The noose tightened around his neck, slowly choking him as the rough hemp burned into the tender skin of his throat. Smith tried to reach up, but with manacles around his wrists, he could not loosen the rope. His calls for help brought no response, and he kicked to alleviate the terrible pain in his throat and lungs.
Above him, Smith saw his father dying, with his eyes bulging, and his feet dancing on nothing. In front, his mother watched in horror, with her face the only thing Smith saw clearly in the featureless crowd.
“Mother!” Smith tried to shout, but the only response was a horrible gurgle as his tongue seemed swollen to twice its usual size. The crowd was in front of him, a sea of faces, shouting and gesticulating. The noise increased, a rising tide of sound that woke Smith from h
