It was 1930 France and Andre and his wife Emma had one son.
Little baby Alfred.
Sadly Emma suffered post-natal depression.
Andre came home to find her reading the Bible to little Alfred.
Andre looked carefully and Alfred was not breathing.
The little baby was dead.
Andre was innocent but he needed to protect Emma.
He called the Sheriff and told them he accidentally suffocated little Alfred.
They arrested Andre.
His trial was short and he was sentenced to death by Guillotine.
Despite appeals the day came for Andre to go to his death.
The executioner led him up the steps and locked his head in the Guillotine.
All Andre could see was a basket ready for his head to fall into.
He lay motionless as the crowd grew bigger and bigger.
Andre remember the happy days of his childhood.
Anything to avoid thinking about the blade above his head.
He thought of an incident at school when he challenged the Teacher.
Andre was 12 and very clever.
He told the Teacher that Heaven was impossible.
“How could souls life for ever they were not alive.” Asked Andre
The teacher gave him six hits with a cane and told him not to be so disrespectful.
Laying there looking at the basket of death the Sun come out from behind a cloud.
Andre remembered his Summer holidays at the beach at Cannes. (La Plage Les Baigneurs).
He loved the sand and the surf.
He delighted in the wonder of beautiful girls dipping their toes in the cold water.
He suddenly remembered Emma who had been the love of his life.
They were inseperable
They took every opportunity to push the darkness away with their light.
Then he thought of little Alfred who had a short life.
Alfred brought so much joy to everyone who saw him. They all loved him.
The executioner walked to the rope that held the Guillotine blade aloft.
With a sharp blade he cut he rope.
The guillotine blade fell with great speed and force.
Alfred died thinking of the sunlit beach.