The Stain

It won't come off. It's on all of them. I've rubbed and scrubbed and still... Do you see it? Here. On this side of the coin. It's not very big, but you can't miss seeing it. Blood. There's a little spot of blood somewhere on each coin. See? There. And there... and there... It doesn't matter which coin I look at, there's a spot on it. It doesn't smear. It doesn't rub off no matter how I try. It just stays there. Glowing. Pulsing.

Accusing.

I don't know how it got there. It wasn't there when Caiaphas gave me the silver. It began to show up just before it got dark outside. The darkness is another thing I don't understand. It's the middle of the day yet it's been like the blackest of nights for the last 3 hours. No sun, no moon, no stars. Nothing but darkness.

And the yelling. The voice of the people has carried such hatred since the sun first rose. Screaming and chanting till chills curdled my blood. It's almost time to begin the Passover. There should be rejoicing and singing, not hatred and screaming.

And blood.

The people were chanting about crucifying someone, but I never heard who. This blood on the coins, it... Listen. Do you hear that voice? It sounds so weary, so wounded and yet so triumphant. It sounds like... Jesus? Rabboni? Is that you? I hear you, Rabboni, but I can't see you. Where are you? I don't understand what you're saying. What? What is finished?

Wha-at!? What just happened? Why did the earth shake? Wait, the sun is beginning to shine again. It's dim, almost twilight, but... but I see 3 crosses on Golgotha. They aren't supposed to execute anyone on a High Holy Day, but there are bodies on those crosses. Do you see the bodies!? They've killed Him! They crucified Jesus! Caiaphas said they were only going to put Him in jail, get Him out of public until He was forgotten. Until His radical ideas weren't so popular. LIARS! Sons of vipers! DECEIVERS! You've taken Jesus from us! From me.

The silver! The silver is all I have left. If they lied about... what they were going to do to... Him, did they lie about the silver, too? I'd better count it. Ok, now, one, two... no, wait. This one has blood all over it. I'll never be able to spend it. No one would take it. Better to set it aside. Ok, one, two, three, four, fi... Another. Well, I'll put this one aside, too. Five... Another!? What... what's happening?

Look at this. Look! It's on all of them! Blood on every... single... coin! NO! No, please. No more! Why is this happening? Why! It's not my fault He died. They did it! The Pharisees! Caiaphas and the rest! They said... they swore... It wasn't supposed to be like this. And, anyway, I couldn't have stopped them. If I hadn't turned Jesus over to them, they would have found someone else to do it!

You taunt me! Beautiful silver, lying there so innocent, glinting coyly in the light. So clean, so shiny, and yet... and yet, if I pick you up... Look! Blood covered! Each one I touch has Blood. His Blood! His pure innocent Blood! It IS my fault! Oh, my Lord! My Lord, my Lord! What have I done? For love of money? None of this was supposed to happen!

Yet it has.

I know! I'll take the money back. Back to Caiaphas. I'll undo my part of it. Jesus wasn't supposed to die, not because of what I did, so if I give back the silver, it'll be all right. There, and that piece, and... there! Now to return to Caiaphas and... What's this? On my hand, here! Do you see the Blood? Where did that come from? From the coins? But... it wouldn't come off the coins. It won't come off my hand, either.

No! This can't happen to me! I'm not to blame! They swore! Caiaphas swore they'd take the blame if there was a problem. They swore no one would ever know it was me!

My fault. Mine! I must, I must atone. To get the Blood to go away, I must.

But, how? What can I do?

I know! Yes, I know what to do. I know how to get rid of this stain. To make it go away forever.

Yes, forever. Forever!

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Since the writing of this, I have found out someone used this and has posted it on YouTube... here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W36ucpHmw7I