I Am Friar Laurence

• James Arnott, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2016

I knew I could not marry Juliet and Paris for it be a sin. My choice was to not marry Paris and Juliet and be banished for it. Or have God see me as a sinner for having Juliet married to two men. I cannot decide.
“We shall be together,” murmured Paris, “Together as one”.
“That is thy plan,” I replied. As much as I could, I tried to stay steady and stay calm for Paris would notice something was wrong. “God will see you as an almost perfect couple,” I stated.
“Why not a perfect couple?” replied Paris. He wanted information. My mind was in a place of it’s own. I couldn’t think. I needed to say something. There was noise outside. Paris went to see what is was only to meet Juliet. Thank God! Juliet saved my soul. I heard voices and noises as Juliet exited the chair. She and Paris entered, “My love, we shall be wed tomorrow,” announced Paris as he left.

Juliet turned to me. I saw it on her face before she even spoke. Neither of us wanted to the marriage to go forth.
“Is there something I can do? Or is there something you can do?”
I stood for a second as thoughts swirled through my mind as to what I was supposed to say or do. “I’m not sure whether there is something I can do,” I told her. Juliet’s expression changed, from the slightest glimmer of hope, to utter and complete darkness. She pulled out the knife from her sleeve and told me about what she might do. Then a thought popped into my mind, an idea. “Actually, I think I might have something.” I went to my drawer and found what I thought of. “It’s poison… well, not exactly,” I handed the vial to Juliet, “It’s a kind of stasis type effect, you drink it, it will turn you cold. Your heart will stop, your breathing will stop, but you will be alive. When Paris or your parents find you, you will be dead to them. Then, when you wake, Romeo and I will be there in the crypt, and you two can go to Mantua under darkness.” We talked for a while, arranging the plan, then she nodded and we exchanged a glance, before she left.

I sent a message to Romeo after Juliet left, notifying him about what we were going to do. Hopefully he will have got the message before Juliet wakes up.

The next morning, the message quickly spread that Juliet was “dead”. I had to keep the secret, that she was not actually dead, secret. I was getting prepared for the second half of the plan when Romeo arrived.
“Where is she?’ he pleaded.
“She is dead. She is being taken to the crypt.” By the look on his face, I knew he thought she was dead. God help me now. He rode towards the Capulet crypt, I raced after him, trying to remind him that she was “dead”. When I got to the crypt, the door was open. Juliet was laying there, still as a rock, Romeo next to her. A few minutes later she woke. She looked at Romeo then looked at me. I was going to tell her but she already knew. I went outside and looked around to check no one was going to know. When I went back inside, Juliet was there, next to Romeo. His blade in her chest. They were both stone cold. Both stone still. I felt sorry for them both. Wonderful lives ahead of them, ruined by love.