I had known for some time that this day would come. I woke that morning with a heavy heart, half hoping for a moment that my dream had been reality and my waking a dream. My reality was so much worse than any nightmare my mind could fabricate. Today was the last day of my freedom. Well, perhaps it would be more correct to say, that today would be the last of any semblance of self-independence. Today I would be escorted to the old courthouse in the centre of the city. I would attend the dreaded courtroom 99, known colloquially as ‘The Slave Market’. I would leave the courthouse, in the company of a new master. I would have been bought by one of my creditors. I would be his slave. The only uncertain thing about this entire process was who would claim me. All of my creditors had a good case in law and fact against me. And I could not afford to repay a single one. I had pawned everything I owned in the hopes of repaying my debt. Last week, I had made the tragic journey t...