Role

Chapter 4

It was almost a full week since the horrors Ronas had witnessed in the woods and the
images that were etched on the back of his eyes were beginning to fade. His son was
approaching his second year and his wife was busying herself with preparations for
the picnic and party that would be held at teatime later.

Ronas was resting on his front porch when he saw a runner from the village coming
quickly through the clearing towards him. The message was that a man had been caught
stealing from the woodpile and the Hall was about to sit and place judgement and so he
was needed. He was thought highly of in the region and was often asked to use his wisdom
and good sense in these matters - like an unofficial magistrate.

Ronas got up slowly and wandered inside, his normally broad shoulders, hunched at the
thought of explaining to his wife that he would have to go and miss his son's birthday
picnic or at least the start of it. She was furious and her face dark, but she had to let him
go and fulfil this duty.

His last words to his wife before he departed for the village were 'I will be as quick as I can
so I can be at the trickle-stream by 3pm. I don't want to miss out!'
Ronas was as good as his word and the judgement was passed, the man was guilty and in
the stocks for the week and Ronas made his apologies quickly and sped off towards the
trickle stream and his family picnic.

When he got there he saw the cloth by the stream and most of the food and drinks laid
out upon it but his wife and son were not there. He though they may be paddling by the
guddling pool, where he used to tickle trout, so he crept up to scare them but when he
jumped out there was nobody there. Confused and a little worried he called out for them
and to his dread he got no reply. He searched frantically for them for the best part of two
hours and then his own fear washed over him like icy water and ran towards the place
where he saw the black tree - whispering to himself 'Not there, they would not go there'.
Then his stomach felt like it had stones in it as he picked up their trail just past 'Green
Noah', the great oak and he knew they were at the black tree.

His heart was heavy and tears ran down his face as the trees opened up before him to reveal
his wife and young son standing in the branches of the black tree with nooses tied around
their necks. They were both crying fearfully and his wife mumbled 'I could not stop..' just
before she took her son's hand and stepped off the branch and felt the short drop and the
sudden stop. They kicked their legs, a little, as Ronas ran towards them, axe in hand, then
eyes bulged out of their sockets and their tongues lolled out of their mouths as they
moved no more.