
They lived well in jail, Terry was learning, catching rats to eat them… Terry would read books belonging to Father Martin… Terry realised that Father Martin used to be a soldier and he wanted him to show him who to fight with the sword… Which he showed him with pleasure… He showed him how to fight, how to avoid traps and tricks, everything he knew and Terry became incredibly skilled.
Terry told him how eh found himself in jail, they were able to investigate the situation and understand why Terry was trapped by his friend Daniel Leagan, the mate Dangars and the police inspector Vilfort…
- Think Terry, what made him change his mind after he agreed for you to leave?
- He asked me the name of receipiant of the letter, I told him, Mr. Clarion
- That's all?
- Yes, he burned the letter and he said that I could leave…
- He burned the letter? Said Father Martin
- Yes, said Terry
- Don't you think it's strange that the police inspector burns the only evidence of treason? Then he puts you in jail, the only man who knew that Mr. Clarion was part of the conspiracy?
- He was probably protecting someone, said Terry
- A friend? Said the father
Terry thought for a moment.
- No, it must've been someone close to him… damn it! Said Terry, Vilfort's father was in the army with Napoleon! He was protecting himself! Danglars and Daniel told on me to Vilfort… it was a conspiracy!
- Good job Terrence, said Father Martin
- AHH! Yelled Terry angry
The two men continued talking while digging the tunnels and they found some tree roots, which meant that there was water near by… in a few months they were going to be done digging those tunnels… Only there was a cave in, ruining months of work crushing Father Martin by the same occasion… Terry helped him come out of the tunnels…
- I don't have much time left, said Father Martin weakly
- Don't talk, said Terry
- I have to tell you… my hiding place, my pocket… I said I didn't know where the treasure was, I lied….
- You lied about what? Said Terry
- I'm a priest, not a saint… The treasure of Monte Christo, when you find it, do only good with it…
- I can't escape…
- Continue digging, said the father
- I'm going to use it for revenge
- The Lord said: " Revenge is mine, bless, don't curse"
- I don't believe in God anymore
- But he believes in you… He kept you alive until now…
Father Martin was tired and weak and he gave his last breath…
- Father? Said Terry sadly
It was over, he was dead. Terry shed a few tears…
He heard noise, they were coming for food… Terry hid and the guards at the door knocked in vain and finally they looked and they saw that the old man was dead… and he left. Terry arranged the cell to hide the fact that he was there… he went back to his cell.
In the meantime, the guards arrived with a bag to put the body of the old man and throw him in the water…
- It's the first time in 12 years he didn't reply, said the guard… lets throw the body away…
They put the old man's body in the bag and they left…
- We don't close the door?
- He's not going anywhere, said the other guard, he's dead!
Meanwhile, Terry went to say goodbye to the priest…
- Good bye father, you're free now… like I will never ve…
He stopped to think… Terry saw an opportunity to get out of prison… he was going to assume the priest's identity…
When the guards arrived to get the old man's body and throw it away in a bag, they went with it to the cliff…
Meanwhile, in Terry's cell, for food, they realised he wasn't replying… but it was the dead body of the old priest in his place… The alarm was given that a prisoner had escaped! They started screaming, but the other guards with the body were too far to hear them… They were by the cliff… about to throw the body… Terry saw the keys on the prison guard… The other guard yelled from afar and the prison manager heard and Terry took advantage of that time to get the keys and jump in the water with it, when he was thrown! A prisoner was escaping!
Falling in the water with the prison manager and the keys, he was able to open his chains… he went back up and the prison manager wanted to swim away, Terry caught him to kill him… they fought… and Terry was able to win…
The guards were looking from upstairs, powerless…
- We could've taken better care of him, said one
- He's gone, said the other one
Terry was swimming to the cost; he was free, free as a bird! Finally!