I love a lot about that first image. Firstly, the progression thing: the new condemned seeing her fate before her, seeing what's in store and not being able to fight it. You can almost hear her thinking "That will be me in ten minutes! My tongue will pop out and drool will slide down my chin, just like hers! Oh that looks so painful!"
Secondly, the counterweights on the other side of the gallows. The first condemned is still touching the floor, her toes are still there, and yet she's strangling. It must have been slow and very cruel, with her fighting for every second of air, until the noose finally cinched tight enough. And of course, the more she tried to keep her feet flat to the ground, the tighter the noose would become. But the more she arched up on her toes, the more the strain would ache in her feet and legs. And still, it wouldn't relieve the noose around her throat, not by much, and not at all eventually.
Thirdly, the pole-hanging like quality of the gallowses. Not seen nearly enough and thus always exciting to me as a novelty. Love to imagine the condemned writhing against the poles, feet slapping the wood, leaning back and leaning forward, hands scrabbling at the wood.
Considering how slow that must have taken, I imagine the condemned had quite a long time to make many interesting noises while she slowly strangled. Perhaps, at first, she could even converse with her executioner!
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"Are you ready?"
The first condemned gulped. "Just do it, please."
"Very well," the executioner removed the stool quickly.
The condemned shrieked, body tensing, eyes squeezing shut. The rope around her neck tightened, pulling her up by a few inches. But ... it was not so tight at all. Uncomfortable to be certain, but not the sudden strangling vice she had expected.
She opened her eyes, shocked.
The executioner was standing before her, face grim.
"It ... it ..." the condemned gulped, and gulped again. The noose felt like a heavy necklace, distracting but again, not so terrifying. "It doesn't ... hurt?"
"Not yet, no," the executioner shook her head.
"But ... I thought, it would ... pull me back?" the condemned asked. Her throat felt odd, as if she had strep or bronchitis.
"Soon," the executioner said.
The condemned squirmed, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She realized that as she did so, the noose pulled her upwards, very slightly. She could no longer rest her feet flat on the floor. She tried, and the tug of the noose forced her back up. Her eyes widened in understanding.
The executioner nodded, as if to say "told you so."
The condemned decided that it wasn't so bad, not yet. She had her feet almost entirely on the floor, the heels lifted only slightly.
"How long do I ... have?" the condemned asked. She knew there was another execution for today, there was an empty pole and noose beside her.
"As long as you need," the executioner smiled slightly.
The condemned narrowed her eyes. "How long ... do I ... have?" she managed to say. She gasped, coughing a little. The noose was pressing harder. She arched her back and that helped somewhat.
"Average span of an execution is ... fifteen minutes," the executioner admitted.
The condemned thought about that. The clock on the wall indicated that not even two minutes had elapsed. "The ... longest?" she asked, coughing more insistently. She rocked on her heels, and was forced to remain with slightly arched feet afterwards due to her attempt at reaching her former position causing the noose to actually hurt her.
"Thirty-two minutes by my count," the executioner admitted.
The condemned couldn't prevent a whimper from her mouth. Her very heavy mouth, she realized. Closing it properly took a lot of effort, and hurt a bit. She left it slightly open. She felt drool slide from the corner of her mouth and down her chin. Ashamed, she tried to turn her head away from the executioner slightly. The pulling sensation around her throat became worse, and she was forced to face forward and let the drool slide down her chin.
"Not to worry, dear," the executioner said kindly. "Nothing I haven't seen before."
The condemned leaned back slightly, letting her body rest against the pole of the gallows. It provided some relief, alleviating the ache in her feet and back. As she tried to slide down slightly, relaxing, the noose cinched around her throat and she hopped up, panicking briefly. She heaved gulps of air frantically, chest puffing out. She could still breathe, though it hurt her upper throat to gulp and gasp. A moan issued from her on one of her exhales.
The condemned noticed that, in her brief panic, she had lost another small portion of space. Her feet rested on the floor only by half, her heels were entirely off the floor now.
"Oh ... oh ... nooooo ..." she groaned, slowly, her voice thick and heavy to her own ears. "No ... oooohhhh ..." More drool slid from her lips, which were gaping wider. She tried to shut her mouth entirely and found she could not.
"Soon your tongue will pop out," the executioner said, conversationally. "It will turn purple, at first. When it turns blue, I'll fetch the next condemned."
The condemned felt a wild flurry of fear at being left alone strapped to the pole. "Please ... please ..." she gagged, drool slipping from her mouth. Her throat was beginning to feel very tight. Her lungs ached slightly, and as she sucked in a breath and heaved hard for the air, she lost another fraction of contact with the floor.
"Please ...?" the executioner raised an eyebrow.
"Don't ... leave ... me ..." the condemned spluttered, and her tongue flopped out of her mouth. She couldn't pull it back in. It wriggled from side to side, almost like it had a mind of its own. Dreadful sounds were issuing from her throat now, not words, not even syllables, gulping choking sounds as she fought for air.
Came about via a conversation I was having with stga. He sent me one of bor's images and I felt inspired enough to write a little something. I don't think I'll continue with this, not much more to say after all. Just a little exercise. I know some of you really want more stories from me. I have a few in the works, one very long one. We'll see, but I hope to post that one sooner rather than later.
Here's the image this story was inspired by:
sta.sh/028rnjgvrbiy
Here's the image this story was inspired by:
sta.sh/028rnjgvrbiy
:origin()/pre00/5216/th/pre/i/2011/151/2/b/guillotine_the_innocent_by_tito_mosquito-d1u0179.png)
Speaking of like: In your comments on My Kinda Gal by Amy you mentioned a story about a chatroom you were going to write. Can I find it somewhere?
What was your favorite part? Or favorite parts?
Speaking of like: In your comments on My Kinda Gal by Amy you mentioned a story about a chatroom you were going to write. Can I find it somewhere?
Check your messages : )
I'm not sure sure. In the Bor drawing it looks like the noose might take effect right away. But in your story it takes effect slowly.
The idea of a conversation with between the executioner and the condemned is very compelling in a creepy way. I've had a story like this on my mind for awhile. You got me inspired to post it.
Anyway, great work.
That's true, but it would take rather a while to strangle, at least, a few minutes. Not the instant drop that other executions are.
The idea of a conversation with between the executioner and the condemned is very compelling in a creepy way.
Thank you! Yeah I had the idea and couldn't shake it, and had to write it out. Very creepy, yes.
I've had a story like this on my mind for awhile. You got me inspired to post it.
Excellent! Is that the "Hanging Day - conversation" I see on your account? I'll have to read that!
Anyway, great work.
Thank you for leaving a comment!
Role play something like this? Nice work
Thank you for the offer though!
As this story shows, strangulations effected by counterweights can be fiendishly cruel.
There are variations, of course. One setup is used when illicit lovers must be made an example of with a public honor killing of the girl.
In this case, the counterweight is not positioned behind the post. Instead, the rope passes overhead through a system of beams and pulleys so that the counterweight is some six to eight feet in front of the victim.
Nor is the counterweight initially supported by a stool that is yanked away. Instead, the girl's male lover must support the counterweight for as long as he can, holding it high overhead until his arms tire and he must let it drop.
Both girl and boy are left to stare at each other, each being naked, and can talk freely until the boy's strength collapses and he must let the weight drop.
It is the moment of truth for both of them. It is not unusual for the boy to be visibly aroused at the sight of his naked girlfriend. What she is shocked to discover is that he seems to get more physically excited as he tires a little, his arms lower slightly, the rope tightens around her neck and she writhes and starts to struggle. It is then that she notices that his erect member starts twitching and throbbing visibly. There are tears in his eyes as he strains to bear the load of the counterweight. But there is no mistaking the meaning of his male arousal: he is getting excited watching her torment!
He can last a long time, but not forever. After many minutes of this, the executrix smiles and decides to rachet up the pressure on him. She knows that when men have an orgasm, they get weak in the knees. Of course, if his legs buckle, then the counterweight drops. So she starts to play with him.
As she does so, she says things to him like "Admit it! You LIKE tightening the rope around her neck!" Sometimes she whispers suggestive things into his ear. Sometimes she teases him with her own body. And sometimes she struts over to the girl and plays with her, so that her boyfriend can see her getting aroused. She knows men find this exciting to watch.
More?
... hmm, maybe later. Not much more to say really, though. You can imagine how it ends, of course, in my stories the noose always wins!
The fact that, in the beginning, the soon-to-be-dead victim can have an actual conversation with the person that is killing her makes the whole predicament quite exciting.
Before watching Bor's image I had imagined that the executioner was a guy.
I particularly like the executioner's quiet, professional - and of course subtly sadistic - attitude.
Thank you! Yeah, that's how I like the executioners in my stories, sadistic but careful about it, not over the top.
The fact that, in the beginning, the soon-to-be-dead victim can have an actual conversation with the person that is killing her makes the whole predicament quite exciting.
Yeah, that really attracted me to this idea, and led me to writing it. The slow but irreversible progress of the noose, the casual but incredibly tense dialogue exchanges ... quite the idea, and I had to write it!