Noose

gallows.jpgThe noose was put over my head and drawn firm­ly down until the knot pressed into my neck right above the col­lar­bone. I croaked,
“Hang­man. Hang­man! Hold on a lit­tle while.”

“…why.”
“I see my friends com­ing, they can pay you, pay you well to let me free.”
“umpft.”
As Jack rode up, I could tell from the sore look on his face that he was­n’t going to be much help.
“Jack! Do you have some sil­ver? Do you have some gold? Please pay the hang­man. Keep me from the gal­lows pole.”
He just shook his head and said “I ain’t got noth­ing. I’m too poor; all I can do is wish you peace.” Then he rode on.

“You bas­tard,” I shout­ed, “damn your eyes!”
Then I felt the Hang­man behind me again. His shad­ow made me cold.
“Hang­man! That man I killed, he deserved it. You know I’m ri.. wait. Not yet! That rid­er in the dis­tance is my broth­er, I know it. He’ll con­vince you to free me.”
The Hang­man said noth­ing, but leaned against the gal­lows.

“Broth­er, I’m to be hanged. Can you have me freed?”
My broth­er looked at me impas­sive­ly and said “I’ve brought some sil­ver, some gold, a lit­tle of every­thing. All that we could find to save you. The Hang­man took the bag from my broth­er, heft­ed it, shook his head and looked at the lever.

“Ass! You did­n’t bring enough, Go to hell!”
My broth­er’s eyes went hard and he rode off. The Hang­man came and looked in my eyes. Wait­ed. I swal­lowed rough­ly.

“Hang­man, look. There is my sis­ter.
Sis­ter! Sis­ter, I’m to be hanged. Take him, please sis­ter, take him to a shady bow­er and save me from the wrath of the Hang­man.”

The next half hour almost nev­er passed. When the Hang­man and my sis­ter reap­peared, I was cer­tain I was free.

“Hang­man, tell me that I am free to ride. Let me go.”

He spoke, “I have been giv­en gold and your sis­ter has turned my blood from cold. None of that is enough, though, to save you from the gal­lows pole. Then he pulled the lever.

“Damn yrr.…”

-based on “Gal­lows Pole” and “Sam Hall”

Yeah, its crap­py, the songs are bet­ter, which is why they are songs in the first place, but I was bored.

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