(The Tunic is a fictional story based on the Passion of Jesus.)
By midmorning the situation was almost completely out of control. Pilate had Jesus scourged hoping this would settle things down, but it didn't. Pilate then gave the decree. He handed Jesus over to the Jewish leaders and told them to go ahead and crucify him. Cato and the other soldiers were instructed to keep the crowds under control. It was up to them to make sure Jesus and two other criminals didn't die before their crucifixion.
Cato saw his fellow soldiers throw the wooden beam at Jesus. It was pathetic. Jesus was so badly beaten, the weight of the beam almost crushed him. Cato was good at his job, but he didn't enjoy torturing people as much as his fellow soldiers did. Cato believed in justice and following orders. He would make sure this pathetic man would still be alive for his crucifixion.
As they began to walk down the streets, Cato pushed back the screaming crowd. There were so many people in the streets making Cato's job difficult. Two men tried to push past Cato forcing him to break rank and push them to the ground. When Cato turned around he saw Jesus had fallen. A woman was bent down next to him. Cato quickly grabbed the woman's arm to remove her. As he turned to yell at her, Cato saw the pain in her eyes. Her pain sliced through him as he heard her quietly cry, "My son....." He held her back as his fellow soldiers forced Jesus to stand. Cato wished he had not looked into her eyes. The pain in her eyes were burned into his memory.
(to be continued...)
-Susan
