Commotion; down the street. I walked towards the epicenter. More and more people were gathering around to see what was happening. From the murmuring in the crowd and the shouts of allegations, I determined one common theme: adultery. I pushed my way to the front. There she was; the woman I loved. Completely naked, sweaty and out of breath. They dragged her through the dirt, kicking and screaming. “To the Justice Block!” Somebody yelled, and the crowd cheered.

    It felt like an entirety, but we finally made it to the Justice Block. The Accuser pulled her up the platform and began to speak. “This woman that you see before you has been caught in the act of intimacy with a man. She has not pledged herself to him or anyone else. Justice must be done according to the law, so she will die for her crime.”

    “Wait!” I called, heart racing. “The law says justice must be done, so may that justice fall to me. I take her place.” I now know how I die.

    The Accuser looked at me. “Very well,” he said, “you may take her place.” So I did. There, on that morning, they stood me on the Justice Block, and in front of the entire town, they stoned me.

    … and I died.