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Hello.
I do not much have the time to write for myself, that or at times I am distracted by something. Been wanting to post something here, and I luckily found this.
This is a short story I wrote a couple the years ago. I do not know how much my writing style has changed since then, but hope it is still good. In a nutshell, it is the main character telling a story.
Please critque when you are down :) .
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A True Act of Mercy
Have I ever shown an act of mercy? First, tell me, what is mercy? True, you can spare someone’s life and that can be merciful. However, I do let people live, but that is only for my own personal gain. The question is, have I ever shown a true act of mercy? Before I give my answer, I must tell you a little about my past, just so you can get to know me a little.
Years ago, in this very forest, the last person I cared for was butchered right before my eyes. I lost everyone I cared for on the face of the whole world. I was taken over by grief. However, something changed inside me, as if an internal switch had been flipped. You see, the person’s last words to me were, “Never forget what they did to us.” And let me tell you, I never have. My grief turned into anger and my anger turned into rage. Taking my hunting rifle, I secluded myself in the very forest where everyone was taken from me. I knew my enemies would come after me, so I prepared for them a grand welcome when they entered the forest. Of course, they came for me, and I was there waiting. To tell you the truth, I was amused to see my enemies whom I used to fear so much, run in terror after I ambushed and killed a few of them. The ones who tried to escape didn’t get far. Soon, I became well known around the world. People started to give me many names. So many, I cannot even remember them all.
I continued this hunting of mine for many years, and I still continue hunting to this very day. I live in this vast forest that I now call home, always preying on anyone that tries to pass through. I do let a few survive, after picking off some of their comrades. Like I said before, do not confuse this with mercy. I let them go merely to make sure that the world does not forget about me.
Now that you know me a little, I shall give you the answer to the original question. The answer is yes, I have shown an act of true mercy, just one. It was only a few months after I first came here. I had already killed several unlucky persons who entered my forest, and I was eager for more to come. I was exploring my forest, for I had not yet fully reconnoitered the whole forest, when I came upon a small village. This was the last thing I expected to find in a forest that few people even dared to enter. I came out onto a small cliff’s ledge and observed the village below me. It was obviously a small nomadic village. The small houses were built for travel, easy to build and take down. In fact, most of the buildings were just large tents. Cooking fires burned to cook afternoon meals of what smelt like some kind of vegetable soup.
The village looked peaceful, but I noticed something was amiss. No one tended the cooking fires; in fact, the village appeared deserted. Suddenly, I heard shouts coming from the edge of the forest near the village. Out of the woods came the small population of the village. My first thought was to hastily dash into the woods, for I was close enough for the villagers to see me on top of the ledge looking down on them. However, I stopped. None of the villagers noticed me. All of their attention was drawn to an individual up at the front of the crowd.
At the head of the crowd, grasped by two men, was a woman. I could not catch a good look at her, because they dragged her viciously toward the center of the village. The villagers followed the trio, shouting and shaking their fists. A few men ran ahead to the center of the village with large pieces of lumber. There, they began to construct something. Soon, I realized what was happening below me. An execution was taking place. The men in the center of the village erected a stake, and placed the rest of the lumber around it. I would have turned and walked away, as this execution was none of my business. However, I was curious and decided to stay. I never saw someone burned alive at the stake before. The two men who held the woman put her up against the stake and tied her to it. The villagers gathered up to witness the execution.
I remember the scene all too well. The villagers’ backs were to me, and the woman strapped to the stake faced me. This was the first time I got a good look at her. A simple grey dress covered her tall, slender, and somewhat muscular body. The dress made her look like some medieval peasant. She was young, probably only in her early twenties. She had long wavy black hair that partially covering her face.
One villager came forward with a lit torch and tossed it onto the pile of wood under the condemned woman. The villagers began to cheer when the flames started to grow. The young woman hung her head down, probably crying. She did not scream or struggle. She just stood there, tied to the stake. The fire grew quickly and the flames soon reached her feet. She began to sweat and breathe heavily. I could tell she was in pain, anyone could, but the villagers just continued to jeer and insult the young woman. And some people call me a savage, ha! When the flames began to grow even larger, she cried out in pain and looked up into the sky as if searching for help. That was when we both saw each other.
I remember her face so clearly. I could go into great detail, but what most vividly stays inside my head are her eyes. Her eyes were violet, pure violet. The kind of violet of a setting sun. That is how as I remember them. Though filled with tears of pain, I could still make them out perfectly. Her violet eyes were striking. Though they seemed to pierce my very soul, gentleness came from those eyes, as well.
When she saw me, she stared at me with a look of wonder. The villagers took no heed of what she was looking at and continued their constant jeering. Then, her expression changed. The look she gave me…I really can’t describe it. It was an expression that was telling me something, as if begging for something. What did she want, I thought. What is it she wants me to do so desperately? The answer soon became clear to me. When I answered, her expression changed once more. A small smile grew across her face as she saw me aim my rifle towards her. She looked at me kindly and gratefully. She let her body relax as I pulled the trigger.
My bullet struck true, right into her heart. Her young and slender body went limp instantly. The villagers screamed and shouted in shock. Many of the villagers turned and saw me, standing on the ledge above them. I stood frozen on that ledge for a moment, bewildered at what I had just done. However, my thoughts were cut short when the villagers began to fire at me with their own rifles. I guess they were angry that the young woman died too quickly. I ran into the forest with many of the villagers in pursuit. They tried to track me down, and they were quite persistent. I grew tired of running and killed several of them. Needless to say, they soon stopped their hunt for me. The whole village even moved out of my forest a week later.
Why did I kill that young woman? I do not know. The whole thing was none of my business to begin with. I spent precious ammunition killing forcing those villagers to stop chasing me. Every now and then I go to that same ledge where I witnessed and took part in those events. While there, I constantly ask myself the same questions. Why did I get involved? Why did I give her what she wanted? Why did I show her mercy?
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Some of you might want some more some more info about the characters and the story. However, the truth is that this is probably as much as the story as I have come up with :( . That is for the characters in this part of the story. They are actually part of a much bigger story that has been on my...."to do list" :( . I am actually still working on the character that is presented the story. However, the character is a character that I only come back to ever so often.
Yet, I will try to answer as many questions as I can. :)
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