David
by Michèle Nardelli
It was a swift verdict.
Heels clacked on the timber floor of the jurors’ bench as they filed in, ricocheting sound to the skylights.
Some had their eyes cast down, others stared straight ahead, dark circles, signposts of strain. All carried the weight of their decision on their shoulders.
The doe-faced accused, flanked by his grizzled and learned counsel, glowed saintly and serene.
On the charge of murder in the first degree - guilty as charged.
It was done.
And he breathed a sigh of relief, embracing the completion of it all.
The silent film that played in his head – the shotgun pressed to his father’s temple, the boom of the blast, the slow crumpling as the giant fell, filthy hands flailing on the way down, the sublime silence afterwards.
It settled on him contentedly.
He had felled Goliath. There was nothing but victory in his heart.
About the Creator
Michèle Nardelli
I write...I suppose, because I always have. Once a journalist, then a PR writer, for the first time I am dabbling in the creative. Now at semi-retirement I am still deciding what might be next.
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Comments (4)
Closure is important for the healing process. May the victim's family find peace.
Excellent use of allegory - I confess it took me a minute to decipher the David and Goliath references fully! My favorite part, "There was nothing but victory in his heart."
Thanks Alex - I tried to do some research on who writes good pithy short fiction and Google found me Ernest Hemingway - he is excellent.
Nice short western justice! 😀