Purgatory: A Prison Diary Volume 2 Read Online Free PDF

suddenly hits me that I haven’t been searched
since the day I arrived. I’m a couple of minutes late, and wonder if I’ve come
to the wrong place, as there are only three other prisoners sitting in the
pews, along with the chaplain. John Framlington is dressed in a long, black
gown and black cape with crimson piping, and welcomes me with literally open
arms.
    The chapel is very impressive, with its wood-panelled walls
and small oils depicting the life of Christ. The simple altar is covered in a
cloth displaying a white cross with splashes of gold. There is also a large
wooden cross hanging from the wall behind the altar. The seating consists of
six rows of twenty wooden chairs set in a semicircle reminiscent of a small
amphitheatre. I take a seat in the third row as a group of men and women all
dressed in red T-shirts enters by the backdoor. They assemble their music on
stands while a couple strap on guitars and a flautist
practises a few notes. She’s very pretty. I wonder if it’s because it’s my
twenty-fifth day in prison. But that would be an ungallant thought. She is
pretty.
    By ten forty-five the congregation has swelled to seven, but
we are still outnumbered by the nine-strong choir. The prisoners are all seated
to the right of the altar while the choir is standing on the left. A man, who
appears to be the group’s leader, suggests we move across and join him on their
side of the chapel. All seven of us dutifully obey. I’ve just worked out why
the congregation at Belmarsh was over two hundred, week in and week out, while
at Wayland it’s down to seven. Here you are allowed to stroll around the
buildings for long periods of time, so if you wish to make contact with someone
from another wing, it’s not all that difficult. In Belmarsh, chapel was a rare
opportunity to catch up with a friend from another block, relay messages, pass
on drugs and occasionally even pray.
    The chaplain then walks up to the front, turns and welcomes
us all. He begins by introducing Shine who, he tells us, are a
local group that perform for several churches in the diocese.
    We all join in the first hymn, ‘He Who Would Valiant Be’,
and Shine turn out to be rather good. Despite our depleted numbers, the service
still swings along. Once the chaplain has delivered the opening prayer, he
comes and sits amongst the congregation. He doesn’t conduct any other part of
the service, as that has been left in the capable hands of the leader of Shine.
Next we sing ‘Amazing Grace’, which is followed by a lesson from Luke, read by
another member of the group. Following another hymn we are addressed by the
leader of Shine. He takes his text from the first reading of the Good
Samaritan. He talks about people who walk by on the other side when you are in
any trouble. This time I do thank God for my family and friends, because so few
of them have walked by on the other side.
    The service ends with a blessing from the chaplain, who then
thanks the group for giving up their time. I return to my cell and write notes
on everything I have just experienced.
12.09 pm
    I call Mary in Grantchester. How I miss my weekends with
her, strolling around the garden at the Old Vicarage: the smell of the flowers
and the grass, feeding the fish and watching students idly punting on the Cam.
Mary briefs me on what line she intends to take on the Today programme, now
that the Foreign Office and the KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party) have confirmed
how the money for the Kurds was raised and distributed. I try to think how Ms
Nicholson will spin herself out of this one.
    Mary reminds me that she can’t come to see me until she
receives a VO. I confirm I sent her one yesterday. She goes on to tell me that
her own book, Photoconversion Volume One: Clean Electricity from Photovoltaics
(advance sales 1,229, price £110), has been well received by the academic
world.
    We finish by discussing family matters. Although I’ve come
to the end of my twenty units, I don’t tell