It has been a sleepless night for me. In the prison, it is never silent. Orders are shouted, footsteps pass along, doors are slammed, there are cries of prisoners being interrogated, or who curse the Romans from their cell. Add to that, of course, the fear of what will happen to me, the next hours, days, weeks… And what will happen to my wife! When they locked me up, the Roman in charge has ‘promised’ me a fast crucifixion, as an example for all natives to see : “Don’t mess with Rome, subject yourself to its rule, or this will be the consequences!”
I hardly got any sleep, at last, when I was woken up by guards entering my cell.
“On your feet, you scum! Time for fun in the open!”
They pull me up, punch me in my stomach and drag me out of the cell, why I gasp to breath. I am taken to a courtyard. There, a nearly naked Piedi is brought to a stock of wooden beams and ordered to take up one. It is immediately clear to me what these beams will be used for! My stomach turns.
I want to address Piedi, but he obviously ignores he knows me. Behind me, I hear more voices. My wife and Livia are also entered. Angered, I want to protest, but as I try to raise my voice, I feel resistance from my still hurting stomach. Wanting to avoid another punch there, I refrain myself from uttering my anger. My wife looks ashamed and avoids eye contact. I wonder what those Roman bastards have done to her? Livia even looks worse. She seems to have been interrogated in a harsh way!
They take away the rags, leaving us just with a loincloth.
"Now take your beams."
Piedi takes up a beam. Then I do. The beams have holes near both ends. Around these holes, lots of stains, blood stains. It will be our instrument of death! A damn heavy instrument, I soon find out! The women struggle even more with it than us, men, and are helped by the soldiers, who take the opportunity to grope them. This time, I do not shut up and swear at them. A lash from the whip on my buttocks is my ‘reward’.
The team leader shouts: "Well, let's take these sons of bitches out!!!
Who wants to be first? I want a quick answer."
A bit of hesitation, and then, Piedi is ordered to go first.
There are just the four of us! I thought, the Romans had arrested more, either as hostage, or as suspect. Perhaps, the others are still interrogated about the rebel movement and the recent attack on a Roman patrol? With crucifying Piedi and me, it looks like, they want to make an example, by executing more ‘notorious’ members of the native-born community?
We are set all four. The door opens in front of us and we are flooded with a blinding light. With a crack of the whip, we are ordered to start walking.
Accompanied by soldiers, we start our walk. Soon, we enter the main street of the town. Along the street, onlookers welcome us with insults, mocking laughter and spitting.
The soldiers try to protect us right away to make us arrive "safely" at the place of execution. Meanwhile, guards crack the whip on our legs and shoulders to make us speed up. But is it better to speed up or slow down? Step by step the patibulum seems to become heavier, and more difficult to carry! The dilemma between arriving as soon as possible, and get rid of that burden in our neck, or as late as possible, considering the even more cruel fate we are walking to! Most of the time, I am concerned with watching where I put my feet, and keeping that heavy weight on my shoulder in balance! Piedi, ahead of me, also struggles not to fall. The same for the women who keep their head down in shame, under the demeaning comments of the onlookers along the street.
These onlookers!? What kind of people are they? Many are settlers, from Rome or other parts of the empire. Our country has a wealthy agriculture! That’s why Rome seized it. I also recognize many native born people. Lots of them have accepted the Roman conquest, and, like the settlers, all they want is peace instead of trouble by rebellion! Other people are of the kind that always attends executions, finding fun in watching other’s humiliation and agony. Of course, a few are just pleased that the Romans eliminate two business competitors, Piedi and me.
We have reached the main gate of the town. From there, the walk is uphill, on a more difficult road pavement.
No longer protected by houses, in the open, the sun is already hot and that adds to the difficulty.
The heat and the bumpy, uphill road, makes us slow down. The stones are sharper and more protruding than inside the town. The effort of carrying the beam gets even harder.
We all four stagger and slow down. With whiplashes, the guards make clear that we have to speed up.
Piedi seems to have a lot of difficulty keeping his balance. The guards and onlookers mock him because of a deformity on his feet.
Angered, Piedi spits at the guard closest to him. He should not have done this. Another guard trips him, he staggers, stumbles and falls on his knees, uttering a cry of pain. Lashes force him to stand up again by his own, which he finally manages to do.
The incident has made me and the women behind me slow down. We too get a lash or two, to keep walking!
I look up and see the hill of crosses in front of me. One is already occupied.
There are already many people waiting for us, waiting for the show to start.
Two executioners remove the patibulum from Piedi’s shoulders and carry it towards a pole placed on the ground. As I arrive, they do the same with my beam. My wife and Livia must kneel while keeping the patibulum on their shoulders.
A woman approaches Piedi and offers him a drink, likely narcotic.
The soldiers push her away. An officer adresses the crowd loudly:
"These men and women naked before you are guilty of being enemies of Rome, of having conspired against Rome and participating in an infamous crime. Therefore they will be crucified"
Soaked in sweat mixed with dust from the heavy walk, still with trembling, painful muscles and a soar neck, I can hardly believe, it's me and my wife, that officer is talking about. But it is true!
