Misery of the Prisoner

As I was walking back to the escort car, I had to walk on the rough road with my loose insulated boots. How miserable! I realized my misfortune of having my freedom taken away. After the car took me back to the prison, the guard took me to the cell again and locked it. The solitary life in the cell started again. The investigation was conducted every other day. The investigator was no longer the vice minister, but a young officer with the shoulder strap of a Major. He was a tall man with good posture. His face looked like that of a typical member of the Communist Party.

When I was first brought to the Soviet Union, I had an idea that all of the people in the Soviet Union must be members of the Communist Party. I was totally lacking in correct information, however. In reality, the members were only about 6,000,000 as a whole. In addition, it was very difficult to become a member. First one needs to get recommendations from more than three members, and than had to pass the test, which was very difficult to pass.

The content of the test was the paper examination of the history of the Communist Party. Whoever was preparing to take the test was always carrying a book of the digest of the history. They were probably showing it off because it was considered as an honor to be able to take the test.

By the way, this Major had a young interpreter who was just over twenty years old. She was a beautiful girl with her eyes as blue as the sky and with charming lips. He was calling her Mischa. She was an English interpreter. It was probably because I said I was able to speak English a little bit when I was investigated two days ago. The poor Japanese translator was perhaps fired.

This Major repeated the same method of investigation just like the Vice Minister two days ago: he started with personal interrogation and then the same questions over and over again. I began to realize this is the method the Soviets used to find out what they wanted to know by catching the discrepancy of our description. Whatever is a real experience can be described in the same way since the memory is very clear, but any lie without a real experience started to show in such process. In addition, we had no method to record what we had stated before.

Again, his questions began after eleven o’ clock at night. The clock in the room indicated that time. Mischa’s English was excellent, and she seemed to have experience in this kind of work. She had a good command of military language. Therefore, this investigation went much smoother as long as I did not get stuck with my English expressions. This investigation continued to two and three o’ clock in the morning, and it was four o’ clock when I was released. Outside, there were happy singing voices of young men and women in the air. It made me feel more misery for the being a captive.

It was really nice that I was able to talk with a young beautiful interpreter like Mischa. As I was watching her nice

shaped lips move, I was able to forget the reality I was put in. She was wearing a blouse with the patterns of red flowers with a short navy blue skirt. The material of the skirt did not look like high quality, but her legs were beautiful--long and slender. She was not wearing high heels but low heels. The shoes were good looking.

The Major’s investigation was in regards to my military unit in central China and my role in it again. All I had to do was to repeat the same answers again. However, he did not become convinced by my answers.

Mischa was rather friendly, but her eyes blinked with a suspicious look when I had to take time, looking for the answers. At such times, I realized she knew what she was doing based on professional training. At four o’clock in the morning, the investigation ended again and I was taken to the escort car. Then I was back in the prison cell again.

After that, sometimes the investigation was repeated every day, or every other day. There was nothing new. I was really surprised at how they could repeat such boring process again and again, but sometimes, it was spooky.

The Major in charge of my investigation stopped coming and the only investigator was Mischa after that. Perhaps he had something else to do, or he was no longer interested in it. Then I started to feel more comfortable. It was interesting how answering to her questions was not as difficult.

I found out Mischa had a boyfriend after a few times being questioned by her. That day, it was still going on until three o’ clock midnight. When the light of the dawn on that the summer kept growing, I heard a voice calling her name, “Mischa!” outside the window facing the park. I could not see him, but it was a energetic voice of a young man. Mischa was surprised. She quickly ran to the window, pushed the glass door open, and started to carry on a joyful conversation with him. It seemed she told him she was still at work. However, after his voice was gone, the investigation picked up speed, and her face was shining so beautifully as if a light was lit upon her face.

In thirty minutes, she finished the investigation. The way she quickly picked up her purse and got out of the room was that of a young attractive Russian girl, and not like a public servant any longer.