I will to tell you a short story. Six years ago my latest book is published, alone in the Netherlands. The title is: LEVENS VOL GEBAREN (in English: LIVES FULL OF SIGNS). It is tell about the Deaf people. My story, titled: The Nameless is include in this book.

THE NAMELESS
       by Henk Betten

"Look, there he is again,"

Des Tombes mutters. The heavily built lord of the castle has been a widower for some time. Aletta, his daughter, hears the harsh voice of her father and immediately understands him. Nevertheless she walks over to the window. She looks at the shabbily dressed man who sits at the other edge of the wide moat. Because of the humid heat, he's dangling his white legs and feet in the water. Aletta, dressed in her fine riding dress, expresses her annoyance loudly. Marianne will no doubt be delighted again with the presence of this nameless bum, this deaf and speechless vagabond.

Aletta finds her eldest sister in one of the many rooms of the castle, sitting at the spinning-wheel in the weaving-chamber.

"Marianne, o fairest maiden of the county, behold outside the handsomest of men!"

Aletta says, with malicious sarcasm. Looking up from her activities, Marianne sighs. She could have known, it has been the same, year after year. When her sister leaves the room she sneaks over to the window. She doesn't like it when Aletta interferes. When the Nameless sees Marianne, he waves energetically. She waves back like she has done in previous years. Aletta sees the man waving and is vexed by the whole thing. How silly of Marianne, waving to a bum, who'd do such a thing? She feels hate for her sister, who is known for her uninhibited cordiality and willingness to help, without bothering about class-differences. She is much loved because of it. Aletta makes up her mind that this must stop.

Unlike her sister she feels strongly about her breeding and the distinction there must be between nobles and their servants. In the great hall, with many coats of arms covering the walls and armours in the corners, she hatches a devilish plot. Meditating, she stares while petting the falcon on her right arm gently.

The next morning, she initially shrinks back from her murderous plan, but soon her hate prevails, takes possession of her, intoxicating her. With a cruel smile she nods, the idea is good. She makes up her mind to end matters quickly, before that horrible tramp takes off again. Around noon she walks through the park at the edge of the river, taking her father's hunting dog with her. The falcon swaying on her arms, clapping his wings occasionally. She finds the Nameless under a big tree. Aletta is delighted to find he does not seem to have any intention of moving to another castle to collect a meal. She lets him pet Pollux, the dog, with unusual gentleness. Then she returns to the castle with the animals.

Sometime later the Nameless, who possesses nothing, sees someone approaching with a knapsack in his hand. The person throws the bag in front of the Nameless and leaves hastily. With hesitation the hungry wanderer picks it up and unties the knot. How wonderful! Fruit, a drumstick and some bread. He eagerly eats everything, before anyone can take it from him again.

The next morning one of the servants makes a gruesome discovery. People come running at his screams and see the body of Marianne at the door of the stables.

Next to it an axe covered with blood and sand.

The beloved maiden has been murdered. Her father arrives and his face turns pale as he sees his daughter lying dead. He covers his face with his hands and lets out a muffled cry. Aletta, apparently just as shocked by the murder, embraces her father to comfort him. After some time he raises his head, his cheeks turning purple with the anger that follows such loss.

"Who did this?"

He asks with a trembling voice.

The servants cast down their eyes.

"Come on, tell me!"

He curses terribly. The servant responsible for the garden makes an attempt to speak, but hesitates. The lord of the castle turns to him and his big hands take hold of the man's collar.

"Speak to me, what is it?"

"Well, I saw the lady Marianne...”

"You saw her, and? Did you kill her? I'll get you!”

Des Tombes anger grows with each word he speaks. Then Aletta puts her hand on her father's arm and says:

"Father, no, he hasn't done anything."

"Aletta? You know something about this?"

"It's just that I have my suspicions, but I cannot and will not express them here."

Her father nods and orders his servants to take Marianne's body to her bedroom.

"Daughter, follow me."

He mumbles. Aletta follows the broad figure of her father to his study. There she speaks with false passion of her suspicions about the killing of Marianne. Her father has no doubts and gives orders to track the killer.

A few hours later the Nameless arrives at his usual spot in the park, underneath the big oak tree. To his surprise several sturdy men, servants of Des Tombes, approach him. Before he knows it, his wrists are tied together with a rope. His eyes wide with astonishment, the men lead him to a dark cellar of the castle. Left alone, he wonders why he is put in such a horrible place. With his tied hands he bangs on the heavy door that separates him from his liberty.

The day after the funeral of the maiden, which attracted enormous crowds, the men take their prisoner to the courtyard. Helpless he faces Des Tombes, Aletta and the other residents of the castle. He feels how they hate and despise him, but why? Aletta looks at him with a hidden smile.

She startles when suddenly De Grasville, priest of the village, speaks out and pleads the innocence of the Nameless. Aletta wants to protest, but her father raises his hand.

"Let's hear what this man of God has to say."

"My lord, as far as I know this man, for a man he is, he is truly one of the meek. Others can tell you about his way with animals. He connects with them in a special, miraculous way."

Aletta moves restlessly, if only this stubborn priest would keep his pious mouth shut. But Des Tombes, who has great respect for De Grasville, responds to his objections. He asks who has actually seen the Nameless around the castle, or Marianne go to the stables. Nobody. He curses, feeling his need for revenge thwarted by his sense of justice. Aletta looks at him, and notices the grey colour of his skin. First his wife, now his favourite daughter, a bitter thought. She cannot bear to speak, she stares at him. He looks at her, remembers her words. His daughter wouldn't lie.

"Still I have reason to believe this deaf-mute vagabond committed this terrible crime. I have seen how he was interested in her, looked at her with those big eyes..."

Mumbling the last words he points at the Nameless. The priest steps forward, but think better of it. Angering Des Tombes can be very dangerous, he knows. Even the Duke, the lord of the lord of the castle, fears him.

"Murder must be punished. This terrible act must be repaid. This man deserves to be hanged!"

The priest can no longer contain himself.

"This is not a fair trial. There is no evidence!"

"But there is",

Des Tombes replies, and looks at Aletta to make her repeat what she told her father before. She had hoped to avoid attracting attention to her part in this, but she realises it is too late for that. Des Tombes nods impatiently. With an expressionless face she says:

"Surely this man had a part in the crime, father. I saw him the day before yesterday on this courtyard, carrying an axe for no apparent reason."

"He helped me chop wood", a servant says, but only the people around him hear it.

Aletta notices the unrest and repeats her last word:

"No apparent reason."

Des Tombes turns toward the crowd and speaks with resolve:

"The matter is closed. Tonight we gather near the big oak in the park."

He orders some servants to ready the gallows.

Delighted Aletta withdraws. That afternoon she hears De Grasville enter the great hall to speak to her father. She hides behind one of the pillars and listens to the priest.

"Will you not reconsider? Are you really sentencing this innocent man?"

"Father, this vagabond, deaf and without speech, who does not even carry a name, what use does he have? Why does he even live?"

"Lord, I beg to differ. The Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, created this man as well, deaf and speechless as he is. God had his meaning with that."

For a while both men remain silent. The sun shines through the stained glass, projecting wonderful colours on the grey floor.

"You are sure, father?"

"Completely", the priest replies.

Des Tombes sighs, and with chilling bitterness he says:

"Well tell me priest, if you are so sure, why do loved ones die, and so young with that? Did the Almighty have a meaning with that too?"

Aletta strains to hear the priest respond, but he doesn't speak. She hears the heavy footsteps of her father, and then a door closes with force.

The sun shines low through the leaves of the oak tree, and a crowd gathers around it. Most of them look forward to the gruesome event which makes a welcome change in their dull life, even though most of them liked the Nameless well enough. Still tied, the Nameless approaches the gallows, sees it, and suddenly realises what is about to happen. He resists fiercely, but to no avail.

Standing below the noose, he tries to explain he did nothing, but he cannot sign with his hands tied to his back and he never learned to speak. But everyone present can read the expression on his face of despair and deep indignation. The Nameless fix his eyes on Aletta, and suddenly be understands she is the evil genius behind all this. That afternoon when she came to him, while he knew she despised him. The food. It was just to make sure he would be around. And Marianne? Where is she? He notices the black clothing of the members of the noble family, and fully understands. His eyes fill with tears. She was a good woman, one of the few who did not reject him.

De Grasville, schooled to understand man, looks attentively at the Nameless. He knows more, he mutters. Then he sees Aletta stare back at the Nameless with a smug smile on her cold pretty face. Carefully De Grasville moves through the crowd until he reaches Aletta. He whispers:

“You must tell the truth or be forever damned!"

Aletta shrieks, frightened by his unexpected words. Des Tombes turns to her.

"My daughter, it is too much for you, I understand. Go and lie down, while we settle this matter."

Aletta runs off, feeling nauseous with fear. De Grasville watches her flee, senses her guilt. Des Tombes nods to the priest, who can do nothing else but give the Nameless his final blessing, making the sign of the cross. His eyes speak of his pity for the man. The Nameless sees it, and smiles gently, to the amazement of the crowd. To the priest it is as if Christ on the cross smiles at him. Puzzled he returns to his place, crossing himself repeatedly.

Des Tombes, angered by the smile which he ascribes to pure evil, shouts:

"Set him on the stool."

Some men lift the Nameless and put him on the wobbly piece of furniture. A noose put around his neck, the Nameless trembles with fear and despairs again.

"Pollux!", the lord of the castle shouts.

Wagging his tail the hunting dog runs to his master. Des Tombes puts a belt around its neck and attaches it to a leg of the stool. Des Tombes makes a few steps away from the dog, throws away a piece of wood and then calls:

"Pollux, fetch!"

The dog shoots away, obediently. The belt stretches and then the stool is jerked from underneath the Nameless' feet. The three-legged stool tumbles over the grass as the dog comes to return the wood. The crowd laughs, but the priest watches the soulless body of the Nameless, dangling on the cord. Astonished and grieved, De Grasville covers his face with his hands. As he moves away from the scene, he sees Aletta approaching. She tries to avoid the cleric, but he goes to her, staggering like an old man. She averts her eyes; he grabs her by her arms.

"This was wrong Aletta; it is a sinful thing you have forced us to do. Murdering the Nameless cannot avert Gods curse from you and your father, don't think that!"

Terrified by these words she runs away. The next morning she tells her father what the priest said.

"He said that? Well, well."

Des Tombes laughs cynically. He than tells her what happened after she left, taking pleasure in describing all the details of the execution.

"We have nothing to fear. Not I executed the beggar, but my dear Pollux. And what a good job he did!"

Short biography of the author:

Is deaf-born on 7 December 1938. After my retirement, I became volunteer-librari­an at the Royal Institute for the Deaf (Royal EffathaGuyot Group) in Haren near Groningen. And I am a member of Deaf History International and an elder of the church for the Deaf .

My first book, the biography of the founder of this first Dutch school in Groningen, The Netherlands, Rev. Henri Daniel Guyot (1753-1828), is published in 1984.