A Deadly Proposition
By Joe DiMino who retains all rights....
My idea was simply this: using mans
own definitions of evil, in my opinion, to an objective observerperhaps
a being from another planetall so-called good men would
appear to be evil. On the other hand, Dr. Langly was of the opinion,
that some men, regardless of the degree of scrutiny, would retain
halos.
Ill explain further: During the
summer vacation, Professor Langly, who holds a PHD in Criminal
Psychology, and myself, a noted criminologist, decided to settle
a scholastic battle that had been raging between us for some years.
But I must confess the contest agreed upon also gave us perfect
excuse to escape the classroom, and get far away from the constrictions
of academia as was practical to do.
For some time Langly has owned a rustic cottage North of Phoenix
deep in the White Mountains. Accompanied by the Reverend Roberts,
who was unknowingly to play a starring role in an intricately
contrived drama, we arrived just at dusk
I remember how particularly beautiful
the evening--the sky, afire! Ribbons of light blazing between
the trees sparking foliage on the distant mountain peaks made
it appear as though the entire world around us was an infernal
of fantastical illumination; and our too perfect hideaway, this
small, secluded hillside of forest, a sanctuary of holiness. From
the Reverend Roberts point of reference I imagine he felt compelled
to emphasize: Gods perfect little Eden!
But to get back to Langlys and my own
planwhat we hoped to accomplish was this. We intended to
disclose, after a well-staged hoax, the answer to the question:
Will all men under certain kinds of stress react in a very
basic and primitive way? My contention was that we do. In
fact, I suggested on many earlier occasions to Langly that even
the most primitive form of outbreak, cold-blooded murder, was
vented by all of us on a daily basis in one sly representative
form or another. Take for instance the automobile, the noxious,
deadly fumes we consciously spew-out knowing it will lead to the
deaths or disfigurement of untold millions; yet we persist, ignoring
the consequences for convenience. While on the other hand, Langly
was certain that some men, forgiving them their fondness for gas
guzzlers, on close inspection would be able to rise above all
base animal instincts; and express their lives entirely on idealistic
plainswhere murder was not only unacceptable but unthinkable,
regardless of circumstance.
To prove one or the other right, we had hired
two actors to help us with an elaborate hoax.
Both actors were youthful-the female especially frail and helpless
looking; innocent in the purest sensechild-like in effect.
We contracted her having a dependent type in mind; one who if
injured would evoke a maximum of sympathy. While in the case of
the male actor, he was chosen for exactly the opposite reasons.
The male had to be largebrutish in appearance
with
predominant characteristics of the carnivore as opposed to human;
a Neanderthal-type capable of the most aggressive and savage behavior.
However, the weight of our experiment depended on the females
ability to be convincing.
The idea was for Langly and I to make
an excusesomething that wouldnt arouse the Reverends
suspicionsfor going off into the woods. Langly commented
that he needed help carrying some canned goods stored in a shed
not far away. While we saw to this chore the Reverend agreed that
he would stay behind and tidy up the Cabin, seeing how it hadnt
been used since last summer.
Shortly after our departure, in badly
abused condition the female actress came stumbling to the door.
Naturally the Reverend promptly took the poor, shaking child in
as Langly and I had anticipated. So far things were going just
as we had planned.
Once inside, she proceeded to tell a tale
about being abducted from the roadside by a deranged man; who
dragged her deep into the woods where she was assaulted repetitively.
He seemed a crazed maniac, capable of the foulest and most grotesque
acts of violence.
A microphone was hidden in the cottage.
While concealed behind a cluster of bushes not far from the scene
Langly and I listened intently. In fact, so convincing was the
girls acting, as the magnificent tale of horror unfolded
we could swear the gruesome details were gospel.
To be certain, as we had foreseen the
Reverend did everything in his power to comfort the trembling
victim. He explained that there was no telephone, but as soon
as Langly and I returned we would drive her into town. There,
at the local hospital she would be treated, and the authorities
would take charge of matters.
Langly scratched his head in a meditative manner as he listened.
I had the habit of toying with a pen top during times of deep
contemplation.
She went on to explain how she had
gotten away from her abductor: At length, he weariedand
as he slept, after untying the bloodied ropes she was bound by
she slipped from the make-shift shelter where she had been held
captive. The story continued: She ran through the woods, tears
flooding from her eyes. She feared her abductor had awakened and
was close behind, tracking her as a hunter would pursue his helpless
prey. She feared he was in possession of the machete he had threatened
her with during her entire ordeal, swearing that if she ran away
eventually he would catch-up and then proceed to slash her frail
body to shreds.
Now we grew nearer to knowing whether
our little experiment would be a success or not.
Before Langly and I had gone off into the woods we intentionally
left a loaded rifleloaded with blanks of courseaside
the table. At which time we told the Reverend that there was no
need for alarm but on occasion moocher bears came nosing around
the cottage looking for a handout. Most of the time they could
be startled off with a good shout. Never-the-less, it was wise
to have a weapon on hand just in case. No matter how truthful
this may seem on the surface, it was far from the real reason
for having the weapon on hand. To the contrary, when the Reverend
was sufficiently baited by the gruesome details of the girls
hideous experiencegorged to the point where we felt certain
that any so-called Good Man would want the fiend responsible,
at the least, put behind bars where he could not commit future
crimes--at this point, through a series of carefully staged events
the Reverend would be prompted to take up the weapon; and then
the climaxthe answer to our question would in short time
be established.
There next came a rustling
just outside
the cottage door. Instantly the Reverend and the Girl grew silent
thus
setting up a mood of nervous anticipation. Langly! Cummings!
Is that you gentlemen?
The rustling was then followed by a gruff voice-demanding that
the girl come out or it would go worse for her.
Pretending to be enraged by the silence coming from inside the
cottage, after a series of vulgar threats, using the machete the
actor began to slash his way through the flimsy cottage door.
Soon after Langly and I hoped to have a definitive answer for
our ancient rivalry.
Our criterion for coming to a conclusion
was simply this: While the actor playing the part of the savage
is standing in the doorway, after having broken fiercely in, he
makes no immediate motion toward the Reverend of the girl. Remains
at a distance although flashing the weapon in a threatening manner.
Now this was the crucial point in our experiment: If the Reverend
warns the intruder not to move or he will be forced to shootthen
Langly wins. But on the other hand, if the Reverend fires the
weapon without first issuing the warning, then I win. Though legally
within his rights to protect himself and the girl from what he
may think an inevitable attack, morally he would be wrong. For
at that precise moment the villain poses no definite threat; and
the first impulse of a man of God, even at the risk of his own
life, should be compelled by Divine-love to issue a warning. And
the Reverends only reason, if first firing the weapon, would
be because due to the prior horrific events had manifested in
him a primitive rage toward the perpetrator. Proving myself rightthat
in final analysis, any individual, having been sufficiently infuriated,
will always revert back to mans instinctive pacifier, the
needless letting of blood. Therefore, if the Reverend pulled the
trigger, it was solely because he had been so sickened by the
atrocity, that mans primitive impulse had again won-out
over Gods teachings of Compassion, which should have been even
more dominant in a minister. All appeared proceeding according
to plan; right up to the mans slashing through the cottage
door; at which time, to our amazement, the girl began screaming
incessantly. That was not as we had strictly instructed her prior.
Above all else, she had to remain silent if we were to clearly
hear the Reverends warning.
Instead there continued a horrible
succession of fearful cries
and the shouting of a wild man;
followed by a barrage of riffle blasts. With the shouting and
shooting echoed and sounded the chopping or grating of a machete
against furniture, or perhapsthe thought sickened mehuman
bone.
When Langly and I finally overcame our
confusion, and then having been paralyzed by intense fear, we
summoned up enough courage to hurry toward the cottage. We approached
just in time to catch glimpse of a man carrying a machete dash
from the splintered doorway and off into the woods.
Let it suffice to say, when we entered
the cottage
the slaughter
the scene of dismemberment
was one to surpass all descriptions of the grotesque. And when
we later learned the truth that our actors had met with auto trouble
and were forced to remain in Phoenix and miss their engagement.
Let me now say, the shock of that discovery, combined with the
nightmare of the incident, is something Langly and I will take
to our gravesand to our ever mounting fearbeyond!