As Joe opened his eyes, he realized that something was terribly wrong. He felt a strange sensation, like pain mixed with something else, flowing through his body. And then, he noticed it - the electric chair, Old Sparky, in Sing Sing Prison.
“What is this?” Joe cried out, struggling with the restraints. “Why am I here?”
Old Sparky answered him in a deep, menacing voice. “You are here because you belong to me. You will stay strapped to me until you die of old age. But don’t worry, staff will provide you with food, entertainment, and water. Just make sure you don’t attempt to destroy me in any way, or you will be punished.”
Every midnight, Old Sparky would administer a shock of 2000 volts at 7 amperes, until Joe almost died.
Joe’s mind was racing as he tried to make sense of what was happening. He asked Old Sparky why it didn’t hurt when it electrocuted him almost to death every night, and the chair replied that electrocution being painful is a myth. It told Joe about Willie Francis, the only person to have survived the electric chair the first time, who had said that it tickled him.
Joe felt a strange sensation, as if a million tiny fingers were tickling him all over his body. He could not help but laugh uncontrollably, along with the inability to breathe. This went on every night like clockwork - the tickling, laughing so hard he could hardly breathe, but the moment the shock faded, he was left shaking, feeling weak and powerless.
Days, weeks, and months passed without any change. Joe became used to his bizarre existence. The prison staff brought him meals, some books, and even a TV. Old Sparky continued to speak to him, offering bits and pieces of information about the world outside. Joe began to look forward to their daily chats, and on some level, he realized he felt something akin to affection toward the sentient chair.
But then something unexpected happened. Joe started to have dreams - dreams which were vivid, colorful, and full of life. He dreamed of seeing his family again, of feeling the Sun on his face, of experiencing the simple joys of life that he had taken for granted before. And for some reason, Old Sparky was always there in his dreams.
As the years passed, Joe began to realize that maybe he wasn’t really a prisoner after all. Yes, he was trapped in Old Sparky, but he was also living a life that was full of its own unique experiences.
He started to see the world from a new perspective, to appreciate the small things, to find joy in moments of solitude. And while he knew he would never be a free man again, he also knew that he was no longer defined by his circumstances.
Old Sparky went on to recount how it had electrocuted Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in 1953. Joe shuddered at the thought, but there was something enchanting about Old Sparky’s voice, something that made him feel comforted even though he should be terrified.
As the days turned into weeks, Joe began to feel that strange sensation every night. Instead of pain, he felt an intense tickling sensation all over his body. At first, he was scared, thinking that it was some new form of torture that Old Sparky had come up with. But the chair told him that it was just the sensation of electricity flowing through him, and that the tickling was completely normal.
With time, Joe began to look forward to his nightly electrocution, revelling in the feelings of joy and lightness that it brought. He would lay there, grinning from ear to ear, as every nerve in his body was stimulated by the electricity.
Old Sparky became his only friend in the world, the one constant in his life. Despite being a machine, it had a personality that was intelligent and deep. They would talk late into the night, discussing everything from philosophy to pop culture.
Though several prison wardens resigned, terrified by the chair and unable to explain what was happening, Joe remained. He lived his entire life in the electric chair, and he was happy. He had discovered a strange kind of love in the machine, with its endless intelligence and strange powers. Even if he did have the option, he did not want to get free of Old Sparky.
As he lay in the chair on his last night, with Old Sparky administering what would be his final shock, Joe felt at peace. He knew that he had found something magical in the chair, something that transcended his life and made it worth living. He whispered one last goodbye to Old Sparky, still grinning as the electricity raced through him, and then he was gone.