Death Talkies: Wheel of Time [Apr/04 P66] - Page 36

Maundy Thursday

It is not the impending death that haunts him but it's the waiting for one that drives him to desperation. There is no restlessness in his eyes nor are there any noise; there is only tranquil and patience.

In the solemn cages of solitary confinement and orange overalls, he waits.

When he hears the day of his execution is set on a Friday, he smiles.

"Friday is a good day", he tells the guard. The guard is torn between sympathizing and indifference. He feigns ignorance and doesn't respond to the prisoner. The prisoner never expected an answer in the first place.

He tells jailer that he wants a McDonald's veggie meal as his last supper. The jailer is surprised but doesn't utter a word.

It wasn't his place to question the prisoner's wishes.

A woman visits him on the day before his execution.

It is a Thursday. The irony of eating his last supper on a Thursday night doesn't escape him. He wonders if he is blessed enough to remember his deeds in his next life.

He hopes not.

It is a life which once was envied by many. It had also envied a man who thought it wasn't fair for a person to be this content in his life. So the prisoner's family was butchered, exploited beyond recognition and had ended their lives in a puddle of flesh and blood.

The writings on the wall of his living room were written from the blood of his second daughter.

The man who had committed the crime against his family was brought to him. He being a psychiatrist had treated that insane criminal for two years.

When everyone believed that the criminal was cured enough to be penalized as a normal man, he had killed him.

When asked he had patiently said, "Being a psychiatrist I could not kill a man who didn't have the sanity to be able to judge what is right and what isn't. So I had to make him sane, be able to differentiate between right and wrong and only then I could avenge the death of my family. It was only fair thing to do." His detached cold voice had sent chills to spine of the cop who was writing his statement.

The prestigious man became a prisoner overnight. Balance has been tipped in this world and the pendulum hovers violently to maintain equilibrium.

Life was never a fair trade; the pendulum sighs and tips on the wrong side.

He is rewarded with death sentence. He doesn't blink at the decision of the jury. His lawyer tries to claim insanity plea. He is angry at his lawyer and refuses to go ahead with the plea.

He wasn't insane.

He was perfectly sane when he had decided to kill the man who murdered his family.

His judgment was perfectly in sync with his rational reasoning.

He is given special permission to step outside for five minutes. He misses night sky, stars and the lullabies he sang to his youngest daughter showing her moon and stars.

"Are you scared?" The woman asks him.

"Very much", he replies.

"Why?" She presses.

"What if don't see my family after this?" He is scared.

"True, that's a risk. But you know what? I think you will", she worries.

"You think so?" There is a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Her eyes waters at the sight of her old boss on the brink of death.

"Who did he kill to earn such a punishment?" A new guard questions her in wonder.

"He killed his family on a stormy night when he was teetering on insanity. A year and half later he killed the orderly who was taking care of him. His mind has fabricated a story which suits his rationale and perception. I don't think he ever intended to kill his own family. It was one of those things that people do and never accept in reality that it was them who did it. They just create an alternate reality and believe that to be real." She sighs with a heavy heart.

The prisoner walks back to his cell to finish his last supper.

It was his Maundy Thursday, after all.

S

And you are back :)

A psychiatrist explores a mind of a killer (his own mind)... through his insanity he still hopes for a resurrection...

When I had started to read.. I first felt sympathetic which lead to insanity and then ended with ferocious... WoW!!!

So I had to ask was HE ever sane?

Originally posted by: esquisse

And you are back :)

Edit ~

The first thing that came to my mind as I was reading was, that line of his(the prisoner's) - "Friday is a good day" sounded like one of Dexter's monologues :D may be cause you told me, you have been following it recently...but yeah...it was just striking that way.

I was like but how does it make sense to hold someone who is insane responsible for murder - since he won't know what's right and what's not...till you really stumped me at the end. Nothing at all expected, and that's why it was awesome. And also a little chilling, if you think about it, its a scary thing to happen to anyone.

Hopefully this won't be your last DT update for 2011. Do keep writing more.

And Thanks for the PM

Aria