Just a strange little thing, set in the 18th Century when hangings were popular. The idea came to me in a dream so don't blame me that it's odd. Ok, Mike, Micky and Peter know each other, they don't know Davy and Davy doesn't know them, they're just passing through the town Davy lives in.

"I therefor sentence David Thomas Jones to death by hanging."

Everyone got up, two jail guards grabbed Davy's arms.

"But that's not fair!" yelled Davy, "I didn't do anything!"

Davy's cries landed on deaf ears though, and the guards led him away. Davy tried to fight them off but they easily over-powered him.

The villiage jail wasn't very nice at all, but Davy wouldn't be in it for long, and no one cared anyway. As far as anyone knew Davy was guilty of stealing from one of the richest men in the town, in fact, it was the man who payed over half the villiagers for doing their jobs, and that made a LOT of people very angry, no matter how much Davy insisted that it wasn't him.

"You can't let him take the fall for something he didn't do!" yelled Mike.

"We don't even know him, it's not my fault everyone blamed that kid," said Micky indignantly.

"But you were the one who store the stuff, not him!"said Peter.

"Hey, we were all in it together, you can't only blame me!"

"That kid is going to die at sunset, we don't have time to blame each ther, we have to do something."

"Why?"

"Hey, we're thieves but we still have our princibles, we can't let someone else take the blame!"

"Alright, alright, what are we going to do?"

Later that day Mike walked around to the back of the jail. He checked to see if anyone was watching, then, when he was convinced that no one was there, he banged on the bars of the kids jail cell.

Davy spun round from where he'd been standing with his head against the wall. He viewed the young man looking through the barred window suspiciously, "What do you want?"

"To help you," said Mike.

Davy looked at him even more suspiciously, "How?"

"I can't explain right now, there's no time-"

"What other time is there? I die in a few hours!" said Davy.

"I know it wasn't you," said Mike, "I know who it was, I know you didn't steal anything."

"Davy jumped up to the bars of his small window, standing on tip-toe so he could reach it, "Tell someone! Why haven't you already told someone? I'm going to die for something I didn't do!"

"No, no, you don't understand! I can't tell anyone!"

Davy stepped back in shock, "But... why not? I'm going to die! If you know how to save me, do it!"

"No," said Mike, "You still don't understand. I do know how to save you, and I'm going to do it. Tonight, trust me!"

"But I'm being hanged tonight!"called Davy, but Mike had already gone.

Davy sighed and leaned against the wall, sliding down to the ground.

Davy could hear the crowds outside yelling.

A few times he looked through the bars, only to see signs proclaiming: No one can save you now! and men testing the trap door and rope, making sure it was in working order. It wasn't a comforting sight.

After what seemed to be mere seconds the prison guards came. One of them tied his hands together while a preacher spoke: "...and let God comfort the sinner, bring the lost back to the path and once again find his way..."

As he was led from the cell and out amung the crowds the preachers words were drowned out in the abuse that was shouted at him. Sooner than he expected Davy found himself on the platform, looking out over the crowd of villiagers that had once viewed him as a friend but now viewed him as nothing more than a thief. Davy looked to his left and his eyes fell upon Mike, the man to had spoken to him earlier. Mike held up his thumb and pointer finger in the shape of an 'o', telling Davy that everything would be ok, then tossing his hand slightly, telling him to look away. Davy turned back to the crowds, looking over the tops of thier heads, trying not to listen to thier words. Instead, the preachers words reached his ears, "God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in Heaven..."

A man stood up and everyone fell silent, the man spoke, "Before you stands David Thomas Jones, condemned for thieft..."

Mike looked up at the wagon Micky was supposed to be standing on, "Come on Micky, where are you?" he said to himself. The man finished his speech and sat down. A prison guard readied himself to pull the lever that would open the trap door, another put the noose around Davy's head.

Mike looked back at the wagon, Micky still wasn't there. He looked frantically at Peter, dressed up as the preacher. "Do something!" he mouthed, "Stall them!"

Peter got the message, and jumped up onto the plaatform and began talking:

"Don't condemn others and Good will not condemn you. God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them!" He looked at Mike, Mike waved him on, still searching the crowds for Micky.

"You know what you have been taught, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When a person slaps your right cheek, offer the left." Peter looked at Mike. Mike looked at the wagon and breathed a sigh of realief as he saw Micky standing in position. He flashed Peter the 'ok' sagn he had given Davy.

***

The preacher returned to his seat.

Davy looked over at Mike but discovered that he had gone.

Oh, who had he been kidding anyway? There was no way anyone could save him now, it was to late. He had been a fool to trust a stranger.

The crowd was counting down now.

10-9-8-7-

The guards hand was on the lever.

6-5-4-3-

Davy closed his eyes, waiting...

2-1!

A loud bang echoed around the small town. Davy felt his feet leave the platform as the trapdoor swung open...

And he fell right through! The rope was broken and he fell straight through the trapdoor and into the arms of someone waiting underneath.

The person cut the ropes binding Davys hands, Davy lifted them and took the noose away from his neck.

"Come on," said the person, "Before everyone realises what's going on."

The person opened a door at the back of the platform and they both ran through.

Davy found himself following Mike to a horse-drawn wagon with two young men waiting, one dressed in preachers robes and another putting away the gun he had used to cut the rope in half with split-second timing.

"Wow," murmured Davy, as the horses galloped away, "You sure work in style. I can't believe you actually saved me."

"Hey," said Mike, "I told you to trust me."