Earlier today I was walking Raudi back home after a lengthy ride. On the way back to our place, we passed by Chad’s place. I glanced to the left, and so did Raudi. Chad’s house, a very large shack, is now boarded up, and the yard is full of junked cars. I explained to Raudi that Chad is now in jail, and so he won’t be home anytime soon. Raudi and I then had the following conversation:

Raudi: Jail? What’s that?
Alys: It’s a place where they put people who’ve done bad things.
R: Done bad things? People do bad things, and then get put someplace other than where they are?

A: Yes. People who hurt one another get put in small cubicles for indefinite amounts of time.
R: Cubicles?
A: Yes, these cubicles are called Jails. They are similar to horse stalls.
R: How long are they kept in these stalls?
A: A judge decides this. The length of time is generally based on the offense, which is the crime that’s been committed.
R: Do these stall have bedding? Hay? Water? Supplements?
A: Bedding – they’re given a blanket. The inmates (this is what the criminals are called) sleep on wood or concrete beds. They eat people food. Water is provided.
R: Does someone come and clean up their poop?
A: No. Inmates have flush toilets.
R: What’s a flush toilet?
A: Sometime I’ll bring you into our house and show you what a flush toilet is, and how it works. It’s somewhat complicated.
R: Hmm, I’d like to see the inside of the place you live.
A: So back to jail. Jails are a lot like horse stall.
R: Why do people put horses in stalls? Most horses haven’t done anything wrong.
A: There are a lot of reasons – none really have anything to do with being punished.
R: And what are these reasons?
A: Some people put their horses in stalls because they think that if they run loose with other horses, that they’ll get hurt.
R: That’s absurd.
A: And some people, that is mainly thoroughbred owners, confine the horses so that they’ll have plenty of energy on race day.
R: That’s also absurd.
A: And some people don’t have pasture areas for their horses.
R: That’s equally absurd.
A: And some people believe that horses coming here from other countries need to be quarantined – that is confined, so it can be determined whether or not they have transmittable diseases.
R: Unreal.
A: And some people, like veterinarians, have determined that stall are the best place for sick or injured animals. This way, they can more readily be observed and treated.
R: This makes sense. But what about bad horses?
A: Like I said before, bad horses are sometimes stabled, and sometimes not. They’re either put out to pasture and ignored, or someone is hired to work with them.
R: What will you do with me if I’m bad?
A: I’d find someone to assist me in determining why you did what you did, and then in working with them I’d seek ways of making sure that you do not do the same thing again.
R: So you wouldn’t lock me up in a stall?
A: Hell no.
R: I’m glad to hear this. I was starting to get worried.
A: Any more thoughts on this matter.
R: I don’t understand why people would hurt one another, but I guess this is a topic of discussion for another time.
A: Yes it is. Eat your hay and stop fretting about things that will never come to be.

Next: 109. 4/26/15: If the Saddle Fits