Date: 2012-12-31 Author: Xue Limei
Abani is a famous writer from a certain African country who has published dozens of novels and collections of novellas and short stories, winning literary awards in his own country and other African countries multiple times. But he was not satisfied. In his twilight years, he wanted to leave behind a masterpiece to make a name for himself in the world literary world.
After careful planning, a bold creative plan gradually took shape in Abani's mind—to write about the true feelings of a man about to be hanged, he decided to find a way to become a death row inmate, personally experience the feeling of dying, and then write this masterpiece. So, he quietly sent his wife back to her parents' home, instructing her not to pick her up and not to appear in public, and then wrote a letter to his old friend—the President—with the following words written on the back of the envelope: "Unless I tell you to do so, please do not open it." The President often received major works from Abani, so although he was a bit surprised upon receiving them, he didn't take it seriously and simply regarded it as another novel by the author. Following the writer's wishes, he did not immediately open the letter, carefully placed it in a drawer labeled "Private Documents," then went off to other matters. Mrs. Abani had been away from home for ten days, and her unusual disappearance caused a stir among neighbors. Abani also leaked information to the servants: "Women, especially my wife, are useless and should be eliminated." He knew these hints would lead to speculation: murder! Sure enough, the suspicious activity in Abani's home aroused police suspicion: yes, this person must have murdered his wife! The local police made a quick decision, arrested Abani, and sent people to search his home. They found Mrs. Abani's bloodstained clothes and some small ornaments, which she buried in the corner in front of the house. The next day, the news spread throughout the city through headlines in major newspapers: "Famous writer Abani accused of murdering his wife, bloodstained clothes found near the house!" People were buzzing with discussion, and public opinion was in an uproar. Abani was locked in the cramped police station's detention room, but he felt completely relaxed. He happily thought to himself that his plan was progressing smoothly, and the thought of experiencing the life of a prisoner and about to create a groundbreaking work made him so excited he couldn't sleep all night.Whenever he saw the guards cast stern yet puzzled glances at him, he would secretly chuckle: "You bunch of fools, I am innocent!" In short, while all of Abani's admirers were sweating over his fate, he sat calmly in his cell, reciting over and over the letter he would write to the president in an emergency: "Dear President, at this critical moment, please open the letter I sent you last time…" In this way, Abani patiently awaited the date of his sentencing.\Finally, the day of the verdict arrived. On that day, the roads leading to the courthouse were lined with people, and the courthouse was packed. Abani found it amusing once again; he had already decided to confess openly to the charge of murder in court, because "confessing in court" would be a brilliant scene in the future masterpiece he envisioned, and he intended to perform this scene well today. Abani indeed performed well, because the court eventually found him guilty, sentenced him to death, and set the execution date for the next day.\The plan was proceeding smoothly according to Abani's design; at this moment, he felt that he was not far from achieving his goal—to experience the final moments of a condemned prisoner. He returned to his cell and lay down on the hard bed, and then he remembered the last part of the plan—tomorrow at eight in the morning, the guards would come to take him for execution.\Abani thought: "Should I write to the president now or wait until tomorrow morning?" After some consideration, he decided to write tonight. He took paper and pen and wrote tirelessly the letter he had long planned to send to the president, requesting that the president immediately open the letter he had sent months ago. After finishing the letter, he asked a guard to fetch the warden and handed over the letter, which had "URGENT" and "To the Honorable President" written on the envelope. "This concerns life and death," Abani told the warden, "I hope this letter can be immediately presented to the president!"\"What?" the warden said, somewhat displeased. "I've never encountered this before; I need to look at it before sending it out."\This move was unexpected by the writer. He became angry and arrogantly said: "You don't need to look at it anymore; my letter contains only one sentence: please do one thing immediately, Mr. President."\The warden returned to his office feeling very displeased—someone was about to die, what could possibly be so important? Thinking of Abani's arrogant expression made him even angrier, so he casually put the letter into a drawer.That night, Abani couldn't sleep at all. He shivered at the prison warden's indifference when he had just handed over the letter: 'Did my plan have a flaw? What if the president receives the letter too late? No, no, that's impossible!' Abani had a thousand reasons to believe his plan was foolproof. In short, for the writer, that night was agonizing; he was truly nervous all night long.
The next morning, the sound of the cell door unlocking made Abani leap up. He immediately remembered that in the first letter he sent to the president, he had asked the president not to intervene until the very last moment: 'Come to save me only after I am on the gallows.'
As the morning sun rose, the weather was very warm. Two guards silently escorted Abani toward the place where death row prisoners were executed. As soon as they stepped into the execution courtyard, the writer's legs suddenly went weak, making him feel as fragile as a child. The two guards were familiar with such situations; they quickly inserted their hands under Abani's armpits and pressed him forward toward where the executioner was standing.
Beside the executioner stood a deputy warden whom Abani did not recognize; there was no one else in the courtyard. At this moment, Abani's sleepless brain went completely blank. Only when he felt someone binding his hands did he suddenly come back to his senses.
Abani said in an unusually calm tone, 'Wait a moment.' Everyone stared in astonishment, taken aback by the composure on his face.
Abani spoke convincingly: 'There's definitely been a mistake. There should be a messenger from the president here.'
Both guards looked toward the deputy warden, but the deputy's face showed no expression. The executioner then stepped forward, attempting to cover the face of the prisoner about to be executed with a thick black cloth, but he failed. Extremely panicked, Abani struggled desperately, trying to break free from their grasp, shouting, 'Wait, wait, there's been a mistake!'
Yet the guards were experts in handling such situations. In their eyes, Abani was already like a corpse. They swiftly tied his hands, and the executioner covered his eyes. For a moment, the writer lost consciousness. Although it was just an instant, he felt as if a very long time had passed when he woke up. His hands were bound behind his back, his eyes covered, and he was being led into a dark unknown world. In reality, he was being brought to the gallows. Now he truly felt as powerless as a lamb about to be slaughtered.The executioner finally pulled away the footboard under Abani's feet. At that moment, the clock struck nine. As his heavy body fell into the black hole, Abani's hoarse scream came from the pit: 'Wait, please wait!'
A few days later, the president learned that Abani had been sentenced to death for murder. Remembering the letter Abani had sent him, he retrieved the thick sealed envelope from the 'private files' drawer. He immediately opened it and was stunned by its contents—the letter was the writer's detailed explanation of this absurd 'murder case'!
'My God!' the president exclaimed in shock. 'Since it has come to this, the truth must not be revealed!' So, the president set the letter on fire...
