The Spring Picnic

They heard about it from their neighbors, and they were excited.                                                    The minister at the church let it be known to his parishioners about the big event.                          Moms made lunches, Dads got their carts ready, and over a thousand people would come by train.                                                                                                                                              And every one wanted to make sure that there would be a whole day of fun.                          Some dressed up, and others just came, and they all wanted to look their finest for the newspaper photographers                                                                                                          That Sunday morning, the churches were stuffed because they all wanted to get blessed before the big event.                                                                                                                                  At about noon, the fires had started, and every family could cook what they brought.                      Later, there would be games, races, and foolish folderol.                                                              As the afternoon came on, there was in intensity in the air that was palpable,                               Maybe a few judges and mayors would be there to make it all seem official.                                Which, if you think about, it was, at least in the minds of the over two thousand people who arrived that day.                                                                                                                                In time, and after the marksmanship contests, the star of the event arrived, riding on Mr. Crawford’s new wagon.                                                                                                          Everything had come together, and there were only a few details to go through.                            First, the star had to be relieved of his “rocks”, and that always took some time. His fingers and ears were displaced                                                                                                                  Then, the man was hung and his body was covered with kerosene, and                                              They lit him on fire.