It was a dark and sullen evening, the judge, as per usual, was attending to the court, listening to the ramblings of the opposition. For the 8th time, he snuck a peek at the accused and, for the 8th time, deemed him to be a man with no redeeming qualities. The common black hair, dark brown eyes and slightly tanned skin was present on the slim body of the accused.

‘Your Honour,’ a voice, identified as the defense, brought him back, ‘the defendant is an innocent man. During the crime, he was, in the witness’s words, in his room studying for the national test.’

The man leading defense was dressed in a formal attire. His manner of speaking was confident as if he was sure of the credibility of his words.

Is this so?

‘Yes, Your Honour. During the time of the crime, the defendant’s room was said to have been lit by a light, showing that he was indeed revising for the exams.’

What, in particular, was he revising for?

‘The mother tongue, Your Honour.’

The judge’s brows moved closer together, a faint frown visible only to the eyes of the defense. The rigid air abound became slightly frosty, chills were being felt by the people, and the judge’s eyes turned sharper as if he was an eagle, patiently waiting; waiting for the right moment to swoop in. The defense, slightly pale in countenance, proceeded to voice out his concerns, as if trying to dispel the feeling given off.

Reason after reason, the evidence placed by the defense accumulated, presenting a seemingly great wall of defense for the defendant

‘Your Honour, the words coming out of his filthy mouth are all lies!’ cried the opposition. In hysterics, he continued to yell the ‘flaws’ of the defense’s words, though all ‘flaws’ were countered by the defense with all manners of civility, heavily contrasting modus operandi of the opposition party.

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This continued late into the night as the judge, who regained his usual calm, made no signs of stopping the two.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven hours, the session took, sapping out all the energy of the people present. Countless have retired to their respective homes and only a few stayed, though their eyes, dimming throughout the session, gave their true feelings away.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven and fifteen. Seven hours and fifteen minutes. Of the remaining, two left, leaving only nine people.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven and a half. Seven hours and thirty minutes. Another left. Eight people.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven and thirty-six. Seven hours and thirty-six minutes. A man in white robes entered and seated himself beside the judge. Nine people.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven and thirty-seven. Seven hours and thirty-seven minutes. The robed man whispered something to the judge.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven and forty. Seven hours and forty minutes. The robed man and another person left. Seven people.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven and forty-four. Seven hours and forty-four minutes. The gavel of the judge struck.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven and forty-five. Seven hours and forty-five minutes. The verdict has been given. The accused is to be hanged within twenty-four hours.