He followed the crowd through the streets from the praetorium itself, but lagged behind the others, and when the exhausted rabbi fell down with the cross, he slowed his pace and waited so as not to catch up with him, and the cross was forced to carry the same Simon. There were few men in the crowd, except, of course, the Roman soldiers; The condemned man was escorted more by women, and even by a flock of boys - these tomboys were always there if someone was led down their street to be crucified. They won't miss the fun. But they soon got tired and returned to their usual games, glancing at the man who was walking behind the crowd, who had a scar on his cheek.

And so he stood on the forehead and looked at the one who hung on the middle cross, and could not take his eyes off him. He did not want to go up here, everything here was unclean, everything was full of infection, it was said that anyone who set foot on this accursed, accursed place would leave a part of his soul here and return here, and stay here. Skulls and bones were lying everywhere and rotten crosses, they were no longer good for anything, but they were not removed so as not to touch anything. Why was he standing here? He did not know this man, he did not care about him. Why did Barabbas come to Golgotha, since he was released?

The crucified man's head hung down, he was breathing heavily. It means that it is not long left. He could not be called strong. His body was thin and bony, his arms thin, as if he had never worked with them. Strange. The beard is sparse, and the chest is completely hairless, like a boy's. Barabbas did not like him.

When he saw him, even then, near the palace, he immediately realized that he was not like all people. Why, he could not say, he just understood it. He had never met anyone even like him. But maybe it seemed so to him because he had just come out of the torture chamber and his eyes were not yet accustomed to the light. So he saw it at first, as if in some kind of radiance. The radiance, of course, immediately faded, Barabbas's eyes again became sharp, as always, they again saw everything around him perfectly, and not only the one who stood alone near the palace. But all the same, he was kind of strange, unlike anyone else. And Barabbas could not understand how such a man could be thrown into prison, sentenced to death, just like himself. It didn't fit in his head. Of course, what was the business of Barabbas, but how could they condemn such a person? It is clear that he is innocent.

Yes, and so they led him to crucifixion — and they took off the chains from Barabbas and set him free. He has nothing to do with it. They decided for themselves. Their will was to let go of whomever they wanted, so they let Barabbas go. Both were sentenced to death, and one had to be released. He was amazed. While he was being freed from his chains, he stood and watched as the soldiers led the other under the arch, and a cross was already lying on his back.

He stood for a long time and looked at the empty arch. Then the guard pushed him and shouted:

"Well, what are you standing for, your mouth agape?" Get out of the way, hello, you've been released!"

And he came to himself, and went through the same arch, and there he saw the other one dragging a cross, and he followed him down the street. Barabbas himself did not know why he had followed him. And why he stood for hours and looked at the long torments of death, because he did not care about him.

Well, and those who crowded to the cross itself, for what need did they come here? Apparently, from his hunting. No one forced them to come here, to accumulate infection. I must think they are close friends and relatives. Strangely, they did not seem to be afraid of infection at all.

That woman over there, apparently, is his mother. Although it doesn't look like it at all. But who is like him? Her face was peasant, stern, coarse, and she kept wiping her lips and nose with her hand, because her nose was dripping, she was holding back tears. But she did not cry. She grieved differently from others, looked at the crucified not like others. Yes, of course, it was his mother. Perhaps she felt sorry for him more than everyone else, but it was as if she were offended by him for hanging here, for the fact that it came to crucifixion. Perhaps he had done something to be crucified, pure and innocent, and she had condemned him for it. She knew that he was innocent of anything, and that was what his mother was for. No matter what he did, she still knew it.

Barabbas himself did not have a mother. And neither did his father, he had never heard of any father. And there were no relatives, he did not know any relatives. So, if Barabbas happened to hang on the cross, not many tears would have been shed. Not that because of this. How they beat their breasts, as if there had never been more terrible grief, how they sobbed, how they howled, horror.

He knew the one crucified on the right cross as a peeled one. If he had noticed Barabbas, he would have thought he had come here for him, to see how he got what he deserved. And Barabbas did not come for him at all. Although he was not averse to admiring his torment. If anyone deserved to die, then first of all this scoundrel. But not for what he was convicted for, for something completely different.

But why should Barabbas look at him, at him, and not at the one who hung in the middle, because he came for him, and he hung here instead of him, Barabbas. It was he who made Barabbas come here, he had such power over him, such power. Strength? If anyone is powerless, then he is. It was a pity that he could not sag on the cross, the other two looked much better, suffered, it seemed, much less. Apparently, they were stronger. And this one could not even hold his head, it was completely hanging to the side.

So he lifted it, licked her parched lips, a heavy sigh stuck in her skinny, hairless chest. He whispered something, I think, "I'm thirsty." The soldiers were lying on the grass down the slope, waiting boredly for the three to finally die, playing dice and hearing nothing. Then one of their relatives approached them. One of the soldiers reluctantly got up, dipped a sponge in a jug and, putting it on a cane, handed it to the crucified man, but when he tasted the muddy slurry, he did not drink, and the scoundrel giggled, went to his friends, and they rolled with laughter. Rascals!