I roll my shoulders and blow out a breath, but my relief is short-lived. Almost immediately, they grab my wrists and slam my hands down on a wooden plank. Clamps secure my hands to the plank, palms down. I am forced to kneel in the middle of the town square, the glare of the setting sun in my eyes. People are huddled in clusters, whispering and shaking their heads. An elderly woman tries to approach me with a bowl of water but she is shoved back by one of the soldiers. The water sloshes from the bowl as she falls back. Someone helps her up and pulls her away quickly, out of sight of the soldiers before they decide that she should be punished alongside the criminal she had tried to help. The minutes tick by. The shadows cast by the milling crowd and quiet buildings growing longer and more misshapen. I am not sure if an hour has gone by, but my hands and legs are growing numb. One of the soldiers move away from my side. I squint into the crowd and see horror registering on the faces around me.
What do You think about Hold Me Never (Holding Never)?
