The Life of Koru, Chapter 73
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The gates of the Timbercross Penitentiary 4 opened wide, letting the koru prisoners walk out one after the other in a single line.
Each one of them carried a heavy cross on his back, the cross on which he would be crucified.
The koru had prepared mentally for this. They were ready to suffer for their mistakes. They had been very bad slaves. They have rioted, some of them stole things or raped or murdered. Some considered themselves guilty for simply being near the riot or rooting for the rioters. It didn't matter now what each one of them did. They were all going to be punished the same.
The front slave was Jawser himself, who had ruled the mob. Now and then, he was yelling out the following words:
"We'se guilty koru! We should be punished on the cross! We'se guilty koru! We should be punished on the cross!"
All the other slaves who were following him in a silent procession resonated with his words. They looked straight in front of them with a determined expression on their faces, all strength and endurance focused on carrying the crosses. The crosses were cumbersome and had to be dragged through the sand of the road. The koru were almost bent double, their muscular backs full of sweat due to the serious pressure.
"Move! Move!" the overseers on horses encouraged them.
One after the other, the slaves moved leaving behind the traces of their large soles. They gasped and grunted as they carried the crosses. It was an exhausting journey, suitable for strong heathy koru like they were. But the day was hot and even the overseers were annoyed by it. The overseers wore large-brimmed hats to shade their faces from the sun. They drank plenty of water from bottles that were attached to their waist. Unlike them, the slaves endured the heat unprotected. They were covered in sweat and had no water to drink. No water was to be given to these slaves. They were sentenced to die of thirst on the cross.
Usually a koru could resist around four days without water. Some could survive even a week and if it happened to rain, their torment would be prolonged. Eventually if thirst didn't kill them it was hunger that did.
The koru knew very well how hard being on a cross would be, but they knew they were guilty and deserved the punishment. They were powerful enough to take it. Strength and fortitude is what defined the koru.
"Move, you fuckers! I don't have enough time to wait for you to move!" the leading overseer said.
The slaves were to be crucified on the side of the road that connected Sir Grandio's Timbercross Penitentiary 4 to Pupistan. This was so that all the koru in the two regions could see what happens if you rebel -- you end up on a cross struggling to breath and drink a drop of moisture. Some koru spectators were even instructed to stand by the road and shout towards the condemned slaves:
"Boo! Boo! Stupid rioters! Boo!"
Some rotten tomatoes were thrown as well. But even more koru were frightened by the harsh punishment they were witnessing. Such a spectacle convinced them that it is in their interest to behave better, work harder and be good slaves.
As soon as the procession reached the first station, one of the slaves was singled out to be crucified.
The choice was completely random, so that the slaves could never know who would be next.
The selected koru was a handsome pup in his 20s with curly brown hair.
He started to tremble, knowing that immense pain was going to follow. But he tried to be strong. He placed himself on the cross and gritted his teeth. They hammered iron nails in his palms.
"AAAH!" the koru yelled.
"What do you say, boy?"
"Thank ye for crucifyin' me, suhs!"
Then nails penetrated his feet, hammered in with the most horrible force.
"AAAH!" the koru yelled.
"What do you say, boy?"
"Tha-Tha-Thank ye for crucifyin' me, suhs!"
"Up with you, cowboy!" the overseers shouted.
With ropes they pulled up the cross of the slave until it assumed a vertical position. This is when the koru started sobbing because he was dangling there in an impossible state of agony. He had never expected such pain coursing through his body like an electric current.
"Well, boy! How do you feel? Tell the others what to expect!" the overseers said.
"It hurt, suhs!" the handsome koru sobbed.
"What did you say, boy?"
"It hurt.. Holy molly it hurt!"
"Hah!" the overseers said. "See, slaves? This is what to expect!"
"Let him down, right now!" a voice was heard from the sky.
The overseers turned around to see none other than the Checkered Man.
"You tortured the citizens of Pupistan enough!" the Checkered Man said. "I will not let you crucify them!"
"Oh yeah? We only obey the orders of Sir Grandio and his voice was loud and clear!"
"Then prepare to get wrecked!" the Checkered Man said.
He raised his arms above his head to gather a strong tornado and sent it towards the overseers who started running.
"Massa! Massa!" all the slaves suddenly dropped the crosses from their backs and knelt on the road, their heads buried in the sand. The only slave who couldn't kneel was the one on the cross.
"I find you guilty of rebelling against my order, but I don't want you to die," the Checkered Man said. "Instead, you will work for the benefit of the community in Pupistan. You will be your country's slaves! You WILL serve your country."
"Thank ye, Massa, suh! Thank ye, Massa, suh!"
"Take this slave from the cross," the Checkered Man continued pointing towards the suffering slave. "He will be the leader of your group!"
"Yessuh!"
Then he said:
"One more thing! When I talk with you, I want you to look me in the eyes and stand straight, not bow! Do you understand that?"
The koru stood on their feet and faced the Checkered Man. Their faces were bright with hope.
"Yessuh!"