Hangman Square

He hanged himself from the tree that had the best shade. That was a relatively busy square (although in that city all the squares were relatively busy). The week he hanged himself the people came closer to see the details. Nowadays no one looks at it, but we all know that he is there; there is a reason why the place is known as Hangman Square. We live in a sort of a “new city”, which is constructed according to a plan, with numbered streets and a square every five hundred meters. The houses are the same, the streets are the same. According to some, this is the reason why people commit suicide. The fact is that the suicides gave a kind of life to the city which this hadn’t had before. Stabbed Man Street, Knocked Down Man Corner, Poisoned People Square and this one, Hangman Square, rearranged the city, becoming the four new cardinal points. We, who live in the area, are really proud of our square and of our hangman. There are quite a few of us who, every now and then, leave flowers or notes next to his feet. On Saturdays, some old women come to say a prayer and cross themselves.