The noose tightens around my neck, its
fibers searing exposed flesh like a hot brand imposing its mark upon so many
cattle. I feel faint. My knees strain under their burden, wobbling
uncharacteristically and betraying the precarious tension of a pier's creaking
pillars as they are ravaged by an approaching storm. With ominous clouds that cast
deep their shadows it arrives, winds whipping the waves of uncertainty into a
cauldron of foam and spray and sweat that washes over my brow and falls like
crystalline knives into stinging eyes below. My vision is blurred. I see
nothing but an outstretched hand that extends into the air and reaches for a
lever that will both end and begin my misery anew. The hand drops and the lever
falls, drawing tight the noose that steals away my final labored breath.
"Welcome aboard Mr. Martin,"
my new boss says as he shakes my hand and smiles. "And I must say, what a
lovely tie."
I say nothing, for the noose has
silenced my voice once again.
