We spent the next few hours in miserable silence.
At eleven o’clock, the trial was scheduled to begin.
My father and the rest of the family had been called as witnesses, so I went with them to the courthouse.
What followed felt like torture.
I knew the truth.
William had been murdered because of the creature I had created.
And now another innocent person might die because of my actions.
William had been a beautiful, happy child, full of innocence.
Justine was also a good and kind young woman. She had done nothing wrong and had every reason to expect a happy life.
Now she was about to be condemned to a shameful death.
And I was the one responsible.
A thousand times I wished I could confess.
I wanted to stand before the court and say, “I am the murderer.”
But I had not been there when William was killed.
If I claimed that I had created a living creature who murdered my brother, everyone would think I had gone insane.
My confession would not save Justine.
It would only make me look like a madman.
So I remained silent.
When Justine entered the courtroom, she looked calm.
She was dressed in black mourning clothes.
Her face, which had always been pleasant and attractive, now looked even more beautiful because of the seriousness of her grief.
She did not seem frightened.
She knew she was innocent.
But I could see that her calmness was forced.
Earlier, people had interpreted her nervous behavior as proof of guilt.
Now she was desperately trying to appear brave.
As she entered, she looked around the courtroom.
Then she saw us.
For a moment, tears appeared in her eyes.
But she quickly controlled herself.
The sadness and affection in her expression made it clear to me that she was innocent.
The trial began.
The prosecutor presented the charges against her.
Then the witnesses were called.
The evidence against Justine was frightening.
Anyone who did not know the truth might easily have believed she was guilty.
One witness said that Justine had been outside all night on the night William was murdered.
A woman who sold goods at the market had seen her near the place where William’s body was later found.
The woman had asked her what she was doing there.
Justine had looked confused and given an unclear answer.
Later, around eight in the morning, she returned home.
Someone asked where she had spent the night.
“I was looking for William,” she answered.
Then she desperately asked whether anyone had found the child.
When she was shown William’s body, she collapsed into hysterics.
She became so ill that she had to stay in bed for several days.
Then the court was shown the miniature portrait.
The servant had found it in Justine’s pocket.
Elizabeth stood and identified it.
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
“It is the same miniature I put around William’s neck shortly before he disappeared.”
A wave of horror swept through the courtroom.
People began whispering angrily.
Everyone seemed convinced that Justine was guilty.
Then Justine was called to defend herself.
By this time, her face had completely changed.
She looked shocked, terrified, and heartbroken.
Several times she struggled to hold back her tears.
But when she was finally asked to speak, she gathered all her strength.
“God knows that I am innocent,” she said.
“But I do not expect you to believe me simply because I say so.
“I will explain everything that happened.
“I only ask you to remember the person I have always been.
“If anything in the evidence seems suspicious, please consider whether there might be another explanation.”
She took a breath.
“Elizabeth gave me permission to spend that evening with my aunt in Chêne, a village about a mile from Geneva.
“I left my aunt’s house later that night.
“On my way home, I met a man who asked whether I had seen a little boy who was missing.
“When I heard that William was lost, I became frightened.
“I spent several hours searching for him.
“But by then, the gates of Geneva had been closed.
“I could not get back into the city.
“I did not want to wake the people living nearby, because they knew me and I did not want to disturb them.
“So I found a barn beside a cottage and stayed there for several hours.
“I spent most of the night awake.
“Near dawn, I must have fallen asleep for a few minutes.
“Then I heard footsteps and woke up.
“It was already beginning to get light.
“I left the barn and continued searching for William.
“If I came close to the place where his body was found, I did so without knowing it.
“When the market woman questioned me, I was confused because I had been awake almost the entire night and still did not know whether William was safe.
“As for the miniature, I have no idea how it came to be in my pocket.”
She looked down for a moment.
“I know how much this one piece of evidence hurts my case.
“But I honestly cannot explain it.
“I can only guess about how it got there.
“And even then, I cannot understand why anyone would want to frame me.
“I do not believe I have an enemy in the world.
“Who would hate me enough to destroy my life?
“Could the real murderer have put the picture in my pocket?
“I do not know how he could have done it.
“And if he had the opportunity, why would he steal the miniature only to put it back on me so soon afterward?
“I can only place my trust in the justice of this court.
“But I have very little hope.
“I ask only that you allow people who know me to speak about my character.
“If their testimony cannot overcome the evidence against me, then I must accept whatever judgment you make.
“But I swear before God that I am innocent.”
Several people who had known Justine for years were called to testify.
They all spoke well of her.
They described her as kind, honest, gentle, and devoted to the Frankenstein family.
But the murder had frightened everyone.
People were afraid of being associated with the accused.
Even those who believed in Justine’s goodness hesitated to speak strongly in her defense.
Elizabeth watched in despair as Justine’s final hope seemed to disappear.
Finally, she could bear it no longer.
She stood and asked permission to speak.
“I am the cousin of the child who was murdered,” she said.
“In truth, I was almost like his sister. I was raised by his parents and had lived with them for years.
“Perhaps some people will think it improper for me to speak today.
“But I cannot remain silent while an innocent person is about to die because her friends are too afraid to defend her.
“I know Justine very well.
“I have lived in the same house with her for many years.
“During all that time, she was one of the kindest and most generous people I have ever known.
“When my aunt, Madame Frankenstein, was dying, Justine cared for her with extraordinary love and patience.
“Later, she also cared for her own mother through a long illness.
“Everyone who knew her admired her devotion.
“After that, she returned to our home, where every member of the family loved her.
“She was especially devoted to William.
“She loved him like a mother loves her own child.
“I know there is evidence against her.
“But I still believe she is completely innocent.
“She had absolutely no reason to commit such a crime.
“And as for the miniature portrait, if she had wanted it, I would gladly have given it to her.
“That is how much I trust and value her.”
A murmur of approval spread through the courtroom.
But the sympathy was directed more toward Elizabeth’s courage than toward Justine.
The crowd’s anger against Justine soon became even stronger.
People accused her of being horribly ungrateful to the family that had treated her so well.
Justine cried quietly as Elizabeth spoke.
She said nothing.
I could hardly breathe.
I knew she was innocent.
I knew exactly who had killed William.
The creature I had created had murdered my brother.
But had he also allowed an innocent girl to be blamed for his crime?
Could he really have done something so cruel?
I could not endure it.
When I looked at the judges, I saw that many of them already seemed convinced of Justine’s guilt.
The crowd had condemned her in their minds too.
I could take no more.
I rushed out of the courtroom.
My suffering was even worse than Justine’s.
She had her innocence to support her.
I had only guilt and remorse.
The creature had killed William.
But I was the one who had created the creature.
I spent the night in complete misery.
I could not sleep.
I could barely think.
The next morning, I returned to the courthouse.
My mouth and throat were so dry that I could hardly speak.
I was afraid to ask what had happened.
But one of the officers recognized me.
He understood immediately why I had come.
The decision had already been made.
The judges had voted.
Every ballot was black.
Justine had been found guilty.
For a moment, I could not move.
I cannot describe what I felt.
I had experienced terrible fear before, but nothing could compare with the despair that crushed me then.
The officer looked at me.
“She has already confessed,” he said.
I stared at him.
“Confessed?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“In a case with so much evidence, her confession was hardly necessary. Still, I am relieved to have it.
“Our judges do not like condemning anyone based only on circumstantial evidence, no matter how strong it may seem.”
His words confused me completely.
A confession?
How could that be?
Had I misunderstood everything?
Had I really become so insane that I could no longer trust my own senses?
I hurried home.
Elizabeth was waiting for me.
“What happened?” she asked anxiously.
I could barely bring myself to answer.
“It is over,” I said.
She stared at me.
“They have condemned her.”
Elizabeth’s face fell.
“But…”
I hesitated.
“She confessed.”
The words broke her.
“How can this be?” she whispered.
“I trusted her completely.
“She was like a sister to me.
“How could she pretend to be innocent while secretly committing such a terrible murder?
“I believed those gentle eyes could never hide cruelty or deception.
“And yet they say she killed William.”
Not long afterward, we heard that Justine wanted to see Elizabeth.
My father did not want Elizabeth to go.
But he left the decision to her.
“I will go,” Elizabeth said.
“Even if she is guilty, I have to see her.
“And Victor, you must come with me.
“I cannot go alone.”
The thought of seeing Justine was almost unbearable.
But I could not refuse.
We entered the dark prison room.
Justine was sitting on a little straw at the far end.
Her hands were chained.
Her head rested against her knees.
When she saw us, she stood.
As soon as we were alone, she rushed toward Elizabeth and fell at her feet, sobbing.
Elizabeth began to cry too.
“Oh, Justine!” she said.
“Why did you take away my last hope?
“I believed you were innocent.
“I was already suffering so much, but at least I still had that hope.
“Now I have nothing.”
Justine looked up at her through her tears.
“Do you believe I am truly that wicked?
“Do you believe I am a murderer?
“Have you joined my enemies and decided to destroy me too?”
Her voice broke as she cried.
Elizabeth bent down and helped her stand.
“Please, Justine, get up.
“If you are innocent, you have no reason to kneel before me.
“I believed in your innocence even when everyone else believed the evidence against you.
“I only began to doubt you when I heard that you had confessed.
“If that story is false, tell me now.
“I will believe you.”
Justine covered her face.
“I did confess.
“But I lied.”
Elizabeth stared at her.
“You lied?”
“Yes.
“I confessed because I wanted forgiveness.
“But now that lie is heavier on my heart than all the sins I have ever committed.
“May God forgive me.
“After I was condemned, my confessor kept pressuring me.
“He threatened me again and again.
“He told me that if I refused to confess, I would be excommunicated and condemned to hell.
“I was alone.
“No one believed me.
“Everyone looked at me as if I were already a wicked criminal.
“I became so frightened and hopeless that I began to wonder whether perhaps I really was the monster they claimed I was.
“Finally, I gave in.
“I signed a false confession.
“And now I am suffering more than ever.”
She wiped away her tears.
“I was terrified that you would believe your Justine—the girl your aunt trusted and loved—could have committed a crime so horrible that only the devil himself could have imagined it.
“Dear William…
“My sweet little William…
“I will soon see you again in heaven.
“That thought gives me comfort.
“I am going to suffer shame and death, but perhaps death will take me to him.”
Elizabeth fell beside her and took her hands.
“Oh, Justine!
“Forgive me for doubting you even for a moment.
“Why did you confess?
“But don’t give up.
“I will tell everyone the truth.
“I will prove that you are innocent.
“I will speak to the judges.
“I will beg them to listen.
“I will cry until they understand.
“You cannot die.
“You are my childhood friend, my companion, my sister.
“I will not let them take you away from me.”
Justine slowly shook her head.
“Do not be afraid for me.
“I am no longer afraid of death.
“The worst pain has already passed.
“God has given me strength.
“I am leaving a cruel and unhappy world.
“If you remember me as someone who was wrongly condemned, then I will be at peace.
“Please learn from me.
“Sometimes we must accept what we cannot change and trust God’s judgment.”
I could not bear to listen.
I moved to a corner of the room so they would not see my face.
Despair?
What did they know of despair?
Justine was going to die the next day, yet even she did not suffer the agony that was tearing me apart.
I clenched my teeth.
A deep groan escaped from my chest.
Justine suddenly turned.
When she saw me, she walked over.
“Dear Victor,” she said softly, “thank you for coming to see me.
“You don’t believe that I am guilty, do you?”
I could not speak.
Elizabeth answered for me.
“No, Justine.
“Victor is even more certain of your innocence than I am.
“Even when he heard that you had confessed, he refused to believe it.”
Justine looked at me with gratitude.
“Thank you.
“In these final moments, I am deeply grateful to anyone who still thinks of me with kindness.
“How precious another person’s love becomes when you are about to lose everything.
“It makes my suffering feel much smaller.
“Now I believe I can die peacefully.
“You and Elizabeth know that I am innocent.
“That is enough for me.”
Even while facing death, Justine tried to comfort us.
She had found the peace she was searching for.
But I had no peace.
I was the true cause of everything.
The guilt inside me would never die.
Elizabeth was also suffering, but hers was the pain of an innocent person.
Her grief could hide her happiness for a while, just as a cloud can cover the moon without destroying its light.
My pain was different.
It had reached the very center of my soul.
I carried hell inside me.
We stayed with Justine for several hours.
Eventually Elizabeth could no longer bear to leave her.
“I wish I could die with you,” she cried.
“I don’t know how I can continue living in a world this cruel.”
Justine forced herself to smile.
She was struggling to hold back her own tears.
She embraced Elizabeth.
“Goodbye, my dear Elizabeth.
“You have been my sweetest and dearest friend.
“May heaven protect you and bless you.
“I pray that this will be the last tragedy you ever suffer.
“Please live.
“Be happy.
“And make the people around you happy too.”
The next day, Justine was executed.
Elizabeth’s passionate defense had failed to change the judges’ minds.
My own desperate arguments had failed too.
I wanted to tell them everything.
I wanted to confess the truth.
But when I heard their cold replies and their rigid reasoning, I knew what would happen.
They would call me insane.
They would never believe my story.
And Justine would still die.
So I remained silent.
Justine went to the scaffold and died as a convicted murderer.
She had done nothing wrong.
Yet she was executed because of me.
Afterward, I could no longer think only about my own suffering.
I looked at Elizabeth.
Her heart was broken.
And I knew that was my fault too.
I looked at my father.
His grief was destroying him.
That was also my fault.
Our once-happy home had become a house of mourning.
William was dead.
Justine was dead.
And I had caused it all.
I looked at the graves of the two innocent victims of my terrible experiment.
My heart seemed to speak to them.
“You are crying now,” I thought.
“But these will not be your last tears.
“You will suffer again.
“Again and again, you will mourn.
“Your son.
“Your family member.
“Your beloved friend.
“The man who would have given every drop of his blood for you.
“The man whose happiness existed only when he saw happiness on your faces.
“That man has brought misery into your lives.
“He has given you nothing but tears.
“And perhaps fate will not stop until it has taken everything from you.”
These thoughts filled my mind as I watched the people I loved mourn over the graves of William and Justine.
They were the first innocent victims of my terrible creation.