Dystopia

The Hanging of Jones

Lady Matthews ascends from her bed at the crack of dawn, just like she does every morning. Her mind is like a tightly wound clock, she always wakes at exactly four fifty eight in the morning. She doesn't have an explanation for why her mind works the way it does, it's just the time she's woken up every morning since she was little. She flings open the giant velvet curtains hanging on her wall to look outside the window. It is still pitch black outside, the world is still asleep. She puts on her fox fur slippers to go make her morning rounds. 

She first steps outside her bedroom into the long hallway, where she finds her night guard slumped against the wall, drooling and asleep, just like he is every morning. Lady Matthews always laughs at this sight. She is the queen and she can't even get efficient staff. 

"Wake up you buffoon!" she shouts, kicking him in the side. It's the same routine everyday, with the same words and the same kick. He snorts, jolting awake. 

"Lady Matthews, I'm so sorry, forgive me," he says, standing and brushing himself off. It's the same pathetic plea for redemption she hears every morning, yet she always lets him off. 

His name is Farkle Minkus, and he's a fairly new guard. All the new guards get put through the night shift, because none of the veterans want the position. No one wants to stay awake all night staring at a door. Once he's been here for about a year, he'll get moved up to dungeon duty, which is only slightly better. 

"Fix your uniform you slob," Lady Matthews jeers. Minkus looks down at his crumpled outfit and try to smooth it out with his hands. She snickers at how frantic he looks, and then she turns and leaves him, heading towards the dungeons. 

The dungeons are basically the castle's basement, and they are dark and damp, with weird smells. Lady Matthews slowly walks down the creaky staircase to the hallways of cells for the worst criminals. Most of the criminals are either hung, tortured, or kept in a smaller jail in the west end of the village, but the worst bunch are kept right here, in the castle dungeon. 

"Any mishaps?" Lady Matthews asks the lead guard. He's been part of the guard team since she was a baby, and she would upgrade him to be on the village guard that patrols the town, but she doesn't trust anyone else to do his job. He trains the new dungeon guards and takes care of any out of control prisoners. His name is Smitty, and he's very reliable. 

"Just Jones, ma'am. He had another fit of screaming tantrums, just like the usual. He's losing his mind, ma'am. If I were him, I'd rather be put out of my misery than be left to rot in that cage," Smitty says. Lady Matthews walks down the row of cells to Jones's cell. 

Jones was caught a couple months ago with one of the castle chefs. A service man walked out to dump the weekly trash and found Jones getting food from the chef. Apparently, instead of disposing the food like Lady Matthew's had instructed, the chef had been sneaking it to Jones. The service man ratted them out. The chef was immediately hung, and Jones would have been as well, but his sob story earned him his life, but also sentenced him to life in the dungeon. With each new day he becomes crazier. He screams and bangs his head against the concrete walls and cuts up and down his arms with his own fingernails. 

Now he's curled up in the corner of his chamber, wrapped up in his own scraggly hair. He's muttering something that Lady Matthews can't make out, and she snickers. 

"Shut up Jones," she spits. Jones peers out from behind his mane. When he sees Lady Matthews his grins and sits up. 

"Oh, Queen, oh please, please, can I see the sun today?" he asks, spit flying out of his rancid mouth. Lady Matthew wipes spit from her chin and evilly chuckles. He asks this same question every morning. 

"Why, I think today is your lucky day. Smitty! I need the key for Jones's cell. Also, go get Minkus. I have a special job for him on this fine morning," Lady Matthews calls. Smitty undoes the lock for Lady Matthews, and then bounds up the stairs to find Minkus. "Follow me." 

Jones seems giddy as he follows Lady Matthews out the dungeon's doors, which lead into the castle's courtyard. The sun is just starting to rise over the hills. 

"Oh, this is a dream come true! Thank you Queen!" Jones cheers. Lady Matthews laughs. 

"Don't thank me yet," she says with a grin. "I have a special seat for you to watch the sunrise," she adds. Minkus and Smitty exit out of the dungeon doors. 

"You called for me?" Minkus asks. 

"Yes, I certainly did. Smitty, go get the equipment while I talk to dear Minkus here," Lady Matthews says. She gives Smitty a wink. 

"Oh, the equipment! Certainly, certainly," he says, running off. 

"What equipment?" Minkus asks, confusion on his adolescent face. Lady Matthews eyes him. He must not be much older than her, if he is even older at all. 

"I figured you've been a little bored lately, just guarding my door all night, so I am giving you a special job this morning. Jones over there has no clue what is going on, but he will soon learn. You see, as of late he has been going off the rails. His mind is no longer sharp. He must be killed. I need the dungeon space. This is where you come in. Have you ever performed a hanging?" she asks, making sure to whisper her words so Jones does not hear. Minkus's eyes get wide. 

"You want me to hang him? Ma'am I am flattered you chose me for the task, but I cannot kill this poor man. Did he attack you in any sort of way?" 

"Well, no, he has not attacked me, what is your point?" 

"If he has not tried to harm anyone than why must he life be taken? I cannot kill a man that has done nothing but sit in his cell like he supposed to. Yes, he has had some outbursts, but if you were locked up all day wouldn't you go crazy as well?" Minkus asks. 

"You will do what I say or instead of Jones I'll hang you!" Lady Matthews spits. Minkus's face goes white and he looks down at his feet. 

"Yes ma'am," he mumbles, as Smitty rolls out the life-sized hangman equipment. 

"What is this?" Jones asks, worry in his voice at the sight of the rope. 

"Why, this is the seat for watching the sunrise. Isn't it wonderful?" Lady Matthews asks with a laugh, enjoying the moment a little too much. Jones shakes his head. 

"No, Queen, no, I am sorry. I will not ask to see the sun again, I swear. Do not hang me, I am a changed man. I now know that I am to stay in my cell without speaking a word," Jones pleads. Lady Matthews laughs. 

"Your begging will not work anymore. I was nice for too long. It is your time." 

Smitty grabs Jones by the arm and pulls him over to where the rope and mount is set up. Lady Matthews points for Minkus to follow. Minkus gulps and slowly walks over. 

"Now, Jones, do you have any last words?" Lady Matthews asks. 

"I'm sorry I was starving and tried to eat the leftovers you were going to throw away. I am sorry I ate your garbage," Jones says. Lady Matthews does not find it funny. Seeing her unamused face, Smitty smacks Jones on the back of the head. Jones winces in pain. 

"Do the deed!" Lady Matthews calls out. 

Minkus steps up and grabs the rope. "Climb up," he softly says to Jones, who then steps onto the short stool. Minkus wraps the rope around Jones's hairy neck. "Goodbye," he then tells Jones, kicking the stool out from under his feet. Jones struggles for air for a few seconds, his face paling, until finally his eyes glaze over and he goes lifeless. Minkus covers his eyes, unable to watch the horror. Smitty stares, expressionless. Lady Matthews cackles with laughter. 

She looks up at the violet sky. She deeply inhales, smiling. 

"Well, that was a rather productive morning."