Chapter 30If you're new to this, start atThe Beginning. And thanks for sharing my stories with all your friends.
Installment #31 of:Sing Low: The Hangman of the WoodsBy B.C. Crow (Chapter 30Not a cloud in sight. I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the morning light. I’d slept in, and by the time I left my apartment, the sun was blazing away with all its might. Funny how such a bright sunny morning could feel so gloomy.“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Duy asked. “Maybe it’d be better if—”“I’m going.”“Okay, okay. Let me just grab a drink. I don’t think I want to be sober for this.” Duy jogged back into the house. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he kept alcohol in our apartment, but I was annoyed. The last thing I needed was a drunken sympathizer. But I doubted that I could talk him out of coming.By eleven o’clock the town square was packed. In the center there was an old massive tree with a canopy that covered much of the square. It was the same tree that I’d occasionally found shade under during my protest two days ago.This morning, with a throng of onlookers to rub shoulders with, we surrounded that tree. At its base, there now stood a mobile podium with a park bench at its side. As the sun moved higher and the shade grew smaller, all spectators were forced into the sun while this stage hogged the coveted shade. Above the bench, hanging from one of those thick outstretched branches, was a rope. The noose at the end of the rope made the once serene tree now appear ancient and evil, as if it were the very heart of the woods themselves.The crowd of people continued to grow denser as the hour crawled slowly toward noon. At first I thought they were a bunch of morbid townspeople, here to witness an old-fashioned execution. I wanted to yell at each one of them, tell them how wrong they were to allow this to happen. But that wasn’t necessary. Several of them took notice of me. Taking turns, they placed hands on my shoulder, or gave me a hug. These were the protesters who’d stood with me. I wanted to cry. Biahn’s article, scathing as it was for my reputation, hadn’t disheartened my supporters. At least not all of them.I had one last fleeting hope that I could use these people to my advantage, maybe storm the lynching and save Daddy Smiling when he was brought out. Maybe the execution could be postponed until an appeal to a just court could be arranged. But that was a wild fantasy. I knew it couldn’t work. A large clock on the courthouse donged in the noon hour. Riot police and riot gear were marched around the tree. They weren’t going to take any chances. The cops all knew me by now. More than once I saw them carefully studying me behind their face masks. They knew that if I found some opportunity to stop the execution, I might take advantage of it.Oh, if only I could have gone back in time! I wondered what, if anything I could have changed. Could I have saved Daddy Smiling, or had his fate been sealed from the beginning? Could I have acted faster? Maybe I could have done something more to help Midnight and the other children.All I could do now was what I knew would happen as I walked here this morning. I would pay my last respects to Daddy Smiling. He deserved so much better than this. I had no idea what he'd be thinking. And though I couldn’t hold his hand, or even speak to him, I would not let him die alone. Even if it killed a part of me to watch, I was here for him. Most of us in the crowd were.Aside from the gruesome picture of the hangman that was printed in the paper yesterday, few if any of these people had ever seen him. In his picture they twisted his enormous smile to look menacing and dangerous. I wondered how these people could support and love him on my word alone.My heart calmed as the minutes ticked slowly away. What was taking so long? Half an hour passed.I couldn’t claim to be eager for the ceremony. Postpone it forever!I knew that wouldn’t happen. I don’t know why I cared about the punctuality of the execution. Maybe I was ready to have the whole disgraceful event over with. Even that thought made me feel guilty.The clock now read twelve forty-five. I heard him before I saw him. That signature song of his, bellowed in a deep bass voice that resonated with everyone around me. “Swing low, sweet chariot . . .” Even when Daddy Smiling was marched to the tree, few shrank back at his appearance. Those who did were the few morbid fellows who’d come just to see a hanging. When Daddy Smiling finished all the verses of his song, he started back over again. Even in his last hour of life, that head-splitting smile refused to shrink.He was placed just behind the bench that he'd soon be standing on. The executioner fingered a megaphone, handed him by the chief of police, and surveyed the crowd. He looked surprised that anybody had shown up at all. I don’t think he had much of a speech planned. At least not one that was meant for a crowd this size. He looked over at Biahn, who gave him a discreet thumbs-up. Ooh—that man really was despicable.With finger on the megaphone trigger, the executioner cleared his throat for all to hear. It wasn’t like he didn’t already have their attention. But the crowd was still a bustle of mixed voices mingling into a distracting hum. Now they hushed as he spoke to the crowd. “On this bright sunny day, we—will you stop singing that ridiculous song!”Daddy Smiling didn’t even acknowledge the demand.“Someone help me out here,” said the executioner. One of the men who’d led Daddy Smiling out pulled a dirty handkerchief from his pocket. It wasn’t nearly big enough to fit around the man’s mouth. A second handkerchief was then tied to it, then a third. Together they tightened it around the giant smiling mouth. Even then it was useless. The man’s abnormally large mouth just dwarfed the pieces of cloth. The handkerchiefs rolled into a relatively small cord that rested between his teeth. He almost looked like he could use the cloth to floss those enormous pale-white ivories.The executioner gave up. The singing wasn’t even muffled. It bellowed just as loud as the executioner’s megaphone.“On this day,” he shouted, clearly annoyed, “we execute judgment on a convicted murderer.”Some cheers, but more overwhelming boos echoed across the square. Those who had started out cheering shied back. Either they were surprised that the majority opposed the hanging, or they were afraid of causing a fight that might end badly for themselves. Either way, all voices now criticized the speaker.He might've been able to ignore the crowd, but he clearly couldn't ignore Daddy Smiling’s singing. He continued. “Known to us all as the hangman of the woods, this ruthless serial killer”—he pointed with rigid disdain—“was tried and judged in a court of law. He has not only been found guilty, but has been condemned to die by the same implement he used to strangle his own victims. There will be no long ceremony. He doesn’t even deserve the sympathy that you all give him today.”More angry shouting arose from the crowd. I was silent.“It is time. Help the felon onto the bench.”A man on each side of Daddy Smiling prodded the singing giant. He stepped onto the wooden picnic table bench. One of the men backed down as the executioner stepped up. The bench swayed under the high center of gravity imposed by the three men standing on it. The executioner moved slowly, not wanting to ruin his dignity by having them all fall to the ground.Then, with some trepidation, he strained to place the noose around Daddy Smiling’s watermelon-sized head. The executioner was very careful and tried not to lean on, or even touch, what he considered a large monstrosity. As if Daddy Smiling had a contagious disease, the executioner seemed afraid of catching whatever handicap had so affected the appearance of this giant.Once the noose was secured, the executioner gave a nasty sneer as Daddy Smiling sang, “A band of angels coming after me / Coming for to carry me home . . .”Both the guard and the executioner carefully stepped down from the wobbly bench. Grabbing the megaphone, the executioner again tried to be heard over the deep reverberating bass that was Daddy Smiling. I’d heard Daddy Smiling sing this song every time I’d seen him. I wasn’t sure that his vocabulary extended very far beyond the lyrics of this song. Paying attention to the executioner was difficult. Daddy Smiling’s low melodic voice drummed peace into my heart. “Tell all my friends I’m coming there too / Coming for to carry me home . . .”“We’d ask this murderer if he had any last words,” the executioner shouted, “but I think we all know what he’d say! Ha ha! So without further delay, we finish this.”“Sometimes I’m up, and sometimes I’m down / Coming for to carry me h—”The executioner kicked the bench. It wobbled, but the steady weight of the hangman kept it in place. He kicked again and it wobbled some more. He motioned for the two closest guards to help him with the next kick. They came over.I wanted to turn my eyes, but they were helplessly glued to the man who’d saved me and so many other children. I willed the bench to find solid footing on the earth so that no force of man could tip the giant from his perch. If ever my newfound faith could help someone, this was the man who deserved that otherworldly power of protection. Little puffs of dust splashed at my toes as salty rain dropped from my dark cloudy eyes.“But still my soul feels heavenly bound / Coming in his chariot of gold!”With the force of the added kickers, the bench went crashing down, and we all shielded our eyes. Not from the sight of Daddy Smiling falling, to dangle like a fish on a pole, but from the brilliant light that threatened to blind anyone who looked on him. It was as if the noonday sun decided to come down from the sky and place itself directly around tree where Daddy Smiling was hanging.I couldn’t hear the words through my ears anymore, but in my mind, as clearly as if the sound was coming from my ears, I heard that low deep melody as it impossibly continued: “The brightest day that I can say / Coming for to carry me home / When Jesus washed my sins away / Coming for to carry me home!”When the song finished, the piercing light diminished. For a few moments, despite the cloudless day, with the sun shining bright as ever, early afternoon never seemed more dim.When the shock of the blinding light had passed, I looked at the tree. It seemed greener than before. But one thing was missing from its branches—Daddy Smiling. The rope was still there, too tight to have slipped over his head, but the hangman of the woods was nowhere to be seen. For that matter, neither was the executioner. A dark burn spot occupied the place where he’d been standing. I looked over to where Biahn had been standing. Again, another scorch mark, but no Biahn. There were several other people in the crowd who in fact were missing.A realization dawned on me. I don’t know if I’d heard talk of it from Duy, or someone else. But the whole world would be changing soon. I don’t know how I knew, but I did. I hadn’t been raised a Believer—but at this moment, I was a knower. I knew that He was coming back.Whether the end of days had just started, or if this was a sign of things to come, a destroying angel had just visited here. That time was near. For some it would be a time of rejoicing. For others it would be a time of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.A bottle crashed to the ground next to me. Shards of glass skated across the ground. I’d nearly forgotten about Duy. He was trembling. “Iddo, what have I done? I’ve sinned against the greater light.”A skull buzzing hum filled the courtyard as the crowd softly murmured their confusion to each other. Even if I had a better idea of what was happening, I chose to ignore them. “What are you talking about, Duy?”“You don’t know what it means to be a Believer. I knew this day would come. I just didn’t know when. I thought I still had time. Everyone I know thought it would come years ago, but it never did. It was almost like it might never really happen. Don’t you get it? I’ve been living the life of a sinner. I always meant to turn my life around. I just, I didn’t—oh Iddo, the last days are here, and look at the wretched life I’ve been leading!”“Duy, you’re still here. Others have been burned into nothing, but we're still standing.”“You don’t know anything. This day isn’t over yet. Anything could still happen, Iddo. The separation of the righteous from the wicked has begun. You don’t have much to worry about. First of all, you don’t know what I’ve learned. Second, even in your ignorance, you’re a better man than me.”“Duy, you’re not going to die. Stop talking like you are. You still have time to change.”“It’s not death I’m worried about,” Duy said. He sat on the ground, seeming nearly as defeated as I'd been during my own fit of despair just days ago. “I’m fit to be cut off. No glory, no salvation. I’m not worthy to stand before my maker. Not even to let him pass a well-deserved judgment against me.”My head stopped buzzing and a calm clarity filled my mind. I felt peace. I reached down. I wanted to touch his shoulder. I wanted to comfort him. Duy wasn't beyond hope. Somehow I knew this. There had to be a reason he was still alive. Then I paused. My palm was just a hand-width away from comforting Duy's shoulder, but something was different. Why had my head just stopped buzzing?Something with the physical world suddenly seemed wrong. Butterflies filled my stomach.I looked up. I saw a man on a bike, not more than two meters away. He was just passing by, but the crunch of his bike's nylon tires on the loose bits of gravel that lined the concrete courtyard should have made a sound. They didn't. The other people in the courtyard were still talking, but no voice found my ears. I was pretty sure I hadn't all of a sudden gone deaf. I could still hear my own breathing.I looked down. Odd. The sun was directly overhead, but the biker's shadow was pointing away from me. I turned my head to look at the rest of the crowd. I noticed them, but none of them seemed to notice me. Like the biker, their shadows all seemed to flow unnaturally away from me, also.Duy was the only other person who noticed. He turned to face me, his eyes nearly bulging when they rested on me.No, not on me.***Before I could turn to follow his gaze, I heard a familiar voice. I finished turning around, only to look up and see the biggest, tallest man I’d ever known. I say that I knew him and I did, despite the fact that nothing of his image was as I'd remembered him. Even then, there was something about him that let me know exactly who he was.If there had been any doubt, which there wasn't, that voice was confirmation enough. Nothing had changed in that deep, penetrating voice—nothing that is, except for his broader vernacular.His skin was darker than mine, but it also seemed lighter at the same time. There was a warm glow about him that made his brown features feel comforting and bright. I’d never seen a perfect human before, not until then. Gone was his deformed face. Understanding and knowledge seemed to fill his wise-accepting eyes.“Daddy Smiling?” I asked, choking on my own words.“Iddo, my boy, I know your heart. Would you like a second chance?”His words were soft in my ears, but somehow loud in my heart. My knees went weak. “I tried so hard,” I cried. “I couldn’t save you, or them. I’m so sorry.”“Ha ha ha!” he bellowed warmly. “My boy, don’t worry about me. Do I look like I need worrying over?”I couldn’t help but smile. Of course he didn’t.“Iddo, I’m going to help you.”“Me too!” Duy jumped next to me. “Help me, too. Give me a second chance. If you can do it for him, you can do it for me, too. Please, I’ve made such a mess of things. If anyone needs a second chance, I do.”Daddy Smiling, in all his brilliant glory, looked Duy up and down. His gaze seemed to penetrate Duy's soul.Daddy Smiling may have been an angel in life, but now he was indescribably more. His perfect smile faltered for only a moment, probably for the first time since the day he was born. But it returned again. “So be it," he said to Duy.With a wave of his giant arm, he summoned two people over. Thing One and Thing Two walked over from across the courtyard, penetrating the surreal atmosphere. My forehead wrinkled in confusion. I hadn't noticed them in the crowd before.Thing Two stepped forward first. “We have another shot,” he said to Duy. “We'll make it work this time. We have to!” He reached out and took Duy by the hand.It’s hard to explain what I saw next. It was as if a part of Duy swirled into Thing Two, and a part of Thing Two was absorbed into Duy. Then all was silent. Thing Two faded into thin air while Duy sank to the ground. He was weeping.I looked first to Thing One. He was shaking his head sadly. But his smile soon returned and he stuck out his hand to take mine. My breath caught. I angled my head to question Daddy Smiling. His warm expression never faltered. He simply nodded in approval.My blood felt like feathers tickling the inside of each vein. I took a deep breath and stuck out my hand to meet Thing One’s.A dizziness overwhelmed me. I had to fight to remain standing. The world around me swirled in bright colors. First I was looking at Thing One. Then I was looking at a hazy mirror image of myself.My vision of myself cleared for only a moment before it started getting fuzzy again. I turned my head—no, I turned Thing One’s head to see Daddy Smiling. I didn’t know what was happening. My voice couldn’t utter a sound. I mouthed the question, Why?He was the last image to fade, but before he was gone, I could hear him say, “You’re a good boy, Iddo. When last we met, you asked me a question. I approve. Take good care of my children.”Click here to read the EpilogueCopyright 2017: While I encourage you to share this link with your friends and family, please keep in mind that this is copyrighted material. Under no circumstances do you have the right to re-publish any or part of this content without specific written permission from BC Crow and Blue House Publishing.