Routine Questioning
It was an hour before midnight when they picked her up. The black and white van glided up behind her as she stood waiting for a bus. They took her gently, one officer holding each arm, like escorts. She started to ask a question and one of the voices beside her said, “This is just a routine questioning.” Sitting on the floor of the van she felt her heart hammering in the absolute darkness. The walls and floor were padded and the sound of the street moving underneath her was hushed. The van stopped and the doors opened. The night sky had been taken away and replaced with brightly lit walls, ceiling. The night wind had been changed into air that never blew. Again two men took her by the arms; they passed quickly from …