It was a sunny day as Mary looked out of her window. The sky was blue, and very few clouds showed their faces.

The man standing by her door was smiling, telling her it was a beautiful day, to which Mary did agree. It was the sort of day for sunbathing in the garden, or at the beach. Not a day to be inside. Mary would be outside soon enough, but for now, she was content to look at the sun through her window.

Mary was a little over twenty three years of age, long blonde hair cascaded down her back, her blue eyes shone in the candlelight. She had a figure that men killed for, and she had legs that seemed to go on forever.

Had the man at the door been watching, he would have seen all this, but his eyes were focused on the window, and the bright sun that lit the sky.

“It’s a good day for it, Mary” he said, his voice even and smooth. You eat your breakfast now, as you must see the vicar soon.

Mary looked at the plate before her. eggs, bacon, sausages, the works. Plenty of toast, and preserves. She would want for nothing today. Today was her special day.

As she ate, she thought back over her young life. The men she had enjoyed since Albert had taught her that men and women were different. Albert had been her first lover, but not her last. She had, in fact, lost count of the men she had been a lover for. But it must have been over twenty.

But Mary would be having no more lovers. Never again would she feel that strange warmth as a man’s member penetrated her being, the hardness filling her special place.

And it wasn’t even her own decision. Or was it?

Billy Joe had started it. He had come into the bar shouting and cursing at her, while she sat with Brendan, or Phil, she couldn’t quite remember his name now. but it didn’t matter. Billy Joe had stopped at their table and suggested that Mary was available for a few shillings.

He was wrong. Of course. It would take more than a few shillings to get her out of her clothes. At least five pounds, but for that she would throw in a blow job and, if the guy was good looking, maybe a fuck as well, as long as he didn’t finish inside her pussy.

But, Billy Joe had ignored this, and when fucking Mary. He had stayed inside her while he orgasmed, filling her pussy with his juices .she had gone mad. Stark staring crazy, when she realised what he had done to her

She called him a few choice names, but all Billy Joe did was laugh, long, hard and often. But he wasn’t laughing now.

Mary had felt the knife in her hands, and suddenly the room they were in had a new colour scheme, in deep red. and Billy Joe lay on the carpet, wasting a lot of her ink.

The court had heard how Mary had said it was self defence, but the jury had still found her guilty. The Judge passed sentence, and now, here she was in her cell, on a bright sunny morning, waiting for her final call.

Though she ate little of the breakfast, no-one seemed to mind, and no-one moved her plate. The vicar was reassuring telling her that God was waiting for her, and that he would understand why she had done what she had done.

But it should have been different, if only Billy Joe had done as she asked, she would not be here, not waiting for the prison Governor to escort her into the yard.

Through the window Mary could see  the wooden platform that awaited her, in fact, she had hardly taken her eyes off it all morning. The dark wooden stage, over nine foot off the ground, supported by strong oak timbers, would make sure that she would never reach the grass under the stage.

It was only then that Mary realised just how green the grass in the courtyard looked today, lush and green. Small flowers grew in the borders surrounding the courtyard, with the single concrete path that led from the main building to the platform.

There were heavy footsteps in the passage way outside Mary’s cell, and heavy keys rattling as the door opened. Three men entered her cell, and walked over to where she was standing, still by the window staring at the platform. There was a crowd growing outside, most of the seats surrounding the platform already taken, an a number of people standing behind the seats. All come to see Mary.

One of the men stood behind Mary and brought her hands together behind her back, and Mary felt the cold steel of handcuffs snapping around her wrists. She had been told this would happen, and also told that should she not be able to walk, the two men would be either side of her, holding her up, to make it look as if she were walking to her fate under her own steam.

The Governor had told her it would look better, and people would be more sympathetic if she accepted her punishment, and walked to the platform unaided. Mary had said she honestly didn’t know if she could do so, but would try, and the two men would help support her should she need it.

“It’s time Mary”

The  Governor’s voice did sound full of remorse, but he had his job to do, and he would fulfil it. The men turned Mary away from the window and they slowly walked through the door, and into the passage way. The passage way was painted grey, and Mary couldn’t help but notice that some of the pain was starting to peel. Strange the things people noticed when it no longer mattered.

At the end of the passage was a large iron plated door, to which only the Governor had a key. The party stopped in front of it, as he opened it. The hinges creaking slightly as the door opened wider.

The strong sun flooded through the doorway, as if to light Mary’s path, and one of the guards said something supportive, as they walked out of the building and onto the concrete path.

The crowd hushed in concert, as Mary was slowly led along the path, one of the guards holding each of her arms, though not, as yet, having to hold her up. Though the path was barely ten feet long, it seemed a mile long as Mary moved slowly down, heading for the platform.

“Maybe this is a rehearsal” Mary told herself. “like they rehearse weddings the day before”. But Mary knew it was no rehearsal, this would be a one time starring role for her. she knew there would be no reprieve, that chance had already gone, and the Governor had told her that there would be no stay.

Although the platform was only nine feet off the ground, there were thirteen steps to reach the summit, each step feeling like a mile high. Mary stumbled on the sixth step, and the guards helped her to steady herself, before continuing up the rest of them, and onto the platform itself.

The two guards led Mary to a stool that had been placed under the single noose, and allowed her to sit down whilst the Governor read out the charges and the verdict from the court.

Another man, wearing a hood that covered his head and shoulders, stood to one side of the stool, his head bowed. Mary thought the least he could do was let her see his face, but she knew that it would not happen. She would never know who was behind the hood, who it was that secured the noose and pulled the pin.

The vicar stood up and began to read psalm 23 to the crowd, and Mary heard them join in as if it were a Sunday service at church.

As the psalm finished, Mary was helped to her feet, and the man in the hood came to stand in front of her, carrying a heavy black bag.

“I am sorry young lady” he said, as he lifted the bag and began to lower it over Mary’s head, covering her face, hiding it from the watching crowd. Slowly, he lowered the noose and placed it around her neck, ensuring that the knot was to the left, before pulling it tight enough to hold, but not tight enough to strangle.

Mary could hear the vicar once again, as he began the Lord’s Prayer, and Mary could hear footsteps moving away from her. for several minutes she stood still, as someone placed heavy metal manacles on her ankles. Even then, Mary prayed for the reprieve that would not come.

The crowd fell silent, as the man in the hood walked down the steps and took his place under the platform, standing by the pin that would release the trap door under Mary’s feet. His face was pointed towards the Governor, awaiting his signal.

Now the platform was empty apart from the solitary figure of Mary. Without a word, the Governor raised his right hand, and held it aloft for a few seconds. As the hand fell. The hooded man pulled the pin, and the trapdoor opened.

At first Mary didn’t realise the trapdoor had fallen away, until she felt herself falling downwards. Her legs kicked out trying to gain some sort of purchase to stop the fall, but there was none to be had. A loud gasp came from the crowd, as the noose pulled hard on Mary’s neck, snapping it, and ending her life.

Even so, her feet kicked for several minutes, her hands still trying to free themselves from the handcuffs, but these were involuntary actions from someone who was no more.

THE END