The crowd waited patiently in the drizzling rain. All eyes were on the scaffold erected on Hangman’s Hill. King GarGar and Queen Pirouette watched from a distance on horseback. A murmur of excited went through the assembly when the condemned mounted the steps. The executioner knelt before the condemned man to ask his pardon and to collect a tip for a job well done- or at least in the hopes thereof. The man turned to the crowd and spoke a few words.

“Pray for me my brothers and sisters. Learn from my example. I have sinned against God and country. I am here to pay the price for my foolishness.”

He then knelt. The executioner struck off his head in one stroke. The crowd roared its approval. King GarGar turned to Queen Pirouette and said, “It’s a sad day when you have to chop off a man’s head before he realizes that you are the head honcho!”