The Cask Of Amontillado

I glided up the steps like a ghost, a smile slowly made its way to my lips.

“I had finally done it,” I said aloud with glee.

I worked my way to the entrance of the cave, the door was sealed shut. It looked exactly how I had left it. No one had come to check on me, no one suspected anything. With that thought dancing around in my head I let out a laugh of relief. My hand glided over the doorknob, it was a smooth cool surface, and my hands gripped it tightly. There was no fear in my eyes, not even an ounce. I turned the doorknob, eagerly awaiting the outside wine festival that had been going on earlier. As I whipped open the door a cool breeze made its way into the door chilling me to the bone. I entered the cold breezy night, and left the dark and damp catacombs underneath me. I could see the Wine festival from here, and I could almost hear the laughter and joy of people in high spirits.  I walked over to them when I hand grabbed my shoulder. I did not jump or wince I nearly turned around and smiled at the stranger.

  The stranger had a cloak on and a lantern in one hand. I assumed he must be the catacomb keeper, or whatever it was they called those men. I knew I needed to talk first or else the control of the conversation would leave me.

“And what you be doing my good sir?” I asked calmly.

“I’m dancing in a valley, and I can’t seem to find my keys. Do you have them?” The man asked in a low gravelly voice.

By the stale air that was pouring from his mouth, and the strong sour stench the proceeded it, I knew he must have been drunk, it was after all a wine festival. I quickly eyed his left hand that held a lantern, and then moved to his right hand that held a bottle in it. Definitely drunk I told myself.

“I’m sorry my good sir, I do not have your keys. Why don’t you ask the pulchritudinous dear lady you are dancing with, in that extravagant valley?” I asked him making sure to drag out the long hard words. I aimed to lose him in my intellectual conversation.

“Uh...Of course,” The man said as he turned around dumbfounded, and headed out of my way.

I walked with pride because my ingenious, and continued to the festival. When suddenly a brilliant idea came to me. I would tell the people of Fortunato demise, I of course would blame on the old bumbling fool. I quickly turned back around, and grabbed the old drunk.

“Oh dear sir, could I buy you a few more drinks?” I asked.

“Uhh..Yes..sure, sure.” The drunk said with a toothy grin.

I grabbed him by the arm, and presumed to have a friendly conversation with the man. It was of course one sided because he did not understand a thing that I said. We arrived at the festival, and we grabbed a table, and I ordered a few drinks too many for him. The man drank one drink after the other, allowing the wine to completely take of hold of its prey. He had no guard on what he allowed to enter his body, it disgusted me so much, I thought this to be a greater insult than that of Fortunato. I however quickly discarded that thought, because nothing could compare to that swine’s insult.

I knew that the man had drunk so much wine that he would collapse at any moment , death would soon take  hold of this drunkard’s soul just like it took hold Fortunato.  However Fortunato went down with less pride. Not even realizing that death was at his door, even when death was knocking on it so hard. I laughed to myself of Fortunato’s demise, and my attention was brought back to the man who now had a bright pink face who was babbling on to me, about something, I don’t quite remember. It looked like the amount of alcohol in his blood had quickly risen, and at the rate he was drinking he would be meet death in about 10 minutes. You might wonder why I was wasting my precious time with a man such as him, well I tell you. He was the perfect victim to pin Fortunato’s death on, it was even more fitting that a drunkard would be the result of the wine lovers death…wine would definitely be the end of him. It would also allow me to execute Fortunato’s death flawlessly, and with pride. I would deliver the final insult. Death was not good enough for Fortunato. I ran up to the stage that where the musical performance was occurring.

“Death Death!” I screamed with such sorrow I almost convinced myself that something terrible had actually happened.

Quickly a panic arose from the crowd, all of them gathered around the stage, and looked on me with  fear.

“Fortunato! Our beloved brother, and wine lover is dead,” I cried to the audience, and allowed a few tears to fall from my eyes to allow the performance to look credible.

The crowd seemed to mourn together at one huge time for their beloved Fortunato.

“Not only was it a death, but it was a Murder!” I screamed at them.

The crows returned in a scream of terror, and panic. They looked at each other, as if to point the finger on each other, or to mark out who the killer was.

“My good friends! Do not cry in fear, or panic. For the culprit is at hand!” I said to them in between a sob.

They looked at each other angrily, and yelled at me to tell them.

“It is none other than you sir!” I yelled and pointed my finger squarely at the drunken man that I had met.

The angry mob turned on him, and demanded that he tell them what happened. I knew that he would be able to tell them of the event. You see I had told him exactly what I had done, however I told him it was what he had done. I merely told where he could find his keys. He told the crowd that the key could be found in the catacomb. That he had been dancing with his lady and stolen his key, and now the key was in the catacomb. To any ordinary man this would not have made any sense. However these where an angry mob, and they went to the catacombs, and they found the “key”, and when they returned the man was dead. The people had feared that his death may have been caused by the mob, however it was later found that he had consumed a large amount of Alcohol. The people adorned me, and thanked me, and I remained in that town, even till this day. Not a day has anyone expected me to be the culprit, and life hasn’t been any better.