Another Queen Learn English through story level 2
chapter one
fathering gay
my name is best curl
but this is not my story
it is the story
of my lady mary
queen of scots
she wrote the story
and then she gave it to me
i am going to give it to her son
she began the story
a week ago
it was january
1587
and we sat here
in our cold room
in fathering gay castle
in the north of england
we couldn’t see much from the window
one or two houses a river
some trees
some horses
and a road
that’s all
the road
goes to london
the home of queen elizabeth of england
mary
sat with her little dog in her hands
and watched it
all day long
no one came along the road
nothing happened
i watched mary
unhappily
please your majesty
come away from that window
i said
it doesn’t help
no one is going to come
queen elizabeth can’t do it
queens don’t kill queens
don’t they bass
mary said
then why are we here
in this prison
why am i not free
why
your majesty
because queen elizabeth is afraid of you
that’s right
mary said
she’s afraid of me
and she hates me too
she hates me because i am beautiful
and she is not
because i had three husbands
and she
never married
and because many people
good catholic people in england
france scotland spain
say that i
mary am the true queen of england not
elizabeth
and elizabeth has no children
so when she is dead
my son james
she came away from the window
and stood in front of me
james
she said quietly
my son
does he think about me
sometimes
he was only 10 months old
when i last saw him
it is nearly 20 years
of course he thinks about you your
majesty
i said
you write to him often
how can he forget his mother
then why doesn’t he write to me
mary asked
does he want me to stay here in an
english prison
no
of course not your majesty
but
he has a lot of work your majesty
he is the king of scotland and
he is not the king of scotland bess
she said
not before i am dead
remember that
no your majesty of course not
but perhaps people tell him things that
are untrue
you know what people say
perhaps
perhaps he thinks you killed his father
mary’s face went white
she was very angry
and for a minute
i was afraid
she said
you know
that’s a lie bess
it is a lie
i did not kill james’s father
i knew nothing about it
i know that your majesty
but perhaps james doesn’t know it
he hears so many lies
all the time
he needs to know the true story
why don’t you write
and tell him
mary sat down slowly
she looked old and tired
all right bess
she said
give me a pen please
i’m going to write to james
and tell him the true story
you can give it to him
when i’m dead
dead your majesty
don’t say that
you aren’t going to die
her old
tired eyes looked at me
yes i am bess
you know what is going to happen
one day soon
a man is going to bring a letter from
queen elizabeth
and then her men are going to kill me
but before i die
i would like to write to my son james
i want to tell him
the story of my life
so give me a pen
please
i gave her a pen
this is what she wrote
[Music]
chapter 2
france
dear
james
very soon
i am going to die
and meet
my god
before i die
i want to write the true story of my
life for you
everything that i write here
is true
i cannot lie to you
or to god
please believe that james
it’s important to me
my father died
when i was one week old
so i was the queen of scots when i was a
baby
at first
i lived with my mother in scotland
and then
when i was five
i went to france
my mother was french
but she stayed in scotland
and died there
i went to france
to marry the king of france’s son
his name
was francis
and he was one year younger than me
in 1559
his father died
so francis
was king
then i was queen of france
and queen of scotland too
i was very happy in france
francis my husband
was like a little brother to me
i think he loved me
but he was very young
and he was often ill
and then
in 1560
he died
he was 16 years old
when he died
i was very unhappy
and my life was very different
there was a new king and queen
and i wasn’t important in france anymore
but i was still queen of scots
so
i came back
to scotland
when i arrived in scotland
i was a young girl of
my mother was dead
and there was no one there to meet me
i walked off the ship
and i slept in a little house near the
sea
next day
the scots lords came from edinburgh
they were pleased to see me
and for a week
everyone was happy
people smiled at me
and sang in the streets
i think everyone liked me
then
that sunday
i went to church
james
my son
you are a protestant
and i am a catholic
you are a good man
and you love god
but your church and my church are
enemies
i was born a catholic
and i am going to die a catholic
i love god too
i hope you understand that
i’m not going to change now
that sunday
people shouted angrily in the streets
your majesty
said the scots loads
scotland is a protestant country
you can’t go to a catholic church here
the scottish people don’t like catholics
i’m sorry
my lords
i said
but i am your queen
no one tells me what to do
i don’t hate protestants
and i’m not going to kill them
the people can go to their protestant
churches
and pray to god there
but i’m going to pray with catholics
in my church
people were angry because of that
a man called
john knox
came to see me
he was a famous protestant churchman
but i didn’t like him
he was a big angry man
with black clothes
he hated the catholic church
and wanted all catholics to leave
scotland
to him
the protestant church was the only true
church of god
he said
your majesty you’re a young woman like
my daughter
women can’t understand difficult things
like god or the church
find a good protestant husband girl let
him rule this country for you
i was very angry with this man knox
i was a queen
but i was only eighteen
he didn’t talk quietly
he shouted at me
i cried because of his angry words
i could not understand him
he talked so much
and he knew so many
books but i did not go to his church
he was right about one thing
perhaps i could rule scotland without a
man
but i could not have a child without one
and every queen needs a son or daughter
to come after her
so i began to look for a husband
[Music]
chapter 3
darnley and riccio
at first i wanted to marry the son of
the king of spain
don carlos
but he was a catholic of course
and my scots lords did not like that
it was difficult for me james
i wanted to please myself
i wanted to please my friends and family
in france
and to please my people too
and then
there was the queen of england
at first i wanted very much to be
friends with elizabeth
we wrote many letters
and talked about a meeting
a meeting between two sister queens
elizabeth wrote to me at this time
our two countries need to be friends
you need a husband
i
need a friend
why not marry my friend robert dudley
the earl of leicester
he is a tall strong man
i think he could be a good husband for
you
i was very angry
about this letter
there were a lot of stories about
elizabeth and robert dudley
they were good friends
he often danced and sang
and talked with her
sometimes people said
he stayed in her room all night
dudley
had a wife but one day
she died very suddenly
it was an accident
she fell down the stairs
they say
but then
perhaps she was unhappy
because of her husband and elizabeth
and she writes to me about a man like
this
i thought
she wants him to marry me
because he is her friend
her lover perhaps
she wants her lover to be king of
scotland
i found a better man than dudley james
i found
henry darnley
your father
he was 19 years old
and i was 23
he was a tall man
with a beautiful face
and big green eyes
he talked and sang well
and i liked dancing with him
he often wore expensive black clothes
and he laughed a lot when he was with me
he was very young
and friendly
and i felt happy when i was with him
i liked him very much
and i thought he loved me too
he was an important man too
we were cousins
his grandfather was king of scots
and his great grandfather
was henry vii of england
in july 1565
i married him
elizabeth was very angry
and so were a lot of the scots lords
my half-brother
the earl of moray
tried to stop the marriage
i had to fight him
and he ran south
to england
but i was happy
your father and i laughed
every day
he was now henry king of scots
after one or two weeks
the laughter stopped
a king has a lot of work james
you know that
he has to read hundreds of letters
talk to people
and think about a lot of important
things
i did those things every day
but now
i thought
i had a man to help me
my lord henry
i said
would you like to read all the letters
with me
you can sit next to me
and you can work with me every day
your father looked unhappy
i’m not interested in work like that
he said
i don’t understand it
of course not
i said
you’re a young man my love
but i can teach you
for one or two days
he sat down with me
and i tried to teach him
but it was true
he was not interested in the work
and he did not try to understand it
you do it mary
he said
i’m going out with my friends
we’re going to ride and drink
and swim
so
i did all the work
at night too
he often went out with his friends in
the town
they drank a lot
and laughed and sang
and there were often fights
but no one said anything
because he was the king
my husband
what could people say
they were unhappy
but
they were afraid of him
some of them went to england
to the earl of moray
at this time i was often very tired
because i was pregnant
you
my son james
were alive inside me
but i did all the work of a queen
and i needed friends too
one of these friends
was a young italian
david riccio
riccio
was a little man
and he was not tall
or beautiful
or strong
but he was a very clever
interesting man
he wrote many of my letters for me
and helped me
he sang well too
and i sometimes sang with him
in the evenings
i liked him very much
and at first
your father liked him too
but then mourie’s friends began to talk
about me and riccio
david oriccio is in the queen’s rooms
every night
they said to your father
she laughs and sings and dances with him
my lord it is not right
he is not a scotsman and he is not her
husband
he is always with her
perhaps they said other things too
i don’t know
a lot of scots lords listened to them
but i tell you james
before god
i did nothing wrong
david riccio was a good man
he worked hard
and he helped me
so of course i liked him
your father did not work
he went out to the town every night with
his friends
and drank
and then one night
your father came home
[Music]
chapter 4
the death of david riccio
it was a saturday evening in march 1566.
i was in edinburgh with some friends
david riccio was there
with six or seven other people
we were in a small room
but there was a good dinner on the table
and we were happy
it was dark outside
but inside
it was warm and friendly
suddenly a door opened behind me
in the door
was henry darnley
my husband
i stood up
and smiled
good evening my lord
i said
please come in
would you like something to eat
no thank you
he said
i’m not hungry
but i want to sit next to you wife
please tell that man to move
a man got out of the chair next to me
and darnley sat beside me
then he put his arms around me
i did not like it his face was hot
and his eyes looked unhappy
but i smiled and said
i am happy to see you my lord
are you mary
he laughed
are you really
yes
of course my lord
but
then the second door opened
and his friend lord ruthen stood there
he had a knife in his hand
his face was red
and he looked very angry
at first
no one moved
then ruthen said
your majesty
send david riccio out of this room now
i want him
i looked at riccio
he was afraid
why
i said
why do you want him
he is a bad wicked man
ruthen said
send him out
no
i said
you want to kill him
david riccio is my friend
he stays here
with me
he goes out woman
lord ruth and said
king henry hold your wife please
i stood up
but darnley held my arms
and i could not move
david riccio ran behind me
and held my dress
my friends in the room stood up too and
moved towards ruthen angrily
but he had a knife in his hand
get back
he said angrily don’t touch me
then five men with knives ran into the
little room
and there was a fight
one man held a knife in my face
and another man hit david riccio behind
me
then they pulled him out of the room
help me
he screamed
help me my queen please
they’re going to kill me don’t ah
i couldn’t help him
because darnley had me in his arms
but i could hear david riccio’s screams
i think he fell down the stairs
and he screamed for two or three minutes
then it was quiet
what are you doing
i asked darnley angrily
riccio is a good man
why are you doing this
darnley laughed
you are my wife mary not david riccios
he said
so why are you with him every evening
you never talk to me
i don’t talk to you because you are
never here
i said
you are always drinking with your
friends
you aren’t a king
you’re a stupid boy
he laughed
again it was not a nice laugh
well
he said
perhaps i am a boy
but that is better than david riccio now
do you want to go and see him
i did see him
five minutes after that
he was very dead
and there was blood all over the floor
poor david riccio
he sings to god now
not me
i looked at henry darnley
my husband
he had a stupid smile on his face
but i think he was afraid of me
i looked at him a long time
and the smile went away
remember this night
husband
i said to
him remember it well
think about it
when you look into my eyes
and before you go to sleep
david riccio was my friend
and you killed him in front of me
i’m never going to forget that henry
darnley
never
[Music]
chapter 5
my son is born
next morning darnley came to see me
he was afraid
what’s the matter husband
i said
why are you crying
oh mary
mary
he said
i’m sorry
i was wrong
i helped those men to kill riccio
and now the earl of moray is back here
with them
he hates me
i’m afraid they’re going to kill me
and you too
think of our child mary
here inside you
he took me in his arms again
i was very angry
i am sorry james
that this man was your
father he was a stupid boy
not a man
he was tall
and strong
and beautiful
but he could never think like a man
or a king
i said
you know these men henry
what do they want
they
they want our child mary
they don’t want us
they’re going to put you in prison
they don’t want you to be queen
they want your child to be king or queen
i
i don’t know what they want to do with
me
perhaps they want you to be king too
without me
i said quietly
then you can do what they say
like a little boy
perhaps mary
they said that yesterday
but now that moray’s here
i don’t know i’m afraid
please help me
he began to cry again
what can we do
we can run away
i said
we can leave edinburgh quickly and
quietly
before ruthen and his men stop us
be quiet for a minute
i want to think
i walked up and down for two or three
minutes
then i said
henry
go back to these men
tell them
no
mary please
i can’t
i’m afraid of them
listen to me henry
and try to be a man
go and tell them i’m ill
because of the child
say i’m not angry with them
tell them anything
lie to them
then tonight
bring some men and horses here
behind the castle
he went
and did it
all day i waited in my rooms and
listened
then
at one o’clock in the morning
darnley and i went quietly down the
stairs
behind the castle
some of my friends were there
with horses for us
quickly
we rode away into the night
that was a very bad night
it was dark
and cold
i was ill
and darnley was afraid
come on
he said
ride faster woman
you’re too slow
but i was pregnant
and it was cold
and dark
we rode for five hours in the rain
i can’t
henry
i said
i’m ill
think of the baby
i don’t want it to die
why not
he said
we can always make another one
i’m sorry but it is true
your father said things like that james
then he rode away in front of me
into the dark
i rode slowly behind
with my good woman
best curl
in the morning
we arrived at dunbar castle
darnley slept
and i wrote letters to my friends
next day
lord bothwell came to help me
i liked him
he was a good
strong man
soon i had an army of eight thousand men
bothwell and i rode back to edinburgh
with the army
lord ruthen died
and some of his friends ran away
but the earl of moray stayed
all that summer i ruled the country
and waited for the baby
my husband stayed outside my rooms
i did not want to see him
no one did
perhaps he drank with his friends
i don’t know
and then
on the 19th of june
in a small room in edinburgh castle
my baby was born
it took a long time
but at last you were in my arms
james
my son
i asked your father to come in
my lord henry
i said
this is our baby
look at him my lord
take him in your arms
he is your son
isn’t he beautiful
but your father did not love me james
very often
after you were born
he slept with other women
i know that
because he talked to everyone about it
i think
he wanted people to know
and
i am sorry
but i do not think he loved you james
when i took you to church
and gave you your name
he did not come
he wasn’t interested
but because of him
david riccio was dead
i could never forget that
never
[Music]
chapter six
kirker field
i had a new man to help me now
the earl of bothwell
a strong
clever man
he was older than me
he was not a boy like darnley
he worked hard
and he could think
he was a good fighter
and he was not afraid of other men
perhaps you are like him
james
my son
in january your father
darnley
was ill in glasgow
i went to see him
and took him back to edinburgh
he was unhappy
and afraid of people
he saw enemies behind every door
poor stupid boy
he said he loved me again
i was angry
but i felt sorry for him too
he was very ill
it’s not far now henry
i said you can sleep in the castle
no
not there
please mary
he said
i don’t want to go into the castle
i’m afraid of it
but where do you want to go
i asked
find me a little house outside the town
and stay with me there
he said
we can be happy there
so i found him a small house called
kirkafield
outside edinburgh
he stayed there in a room upstairs
and sometimes
i slept in a room downstairs
donnelly was often afraid
and i visited him every day
slowly
he got better
on sunday the 9th of february
there was a big wedding in
edinburgh after the wedding
bothwell and i walked out to kirker
field
to see darnley and talk to him
everyone sang and laughed
and was very happy
at ten o’clock
i was tired
good night my lords
i said
i’m going downstairs to bed
lord bothwell put his hand on my arm
your majesty
he said
you can’t sleep here now
don’t you remember
people are dancing and singing in town
tonight
everyone wants you to go
oh
yes
i forgot
i said
of course people want to see me there
so
good night henry
sleep well
darnley was very unhappy
please marry my love
don’t go
he said
don’t leave me here
but i did not love him now
i remembered the night when riccio died
so i smiled and said
good night henry
be a man now
don’t be afraid of the dark
then i went downstairs with lord
bothwell
outside the house we met one of
bothwell’s men
he looked afraid
and there was something black
on his face and hands
jesus man how dirty you are
i said
don’t come near me with those hands
no my lady
of course not
he said
he looked at bothwell for a minute
and then ran away quickly
i laughed
got on my horse
and forgot about
it i tell you before god james
i did not kill your father
it was not me
i knew nothing about it
nothing
i sang and danced in town
and then went to bed
in edinburgh castle
then
at two o’clock in the morning
there was a sudden noise
a very big
bang
everybody heard it
all through the town
my god
i said
what’s that
everyone ran out of their rooms
lord bothwell was downstairs
don’t be afraid
ladies
he said
my men are outside
they’re going to see what it is
after an hour
he came to see me
please
sit down my lady
he said
i have some unhappy news
yes my lord
what is it
it’s your husband
lord darnley
he is dead
but
how
how did he die
who killed him
i don’t know my lady
that bang
that was his house
kirkefield
it’s not there anymore
what
and darnley was inside
well
no
my lady
bothwell said slowly
my men found him
in the garden
not in the house
he is wearing
only night clothes
and there is no blood on him
but he is dead
i am sorry
take me out there
i want to see him
now
yes my lady
i went out to kirkerfield in the early
morning
there was no house now
no walls
no doors
no windows
nothing
and there in the garden
a long way from the house
was that poor
dead boy
my husband
i did not love him
but i cried then
he was your father james
and i did not
kill him
i don’t know who killed him
but he had many enemies in scotland
i was very afraid
i too
had enemies
and i often slept there
perhaps someone wanted to kill me too
[Music]
chapter 7
bothwell
soon everyone in europe heard the news
the queen of france and the queen of
england wrote angry letters to me
who killed the king
they asked
i was very unhappy at this time james
we looked for the killers
but we could not find them
please believe me james
the scots lords are difficult men
some were friends
some were enemies
but they changed all the time
many people in scotland said
bothwell killed lord darnley
i heard them
outside the castle
and in the town
but i never believed it
people in edinburgh sold horrible
stories and pictures of bothwell
the same day that darnley died
it was too soon
perhaps darnley’s killers wrote these
stories about bothwell
before they killed darnley
i don’t think
lord bothwell killed your father james
he was a good friend to me in difficult
times
he was a good
strong
clever man
and he worked hard
i liked that
a lot of women liked him i think
three times that spring
he asked me to marry him
he had a wife
and i could not marry again so soon
i asked him to wait
then
on the 24th of april
i rode out of edinburgh to the north
i had five or six friends with me
six miles outside the town
lord bothwell met us
with an army
why are you here my lord
i said
he smiled
because i want to meet you mary
he said
i want you to come with me to my castle
he rode next to me
and his men rode between me and my
friends
i was afraid
and a little excited too
but my lord
you can’t do this
i said
i don’t want to come with you now
but i want you mary
he said
your friends can’t stop me
i love you
and i want to marry you
what’s wrong with that
i said nothing
what could i say
i liked him
and he had an army
i had only six friends
so
i rode with him to his castle in dunbar
and stayed there two weeks
and then
he was a strong man and i was only a
woman
and i did like him james
i liked him very much
after two weeks in dunbar
bothwell and i rode back to edinburgh
his wife did not want him
and was happy to divorce him
so
on the 15th of may 1567
i married him
he was a good man james
a much better man than your father
i needed a strong man to help me rule
the country
but
i was wrong
i understand that now
all the scots lords were afraid of
bothwell
and many of them were his enemies
they had an army
and on the 15th of june
bothwell and i
rode out to fight them
we met them at carberry hill
it was a hot day
and the two big armies stood
and looked
and waited
their army had a big flag
with a picture of your poor dead father
darnley on it
under the picture
there were the words
find my killers
oh god
come on my lord
i said to bothwell
our army is better than theirs
let’s fight them
bothwell rode up and down
and talked to his men
but they didn’t want to fight
they talked
and looked at the flag
and waited
then
some of them walked home
at five o’clock that evening
lord kirkaldi rode from his army to talk
to us
he said to me
my lady
leave your husband and come with us
we don’t want men to die
and so
because our men didn’t want to fight
i went with him
it was a very bad day for me
they took me back to edinburgh
and people in the streets screamed at me
kill the woman she sleeps with her
husband’s killer
we want james to be king
kill her now
i was unhappy
and afraid
and i was pregnant again
they took me to loch levin castle
and put me in a room like a prison
there i did not eat for two weeks
and bothwell’s children
there were two babies
were born dead
i nearly died too
i was so angry and tired
and ill
then
one day after the babies died
lord lindsay gave me a letter
it said
i
mary queen of scots
give the kingdom of scotland
to my son james
from today
james
is the new king
of scots
but
because he is a child
the earl of moray
my half brother
can rule the country for him
because i was afraid
and tired and ill
i wrote my name on the letter
mary
but
it is not important james
it doesn’t change anything
i am queen of scots
not you
that letter changes nothing
bothwell went over the sea
and died in a prison in denmark
i was a prisoner in loch leven for a
year
a lot of people in europe were angry
about that
queen elizabeth wrote to the earl of
murray
you cannot keep a queen in prison she
said
it is very wrong
i was pleased about that
but moray didn’t listen
lord douglas lived in the castle
and his young son william liked me
one day
there was a wedding in the castle
people sang and danced and drank
william douglas gave me some old women’s
clothes
i put the clothes on
and walked quietly out of the castle
with him
he shut the castle door behind us
to keep his father’s friends in
then
we got on some horses
and rode away through the night
all my friends came back to me
soon i had a big army
mary is our queen again people said
give her back her son
you were in earl morey’s castle james
so i came to fight him
i rode with my army to langside
near glasgow
and there
there james
there
my son
i lost the fight
i am so sorry
i had many
good
strong men in my army
but earl murray’s men were stronger
many of my men died
and some ran away
after the fight
i ran away too
i did not want to go to prison again
so
i rode south
to england
queen elizabeth wants to help me
i thought
she understands
she wrote to moray
and she is a queen
like me
i can come back to scotland with her
army
kill moray
and find my baby son james
i am in england
but i am free
i can try again
i was wrong about that too
very wrong
[Music]
chapter 8
england
elizabeth didn’t give me her army
she put me in prison
you know this james
it is the story of your life
not mine
i was 25 years old when i came to
england
and i am 45 now
twenty years
in english prisons
murray
told lies about me
mary and bothwell killed darnley
he said
mary slept with riccio and bothwell and
killed her husband
but it’s not true
they’re all lies james
wicked lies
they only said these things because i am
a woman
and a catholic
and they don’t want a catholic queen in
scotland
they want
a protestant king
a king like you james
why james
my son
don’t you help me
why are you friendly with elizabeth my
enemy
you don’t want me back in scotland do
you
you believe these lies
don’t you
you talk to moray and his friends every
day
but they lied about me james
moray and his friends killed riccio
they killed your father too
they stole my husband bothwell
stole my son
stole
my son’s love
i’m sorry james
forgive me
sometimes i get very angry
it is
difficult
not to be angry
when you are in prison for twenty years
elizabeth
didn’t know what to do
sometimes she believed murray
sometimes she didn’t
she was afraid to kill me
because
i was a queen
she was afraid to let me go free
because i have friends in england
the english catholics want me to be
queen of england
not her
and she
is a woman with no husband
and no son
so she hates me too
sometimes
the english catholics write to me
and ask me for help and sometimes i
write to them
sometimes elizabeth’s men
find these letters
the english protestants want to kill me
because of these letters
you are a wicked woman
they say
you killed your husband darnley
and now you want to kill our queen
elizabeth you’re going to die
i did not kill my husband
i said
and when i came to england
i did not want to kill your queen
i asked her for help
i wanted to go back to scotland
but my lords
she put me in prison for 20 years
20 years my lords
i want to be free
don’t you understand that
when men write to me
and try to help me
then yes
sometimes i write back
why not
is that wicked
do you think
they didn’t listen
of course not
they want to kill me
and so they wrote to queen elizabeth
and now
i sit here
in fathering gay castle
and wait
for her to answer
i do not want to die
james my son
but i do not want to live all my life
in an english prison
i am old
and tired of life
think well of me james
my son
and
chapter nine
a death
queen mary stopped writing then
yesterday afternoon
the 7th of february 1587
we heard a horse
outside our window
mary looked out
there was a man there
on the road from london
he had a letter
from the queen of england
in the evening an englishman
lord shrewsbury came to see mary
i’m sorry my lady he said but i have a
letter from my queen
you’re going to die
tomorrow
mary did not move
when
she asked quietly
at half past eight in the morning
he said
i am very sorry
my lady
he went away
we did not sleep much that night
we talked
and prayed to god
and she gave me her letter to her son
james
give it to him bess
please
she said
and tell him how i died
yes my lady
i said
and so now
i am going to tell you
king james
this is how your mother died
at six o’clock
she got up
prayed
and dressed
she put on a red petticoat first
then
a black dress
and a white veil
over the dress
the veil came from her head
to her feet
she could see out through it
but we could not see her face
she looked like a woman on her wedding
day
when the english men came
we went downstairs with her
her little dog walked beside her
under the veil
but the englishman didn’t see that
six of us went into a big room with her
a hundred people stood and watched
a protestant churchman came to talk to
her
my lady
he said
pray with me
no
she said
thank you
but no
i was born a catholic
and i’m going to die
a catholic
i think god
understands that
she prayed for five minutes
and then stood up
the executioner came towards her
he was a big strong man
with an axe
and something black over his face
i’m sorry my lady
he said
i don’t hate you
but this is my work
please forgive me
of course i forgive you
mary said
i am old
and tired
and you’re going to open my prison doors
for me
i am going to see god
do your work well
then she looked at me
and her friends
don’t cry for me ladies
she said
please
don’t cry now
she could not walk to the block
so the executioner helped her
he took off her white veil
and then he took off her black dress
and put it on the floor
she stood there
in her red petticoat
with a smile on her face
then
the executioner put something over her
eyes
very slowly
mary put her head
on the block
the lord my god
is my one
true friend
she said
i give my life oh god
into your hands
then the executioner lifted his axe
once
twice
oh god
three times
and her head
her poor poor head
fell on the floor
it was very quiet in the room after that
it is a little thing
ahead
a very little thing
but there was so much blood
blood on her red petticoat
blood on her black dress
and her white veil
blood on the executioner’s shoes
blood all over the floor
blood
blood
everywhere
we all looked
and said nothing
the executioner put down his axe
and stood quietly
and then
mary’s little dog came out from under
her bloody dress and veil
and walked slowly
unhappily through the blood towards her
head
my lord
the story of your poor mother’s life
finishes here
we
her friends
cry for her
but that is how your mother died
she died
like a queen
a good lady
and a famous queen
mary
queen of scots
you