People from diverse backgrounds gathered at the Palace square to witness the administration of the ultimate punishment to a culprit that everyone now believed to be the devil incarnate . Maria's parents had been invited to have the last word with her before she was dispatched to the yonder world . Dressed in sackcloth , she was guided through a row lined with people on either side . It was a cultural norm for people to throw leaves or twigs at the culprit so as to wash themselves off such heinous act .
With her hands tied behind her back , Maria walked along with her head bowed . It was as if she had developed some form of insulation against the pricking pain on her flesh as the thorny twigs dug in . Having cried herself silly throughout the previous night , she had resolved to accept he
