Crucifixion of the Irreverent Fisher Girls

A cautionary tale by Nombe Zulu

Marcy and her friends were crucified for not showing proper respect for the True God.  They were hard working but not exceptionally reverent fisher girls.  To save money they lived on their boat and wore only simple loincloths when ashore.  To save wear and tear on their simple clothing they fished in the nude.  Fish were free and the fisher girls ate lots of them.  By hard work and frugal living they had saved enough Shekels to pay for their boat and save a modest sum besides.  Everyone in the village knew this.  They were clever at finding fish when no one else could and bold to put to sea when no one else dared.  At these times they demanded top prices for their fish, much to the resentment of the villagers and envy of the fishermen.  These good looking unattached young women were often propositioned by the young, and not so young, men of the village.  The girls never shared their favors, causing much resentment.  There were rumors of girlish giggles, mingled with female moans and gasps of pleasure, drifting over the quite waters of the harbor from their boat at night.  They had never been caught in this abomination but the pious God-fearing villagers were sure Marcy and her fellow fisher girls were pleasuring each other.

The girls were out fishing.  They knew they must be back in port with their fish sold before sunset.  After sunset on the day of the full moon was sacred to the True God and no gainful labor was permitted.  The punishment for neglecting this observance was severe, lingering, and fatal.

The Council of Zealots was meeting to consider a new interpretation of the sacred writings of the True Prophet of the True God.  Out the window on the horizon could be seen the inbound sail of the fisher girl’s boat.  The afternoon sun was well up but moonrise was long before sunset.  The moon belonged to the night.  Surely the True Prophet had meant that the holy day started at moonrise, not sunset.   The men of the Council of Zealots glanced at the approaching boat and crew of nubile young women.  Yes, surely, that is what the Prophet intended.  Criers were dispatched to inform the villagers and post notification in the town square.

A pale moon hung in the afternoon sky when Marcy stepped ashore to tend the dock lines.  The girls were immediately arrested and hustled off for trial, still in their fishing outfits.  Bound and naked, the fisher girls stood before the Council of Zealots.  The desperate girls pled ignorance.  They had been at sea when the time of observance of the sacred day was changed.  The senior Holy Zealot replied, Ignorance signified a lack of true belief and reverence in the True God and was no excuse.  If they had been properly reverent the True God would have granted them a vision and revealed the new requirements.  The Zealots did grant that this was an extenuating circumstance and the penalty would be moderated accordingly.  Rather that being nailed to the cross the attractive young unbelievers would merely be bound to the crosses with rope, sparing them much agony as they dangled there until they died.

In addition to their lives, the young women’s boat, fish and Shekels were forfeit.  The Council of Zealots would take possession of these for the glory of the True God.  As a special favor, Marcy and her companions would be permitted to spend their last night before crucifixion being fucked by the Council of Zealots.  Such intimate contact with these holy men might benefit their souls.  The Zealots tended to be old, ugly and unwashed.  Only on occasions such as this was there an opportunity to confer such a favor on an attractive young woman.

By morning Marcy and the others were somewhat worn by the repeated and ardent, if not always successful, attentions of the Zealots.  However they were young, healthy and toughened by the arduous life of a fisher girl.  After a little food and water they were in condition to last a long time on the cross.

Several crosses were kept permanently erected in the town square for these occasions.  Under the approving eyes of the gathered townspeople the naked women were hosted up and lashed in place.  Their writhing, struggling sweating young bodies and cries of distress would serve to entertain the faithful and warn potential backsliders.

Because Marcy had not been nailed to the cross she did not experience the intense agony, shock, trauma and blood loss that would have killed her with great agony but relatively quickly.  Hanging naked from a cross without food, water or rest is very exhausting as the hours and days go by.  By the end of the second day she had no more energy for writhing.  She simply hung there, moaning softly and occasionally quivering.  Dehydration, exposure and fatigue slowly drained her.   She was the last to die.  In early morning of the forth day the Watchman on his morning rounds prodded Marcy’s limp dangling body with his spear.  No reaction.  Thrusting the spearhead into her belly produced no response and no blood.  He was rather disappointed.  He had grown to enjoy the sight of the crucified naked suffering girl.  He had also wagered she would last ‘till noon.

Marcy’s lifeless body was cut down first, then the other two dead women.  They were tossed into an oxcart and hauled away for disposal.  The crosses were needed.  A handsome and still shapely peasant woman and her two ripe young daughters had been caught on a Holy day driving stray cattle out of their crops.  Three more naked women must suffer and die on the cross for their irreverence.