Signing the Oath

One reason someone like Binyamin, Miriam’s brother, might volunteer is for the thrill of living on the edge and becoming a popular hero. Others would volunteer to get their debts forgiven. Listen to the retired gladiator in “The Dagger”, a story in The Deadliest Deceptions:

Inhaling the salty tang of the sea, I paused to watch a gull dive under a whitecap and return with a silvery fish. That prize reminded me of when I signed the sacramentum gladiatorium, that binding and solemn oath to suffer the worst humiliation and torture the arena could inflict, including the surrender of my very life. By doing so, I saved my father from that tax collector, who would’ve had him thrown to the lions for failing to fork over the rest of the poll tax. Ma Zeus! My fish for diving into the brutal world of the barracks was clearing that debt. And so, taking that oath was a matter of honor for me. At least I had hopes of surviving whereas my father would’ve had none.  

You will not get your debts forgiven, but you can experience the thrill of living on the edge, at least vicariously, by reading  “The Dagger.” To find out more, just click here.