An Accused Witch
The sun rose above the run-down cottages which dotted the landscape, its warm rays lighting the seemingly peaceful town. To an untrained eye, all would seem fine, but in reality, the town was suffering. Suffering from a drought that killed of the crops the previous year, leaving many to go hungry. A harsh winter followed killing off most of the much needed live stock. No family was spared. Along with the famine, came sickness, and with sickness came the fear. Fear was what would try to kill me. The fear of death, the unexplainable, fears of the unknown
"Easter! Why has the morning fire not been lit? You stupid girl, how can I feed my child if there is no fire to cook on? Come and light it, NOW!" Madame's shrill call came. I quickly called down that I would be there in a moment.
As I climbed down from my attic room, I gazed at the well worn steps and walls. The steps needed sweeping and a good scrubbing; dirt was caked into the crevasses. The walls, once an eggshell white, now looked more of a dirt brown than white. No pictures adorned the walls and no rugs lay in the halls. It had been this way for as long as I could remember.
Madame waited at the food of the stairs; she was sickly pale and thin. Her face pinched from the strain, and her hair, a once beautiful blonde, was now a greasy mess with grey hairs peeping through her braid around her temples. With practiced ease, she shoved her squalling child into my arms and walked away.
Hauling the young girl onto my hip, I set about starting breakfast. Biscuits were baked, eggs and bacon fried, Madame's favorite meal. Stuffing a biscuit into my pocket fir later, I carried the meal into the dining room, where I placed the food on the worn table and left to do other chores.
By noon, all the chores were finished, and I was able to do the one thing I truly enjoyed: read. A few months ago, I found a book while cleaning the old study; I only read in secrecy because Madame did not permit me to read. I snuck out behind the old, deteriorating barn to continue my reading. The summer sun warmed my back as I lay stretched out, ignoring everything except my story. It seemed to draw me within its pages, refusing to let me go.
"What are you doing? What's that in your hands?" A strict, icy voice called, sending involuntary shivers down my spine. Without thinking, I put the book behind my back, hiding it from prying eyes.
"Don't hide it child, it will only make me more suspicious of you." looking up, I realized I was hiding my book from the town's priest. How unlucky. He held out his hand for the book, and I reluctantly handed it over. He studied it for a moment, and suddenly smiled at me. Only this wasn't the pleasant smile he usually bestowed upon villagers, no, this was a cruel smile, one promising pain.
"I'll have to tell Madame you know, child that you where slacking off to read your cursed book. Yes, what a shame."
"But…"
"SILENCE! I will meet with Madame right this moment! Take me to her child, and stay silent, unless you are spoken to! Do you have no manners?" His beady eyes shined cruelly as he gazed at me and then to my book. With a solemn nod, I turned around and lead him to my mistress.
Madame was in her garden, tending to the vegetables, the only chore she did herself. She claimed that when I worked in the garden, the vegetables always tasted strange afterwards. Hearing the gate squeak, she looked up and paled when she saw who her visitor was. Standing she shook her dress to knock off some of the dirt.
"Priest, how may I help you on this fine day?"
"I'm afraid that I have bad news for you, Madame." With firm hands, he pulled me roughly in front of him, showing me off like a child's shiny new toy. Her face changed in a matter if seconds, from fearful to a frightening hate.
"What has the child done wrong?"
"I caught her reading a strange book; she was muttering to herself, words that I could not understand, I believe this to be witch craft. Had you any idea?"
Madame's face paled, and she crossed herself before saying, "NO! I had no idea! She is often a lazy, stupid child, but witch craft?"
"I am NO witch!" I replied, though they had not been speaking to me, but instead around me. I only received a sound boxing of my ears for my effort.
"Yes, I will gather the town's elders, and we will have a trial on the morrow. If she passes the trial, she will be pardoned. Bring her to the church later tonight."
As I listened to them discuss my fate, it seemed to be all a dream. One I would wake up form any moment. How crazy these people are, how was I a witch? Muttering to myself? No, I wouldn't do that because I might have been caught reading. The strange book he took from me? A simple dime novel; I have seen others reading the exact same book! This was unfair, why me?
"I'll not have a witch in my house, Father. Please take her and do as you see fit." The priest's cold, clammy, calloused hand grasped my arm. He started to walk dragging me along like a sack of potatoes. My heart turned to lead, my feet were stone slabs; this was real, I was going to be tried as a witch.
Inside the church was cold as a tomb; there was no sign of life. Not a scurry of a mouse or the rustle of wind through an open window. Inside was dead; no life existed here. I was lead to a barren room; the only furniture there was a small cot in the corner,
The priest sneered, "Enjoy the accommodations; they are what a witch such as yourself deserve. May you burn in hell!"
Sleep eluded me, my body yearned to sleep but my mind refused to stop pondering how I would die. For die I would no witch trial was fair. Cold surrounded me, squeezing the air out of my lungs. Blackness surrounded me; no light could penetrate something this dark. Falling…falling with nothing and no one to catch me.
I sat up so quickly the room spun. My heart pounded like a hammer in my chest. My chest heaved, trying to fill my lungs with air. Glancing around, I was in my cell, not under the weight of water. Sleep eluded me the rest of the night.
At dawn, my jailor came; he seemed pleased to see me so tired and resigned. I would put up no fight during the trial today, outside the sky was heavy with storm clouds, promising rain in the place of my death.
As the priest and elders walked me to a neighbor's pond, it seemed to me, that I watched through another's eyes. Slowly we approached, until we were standing on its banks. Suddenly something snapped in my mind. I was going to die! I thrashed against my capture's, trying desperately to free my bound hands and feet. To no avail, the men where much stronger than I, there was no escape.
"We gather here to witness the trial of a witch. Ester Blanch has been seen reading strange books and muttering to herself. She does not follow the orders of her elders and has been seen giving the evil eye. She is accused of bring the famine and drought upon us. Does anyone here speak to defend her?" Silence was the priests' answer.
"I am not…" A slap shut my mouth quickly. But still I pressed on. "Not a witch! I was reading a dime…" Another slap.
"If you sink, you will be declared human, If you are found to float, you are shown to be the witch you are and will be burned at the stake." The priest's voice seemed far away, but nonetheless cold. Stones weighed down the pockets of my plain brown dress. The men struggled to tie a weight to my bound feet. I was carried onto the dock for I refused to walk.
With a toss I was up in the air, but everything seemed to slow down. The water slowly approached, but I could only watch the people on shore who watched me. With a great splash, I hit the water and sank, and the sky opened up, crying for me and the fear of mortals. Icy water squeezed my lungs, and my hands tried to pull myself to the surface. But I sank deeper and deeper into the pond. I felt water fill my lungs when I could no longer hold my breath, the chill take over my body, my heart stop beating. My eyes locked onto the surface if the water, where the rain penetrated its surface. They now new that I was a mere mortal girl, I was no witch. The famine would continue as would the drought.
A/N: I had to write this for English last year and thought "what the heck, I'll post it".
But I am thinking about doing a complete edit on it, making it a REAL story and not just a short story. Let me know if you think I should!
Thanks a bunch! Hope you enjoyed it!