The Hangman's Tale
Description
Minho stares at lever with frightened eyes. Bile rises up at the back of his parched throat. His eyes threaten to water, his mouth threatens to cry out and his grip threatens to falter. But he knows he cannot hesitate. Not now. Not never. He cannot make it worse than it already is for the lifeless soul waiting to die. So he swallows. He swallows hard. The saliva almost hurts his dry throat. He throws the noose around the other man’s neck with a practiced hand. He mumbles a soft sigh of repentance to the convict, to his family and to God. And a few seconds later, he pulls the lever.
***
“If a doctor kills, it’s a mistake. If a policeman kills, it’s duty. But if a hangman kills, you call it murder.”
--Ahmadullah, Professional Executioner.
Foreword
Inspired by a newspaper middle of the same name.
My entry for Subround 3 of Round 2 of The Sky Is The Limit Writing Contest
Prompt 10: If I had been someone else in a different world, I'd've done something different, but I was myself and the world was the world, so I was silent.
-- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
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