Sling Blade - A Tale of Gruesome Murder

I reckon what you guys want to know is what I'm a-doing in here. I reckon the reason I'm in here is 'cause I've killed somebody. But I reckon what you guys are wantin' to know is how come I killed somebody, so I reckon I'll start at the front and tell you. I lived out back of my mother and father's place most of my life in a little old shed that my daddy'd built for me. They didn't too much want me up there in the house with the rest of 'em, so mostly I just sat around out there in the shed a-lookin' at the ground. I didn't have no floor out there but I had me a hole dug out to lay down in, a quilt or two to put down there. My father was a hard-workin' man most of his life. Not that I can say the same for myself. I mostly just sat around out there in the shed, tinkered around with a lawn mower or two, went to school off and on from time to time. But the children out there, they were very cruel to me and made quite a bit of sport of me, made fun of me quite a bit. So mostly I just sat around out there in the shed. My daddy worked down there at the sawmill, down at the planer mill for an old man named Dixon. Old man Dixon was a very cruel feller. Didn't treat his employees very well, didn't pay 'em too much of a wage. Didn't pay my daddy too much of a wage. Just barely enough to get by on, I reckon. But I reckon he got by all right. They used to come out, one or the other of 'em, usually my mother, feed me pretty regular. So I know he made enough to where I could have mustard and biscuits three or four times a week. But old man Dixon, he had a boy, name of Jesse Dixon.

Jesse was really more cruel than his daddy was. He used to make quite a bit of sport of me when I was down there at the schoolhouse. He used to take advantage of the those girls there in the neighborhood, you know. They used to say that my mother was a very pretty woman. They've said that quite a bit from time to time when I'd be down there at the schoolhouse. Well, I reckon you want me to get on with it and tell you what happened. So I reckon I'll tell you. I was settin' out there in the shed one evenin', not doing too much of nothin', just kinda staring at the wall and waitin' on my mother to come out and give me my Bible lesson. Well, I heard a commotion up there in the house, so I run up on the screened-in porch to see what was goin' on. I looked in the window there and I seen my mother layin' on the floor without any clothes on. I seen Jesse Dixon layin' on top of her. He was havin' his way with her. Well, I just seen red. I picked up a Kaiser blade that was sittin' there by the screen door. Some folks call it a sling blade. I call it a Kaiser blade. It's got a long, wood handle, kind of like an ax handle with a long blade on it shaped kinda like a bananer. Sharp on one edge and dull on the other. It's what the highway boys use to cut down weeds and what-not.

Well, I went in there in the house and I hit Jesse Dixon upside the head with it - knocked him off my mother. I reckon that didn't quite satisfy me, so I hit him again with it in the neck with the sharp edge and just plumb near cut his head off, killed him. My mother - she jumped up there and started hollering, 'Whaddya kill Jesse for?' 'Whaddya kill Jessie for?" Well, hmm, come to find out, I don't reckon my mother minded what Jesse was doin' to her. I reckon that made me madder than what Jesse'd made me, so I taken the Kaiser blade - some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade - and I hit my mother upside the head with it. Killed her!

Some folks has asked me: if you had it to do over again, would you do it the same way? I reckon I would. Anyhow, they seen fit to put me in here, and here I been for a great, long while. I've learned to read some. Took me four years to read the Bible. I reckon I understand a great deal of it. Wasn't what I expected in some places. I slept in a good bed for a great long while. Now they've seen fit to put me out of here. They say they're settin' me free today. Anyhow, I reckon that's all you're needin' to know. You wanna hear about more details, I reckon I can tell 'em to you. I don't know whether that's enough for your newspaper or not...