5. The Fall

CHAPTER 5

THE FALL

A gigantic Arumor slithers over and around a terrified, tiny Timothy.

“S-s-s-so, you say you were where when you saw Tyreantum attack your mother with the knife?”  Arumor keeps his back turned toward the frightened child but has the ability to twist his neck and head around until he scowls in the boy’s face.

           “I,…I …haven’t told you yet.  You keep asking me other stuff before I even get to that part.”

“S-s-s-sorry.  Let me not waste any more precious time for these good people and explain for you where you were.  You ran away from the ceremonial platform to sneak off through the palace pathways by yourself, didn’t you?  You weren’t even there, were you?”

          “I was too there!  Well, …I did leave to go pee.  But when I was climbing back up the steps, I saw way up high here on the platform…”

          “Oh --- so you can see pretty far, eh Timmy?  Show us.  What do you see at the far end of this platform way back there?”  The interrogator coils around and points his finger right at father and me.

         

          “Well, hmm, it’s really not that far, you know.  Like I can see pretty good and far.  I see my father and my brother sitting back there.  See?  Daddy doesn’t look very pleased, though.”

          Laughter erupts on the platform.

Timothy squirms in his over-sized seat even more than he had before.  Tyreantum flies out of his seat with the giggles.  The people next to him grin with amusement and they all share little pokes and jabs in their sides.  Alumon, also smiling, bangs his rod against his bench and orders, “Settle down, settle down!”

          The interrogator, still snickering, asks, “Shall I continue?”

          “Yes, please do,” says Alumon.

          “All right, OK.  S-s-s-so you can see pretty good.  Let’s hurry and just get right to the point, shall we?  You see that fine gentleman over there?”  Arumor points to Tyreantum who is finally getting back into his seat.

“Yes, sir.”

          “Did you see him on the platform with your mother?”

          “He ran at her and hit her with his knife!”

          Arumor makes three clicks with his curled tongue and speaks quite condescendingly, “Really!?  Come, come, Timmy.  What else did your daddy want you to say?”

          “Well, …He said to tell the truth.  Be honest.  That’s about it, I guess.”

          Another wave of laughter goes through the crowd, not as loud as the last one, and it rapidly dies away.

          “Hmmm.  I see.  Yes.  Of course.  Well, …we all want to know the truth about this dreadful accident, don’t we?  But you, my boy, are the only witness who claims his mommy was killed by Tyreantum striking her with a knife before she fell.  … Now, I’m sure it makes you feel better to make up a wild story for why she isn’t here anymore, doesn’t it?  Why should we believe you when everybody else says something different?  Huh!?  Everybody else says she fell!” 

          “She did fall!  After he pushed her!”  Timothy points to Tyreantum.

Tyreantum glares at Timothy who breaks into tears after trying so hard for so long to withstand so much adult attention focused entirely on him.

          Arumor twists away from Timothy and speaks in the direction of the crowd.  “Oh, we already know she fell, all right.” Arumor feigns sympathy.  “Such a shame.  A tragedy, really.  Especially since the ceremony that evening was to honor her husband, Nephi, our chief judge.  This should never have happened.  But it’s not the first time somebody has fallen off the sides of pyramids, is it?  The steps are steep.  Unfortunately, accidents happen.”

Arumor quickly recoils back to Timothy and shouts over the boy’s sobbing.  “But you can’t really prove that Tyreantum here stabbed her with a knife and pushed her off the platform, can you?  Because you’re just making that stuff up!  Tell us, Timmy, how old were you when your father started teaching you to lie!?  Two?  Three?  Four?” 

          “I…, I’m not lying.  …I…”

Timothy’s lips quiver and he looks around desperately for help.  He frantically jumps from his seat, rushes through the crowd, and falls sobbing into father’s arms.

Arumor silently slinks off to the side and sits.

Alumon bangs his rod across his bench to take charge.  “That’s all right, all right now.  I think we can wrap up this nonsense without too much more difficulty or crying.  I will ask Tyreantum a few simple questions directly myself.”

          Tyreantum comes forward to sit where Timothy had been sitting.  He is short, and chubby.  He wears a robe made of costly material, and has a large stone ring on his finger as well as dangling, golden bracelets on his wrists, a silver chain around his neck, and other jewelry.

          Tyreantum takes his seat and Alumon asks, “Tyreantum, were you at the celebration to honor Nephi, our chief judge?  And did you see what happened to his wife there?”

          “Of course I was there.  With my family’s influence and our position among the tribal villages, I was there to represent those interests.  And yes, I was in fact watching her when she tripped on the edge of the platform and fell over the side to her death.  I immediately rushed over and looked down.  She must have died instantly.  There was no movement.  Believe me, it was a very scary sight.  That such a tragic accident would ever occur is dreadful.  And that it happened right before an honor was to be given to the chief judge is indeed a shame.”

          “A shame indeed.”  Alumon echoes as if he had rehearsed it.  “So I also need to clarify one possible bit of controversy.  Chief judge Nephi alleges that later you were found with blood on the skirts of your cloak.  That allegation might implicate you if this story of little Timothy, who is chief judge Nephi’s six-year old son, is true.  Timothy insists that he saw a man, fitting your description, rush at his mother with a knife, strike her, and push her off the top of the platform.  Can you comment about this?  And do you have anything to say that might explain the presence of blood on your clothing?”

          Tyreantum nods as if he had been awaiting this final question.

“Absolutely.  There is a very simple and logical explanation, really.  Since I saw her trip and fall, I rushed as quickly as I could down the steps and was one of the first, if not the very first person, to see if I could do something for her.  Her head must have hit the stone steps several times as she fell.  It was bleeding badly.  Some of her blood must have soaked onto my clothes when I tried to help, but it was too late.  Despite my best efforts, she was already dead.  There was nothing I could do.  And, as can be verified by other witnesses, no knife cuts were later found on her body.”

          “Thank you, Tyreantum.  That will do.”  Alumon stands up to address the crowd.

“The unfortunate death of the wife of chief judge Nephi was the result of a regrettable accident.  Her loss saddens all of us who remember her beauty and charm.

“No other witnesses, besides this six-year old boy, who also happens to be the son of chief judge Nephi, claims to have witnessed the event.  When a little child witnesses something so traumatic, especially the accidental death of a loved one, it is easy to understand how facts in a child’s head could get mixed up.  Even if he were not intentionally lying, the child’s mind could be creating a defense mechanism to avoid the reality of what he really saw.  The reality is that his mother died as a result of falling from the top of the pyramid.  It was an accident.

“Tyreantum is innocent!”

 People in the crowd begin to stand up in order to leave, but Alumon is not finished.  He strikes his rod on the bench to regain their attention and have them sit back down.  Alumon speaks again to the crowd, but looks directly at father -- rather arrogantly -- while he does.

“In ending this matter, according to our law, decisions of a lesser judge may be appealed to a higher judge.  However, also according to our law, whenever a judge may have some personal interest in the matter, a potential conflict of interest exists.  In those instances, it would be inappropriate for that judge to rule on the matter.

“Chief judge Nephi himself is the next higher judge.  He would have to preside if there were to be an appeal of this decision.  However, I believe that even he would have to agree that a very strong conflict of interest exists.  No rational person could ever refute that.  In declaring Tyreantum innocent, no appeal can or will be made.”

A low rumble of voices is heard which gradually grows louder as some people in the crowd start to clap their hands together in approval of Alumon’s words.

Everybody in the crowd turns around to look at father.  They stare at the three of us huddled together in the rear; father, Timothy, and me.  They point at us, stare at us.  I tremble in fright alongside Timothy who never stops sobbing.  Father seems serene despite the smugness and the mocking expressions of the people scorning us. 

Father comforts us in one arm while he motions with his other one to hush the crowd.  He waits for silence before he speaks.