THE FRAIL, OLD MAN dropped to his knees and threaded the well-worn
cord through the spindles on the landing, winding it tightly around the post
several times before tying a secure bowline knot. He pushed himself back onto
his feet, stopping briefly midway as the pain from his arthritic spine caused
his back to jar and muscles to spasm. He straightened up painfully slowly,
then, with a shaky hand, dragged the chair from the corner of the landing until
it was level with the banister. He gingerly stepped up onto the padded seat and
looked down to the Minton-tiled hallway floor below. His head spun. He’d always
had a chronic fear of heights.
He reached down and retrieved the other end
of the cord from the railing and swiftly, and without hesitation, looped it
around his scrawny neck and tied another bowline knot. He carefully raised one
bony leg and hooked it over the banister, gripping the railing so tightly his
knuckles were white. Then, after he’d regained his composure, he swung his
other leg over and there he sat, like a wise, old owl on his perch, trembling
with fear and the overwhelming rush of adrenalin for what he was about to do.
The clock in the hallway struck midnight
and on the very last stroke he lowered his head, closed his eyes and spoke for
one final time.
‘Lord. Please forgive my sins and welcome
me at the gates of eternity… Into thine hands I commend thee my spirit.’
There was a short, sharp crack as his neck
snapped in two followed by the eerie sound of air rushing from his rapidly deflating,
tar-stained lungs. His body swung for a few moments, and it twitched here and
there as the blood in his veins ceased to flow. Eventually he became still.
Then he became cold. And the only sound to be heard was the gentle, rhythmic
ticking of the clock beneath his feet.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourteen-Years-Between-Us-ebook/dp/B0125PNTDM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437466265&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fourteen+years+between+us
No comments:
Post a Comment