Part X: Barbaria Crucified
There, on the ground, was laying
A cross of rough-hewn wood
Four fearsome nails were waiting
And there, Judge Admi stood.
He held aloft a notice
‘REBEL LEADER’ was writ large
He read the proclamation
Of the ‘Rebel Leaders’ charge.
“This woman led sedition
“By doing so defied
“Our beloved queen, Eulalia
“She must be crucified!
“She now will be stripped naked
“And hanged until she’s dead
“This sentence is immediate
“Crucify her!” he said.
So Tree began the process
By pawing at her gown
She shook him off with anger
“I can manage on my own!”
Her hazel eyes flashed angrily
Her cheeks with fury glowed
She reached up to a fastening
And slipped out of her robe.
Her body, it was perfect
In every known respect
Her breasts were full and rounded
Her nipples were erect.
Her waist was slim and slender
Her buttocks round and firm
Her legs were long and shapely –
The perfect female form.
She held her head with dignity
Though standing in the nude
She moved with grace and beauty
As she walked o’er to the wood.
The crowd had fallen silent
Though some of them just sighed.
She laid herself upon her cross
And stretched her arms out wide.
Tree and Phlebas moved to her
To do their duty dread
“A moment please,” She closed her eyes.
“I’m ready now,” she said.
So Phlebas held her arm in place
And Tree, he held the spike
He raised his heavy hammer high
Ready for the strike.
CLANG! The hammer powered down
Her body arched with pain
CLANG! I heard the shattered bone
But she did not complain.
CLANG! The nail biting deep
The cross shuddered with the blow
Her head was rolling side to side
Her pain was hard to know.
Her left wrist now was fastened down
It was bloody and contused
I’d never seen such courage
In a girl so cruelly used.
For, with her left wrist so impaled
She calmly placed her right
In its place for crucifixion
Then closed her eyes up tight.
CLANG! The hammer struck again
Lord Phlebas didn’t spare it
This time Barbaria howled with pain
This time she couldn’t bear it.
“My God! My God! It hurts so much!”
We heard her tortured voice
She tried to get up from the cross
But she didn’t have that choice.
CLANG! The nail was driven home
Barbaria lay and wailed
CLANG! One last blow to finish
Her wrists were fully nailed.
They moved now round to nail her feet
She raised her head to watch
She tried to pull her foot away
From Phlebas’ cruel touch.
But they trussed them up so tightly
And bound them to the beam
Tree lifted up his hammer
But, before he struck, she screamed.
As the nail passed through her tarsus
Her pain was so immense
That I wondered if her lungs would burst
From screaming so intense.
Soon both her feet were fastened
Securely nailed in place
Her screaming had subsided
The pain showed in her face.
The nailing now was finished
She and her cross were one.
But her ordeal of pain and blood
Had only just begun.
Lord Admin, then he called me
“Mr Wragg, you are expected
“To help us with this cross right now
“We need this cross erected.”
So I got hold of the heavy cross
Complete with suffering load
We started then to lift it
And poor Barbaria groaned.
I tried hard to be gentle
And it was not my fault
That when we’d got that cross stood up
It settled with a jolt.
As it settled in position
Sinew and joint were torn
She hung there, tears upon her face
Naked and forlorn
The process was completed
She suffered there and cried
And we stood back and watched her
Barbaria crucified.