Chapter one: Trial and Error
Mike quickly tossed the broad brimmed hat to Peter. "Here put this on!" He exclaimed in a hushed voice while rushing through changing his clothes.
"Why do we have to wear these crazy clothes for?" Peter complained as he fumbled with the hat Mike had thrown at him.
"Peter." Mike picked up the hat and placed it firmly on top of Peter's head. "We have to wear this stuff in order to blend in with everyone else. We don't want to appear suspicious to anyone while we are here."
"Besides, Pete," Micky chimed in, as he was in the middle of turning his shirt around the right way. "These clothes aren't any crazier than what you normally wear." He struggled against the shirt, getting stuck in it for just a second.
"I don't think they're all that bad really." Davy said, adjusting his clothes. "The hat's a little big but not too bad. Just takes a little to get used to."
In response to this statement, Micky grabbed Davy's oversized hat and pulled it down to cover half his face. Davy retaliated by snatching open the collar of Micky's shirt, nearly pulling off a button. Mike rolled his eyes, not amused, and promptly urged the other three men to finish putting on their clothes and to compose themselves as mature adults. Though a little reluctant to end their childishness, they complied with Mike's serious orders.
When they were finished dressing in their proper period attire, the four men headed into the nearby town. As they took in the quaint sights and sounds of the small town, they fought their urges to appear as excited tourists. Not being completely amazed or even running around like children in a toy store was going to be incredibly difficult for them. Containing his own excitement, Mike managed to keep the other guys wrangled in and well behaved. He reminded them about the sheer importance of their mission and this was no time or place to act unruly.
The town to which they traveled was constructed of wood and stone. The roads they walked on were dusty and not much more than worn walking paths. It seemed strange, seeing the people move about in their plain, almost uniform like clothing with broad brimmed hats and big buckles on leather shoes. These people were friendly towards one another but held an air of somberness and purity about them. None of these people seemed to notice as the four young outsiders quietly observed them as they passed by. It was such an incredible experience to take in the live scene which would have normally been artists' renderings in history books. This experience, though, was short-lived once they reminded themselves of why they were there.
"Where are we?" Peter asked. His voice was hushed but with a sense of wonder. "Are these the pilgrims?"
Mike surveyed the area and thought for a moment before answering. "Close. I believe we are actually in Massachusetts. Salem to be exact."
"Oh wow." Micky replied with a slight gasp. "So do you think we'll see anyone… you know. Get burned at the stake?"
"Actually, Micky, people were only burned at the stake over in Europe." Davy said matter-of-factly. "Other means of execution were used in America."
"Well I stand corrected then. Thank you Mr. Historian." Micky rolled his eyes.
Davy shrugged his shoulders. "Well you did ask." He yelped a little as Micky yanked his hat over his eyes again.
Again, Mike tried to retain order of the group by ushering everybody ahead through the town. In order to best fit in, not draw attention to themselves, and complete the task at hand, they felt safest to follow Dr. Mendoza's strict warnings not to interact with anybody. This meant that they would all have to work hard at not exploring, or taking time to witness history as it happened. This part was a bit of a disappointment, but they knew they had to do what was necessary in order to stay focused.
"So Mike," Micky said quietly. "What exactly are we looking for?"
"It's some type of paper." Mike said with a nod. "Doc says it's a special document."
"We came all the way to Salem during the 1600's to find a piece of paper?" Davy asked confused and a little annoyed. "We could have just stayed home for that!"
"Yeah I've got lots of scrap paper in my writing desk." Peter added.
"It's part of some secret document that Dr. Mendoza needs. I remember him saying it will have his name written on the back." Mike explained.
"Well this paper must be pretty important since he sent us back in time to get it for him." Micky replied. "But why didn't he just get it himself?"
"I don't know, Mick. Maybe the ol' doc doesn't like traveling. But whatever the doc's reasons for it, let's just find this paper quick and go back home."
Not knowing exactly what the paper they were looking for looked like certainly was going to make locating it much more difficult. It didn't appear that Salem was a large town, but they still felt they would have an easier time searching for the paper if they split up into teams of two. While Mike and Peter walked toward the schoolhouse, Micky and Davy decided to head towards the town blacksmith shop. The two buildings were within a short walking distance of one another, but the men figured these were still good grounds to cover at the start of their search.
Davy complained the entire time he and Micky walked to the blacksmith shop. He was absolutely sure that this was the most ridiculous place to locate a piece of paper, thus seeing no point in being there. Micky tried to remain positive about their search, claiming that they wouldn't know where the paper was unless they checked every place imaginable. This only momentarily eased Davy's complaints, causing him to bite his tongue and trust Micky. He had to admit, though not out loud, that Micky did make sense with what he said about covering more ground would make their search better.
When they reached the shop, Micky peeked in through the window. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the dark shop for traces of the blacksmith or any apprentices. He turned slightly and gave a signal to Davy to let him know all was clear. Keeping quiet and moving carefully, Micky and Davy entered the darkened shop. They moved about as best as they could with only natural sunlight and an orange glow of the coals in the furnace lighting the way for them. For just a few moments, as they let their eyes adjust to the dark, they wondered if this wasn't such a wise choice for their search after all.
Their eyes and ears were well aware of their surroundings as they kept on guard for approaching people. After a few moments of remaining frozen in their spots, their breath held steady and soft, they slowly began moving around the shop. Often one of them would stop suddenly due to the sounds their shoes made over the floor. When they felt safe enough to move, they did so with extra caution. They each felt great relief in certain areas where the wood floor became dirt, but they still moved around at a snail pace as to not draw attention from any passersby outside. As they moved on guard, they were both very aware of the fact that they blacksmith could enter the shop at any given moment. Though this caused them great anxiety as they searched the shop, they had to keep it under control in order to keep their search going steady. Luckily for them, the blacksmith and his apprentices were nowhere in sight, which allowed the two young men time to search in peace.
Davy squinted as he looked up at a shelf above his head. He saw a few items hanging on hooks along the edge of the shelf, as well as a small iron box on top of the shelf. The box was pressed against a support beam. Tucked between the box and beam was a piece of paper. Only a small corner of the paper was visible, but Davy knew he had to see what this paper was. Unfortunately, it was just out of his reach. He held his breath, puffing out his cheeks for a few seconds and looked around for something that would aid him in reaching the paper. A metal bucket gleamed in the sunlight from the nearby window, and the sight of it delighted Davy. He tested his weight on the bucket before moving it over to just below the shelf. This was the perfect height needed for him to stand on and reach the shelf. However, it was on slightly uneven ground, causing the bucket to wobble as Davy reached for the paper.
Steadying himself, Davy stood still on the bucket for a second. Once he was confident to move again, he reached for the paper on the shelf. He slid the box over just a little bit, freeing the paper from its spot. The paper wafted to the ground and the bucket wobbled, causing Davy to fall. Micky whipped his head up and he darted over to where Davy was and helped him up.
"Careful!" Micky whispered
"I'm okay." Davy replied in a similarly hushed tone as he dusted himself off. "Where'd that paper go?"
"What paper?"
Micky narrowed his eyes and looked around the area. His face brightened a bit when he spied a piece of paper on the floor near their feet. He bent and snatched up the paper before examining it. The paper was ripped from a larger document and typewritten on the back was the name Doctor Mendoza. Micky's eye widened and he let out an audible gasp. Davy slapped a hand over Micky's mouth to smother the potential shouts of glee. After a shared, though hushed, excited celebration, Micky and Davy dashed out of the blacksmith's shop to look for Mike and Peter.
When Mike and Peter left, discouraged from the schoolhouse (and grumbling that they should have known better about students using chalk tablets instead of paper) they were stunned to see Micky and Davy running toward them. Micky waved a piece of paper in his hand as he ran, shouting that they got Mendoza's paper. He ignored the baffled and somewhat offended expressions of the locals, as well as the rock in the road in front of him. When he hit the ground with a thud and an "oof!" the other three men rushed over to him. The helped Micky to his feet and dusted off his clothes. Micky held his hat in place as he eagerly showed Mike ad Peter the paper. Peter hopped in place within his excitement and clumsily bumped into Micky. This caused Micky to let go of the paper.
A breeze picked up and caught the paper before either man was able to pick it up off the ground. They chased after it, but the breeze blew stronger to keep the paper out of their reach. Davy dove to try to catch the windblown paper, but missed it and bumped into the legs of a young woman. He stood and apologized to her but when he lay eyes on her face, he froze, stunned. At first, the other three men groaned in disappointment as it appeared like one of Davy's typical love connections was in progress. They charged over to Davy and the girl but all stopped, equally stunned when they realized Davy was not in love but rather a state of shock.
"FERN?!" The four men exclaimed in simultaneous surprise
The girl, taken aback, blinked and placed a hand on her chest. She trembled a bit as she looked at them. "H-how do you know my name? Who are you?" her eyes were a bit wide to match the sheer nervousness in her voice. "Do I know you gentlemen?"
All four Monkees stood quietly, trying to think of a good answer for her. They then stumbled over their words at the same time, before Micky took the initiative to speak for them.
"Well, no, not quite. We heard somebody address you earlier today." When he saw Fern appear satisfied with this answer, he continued. "See, we are visitors from a few towns over. Andover. We were running because we had lost a horse. It ran off. We thought we saw it come this way when we ran into you."
"Oh come now." She said, not fully believing his story. "Well it seems there is neither horse nor traces of a horse running through here." She grinned slightly, but there were traces of previously shed tears near her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. "It seems you spin yarns. Why must you fib?"
This quieted Micky fast. Neither man knew how to explain things to Fern. Mike quietly reminded the other three guys not to interfere any more, but his words were ignored. Davy frowned slightly as he stepped forward, studying her face.
"Excuse my staring, but were you crying?" he asked
Fern turned and shielded the side of her face with her hand. "No, sir. I do not know what it is that you mean."
"Ah ha!" Davy laughed "Now who's telling fibs?"
Fern sighed and sadness filled her face. "Sorry, sir. I'm troubled, yes. My mother sits in jail as we speak. She's been accused." Tears came to her eyes. "There is nothing fair about it. People claim she is one with the devil and has been practicing witchcraft. I know 'tis not true! I know she is innocent."
The other three guys knew that Davy was already taken in by her tale before she even continued. It already showed deeply on his face how sympathetic he was towards her and her problem, and how much he already wanted to help her. They knew the risks in letting Davy help her so they started trying to quietly pull him away from her. As important as Fern's sob story sounded to them, they felt that their current task for Mendoza was more important.
At first their attempts at pulling Davy away didn't work. But once Davy joined them, his face expressed a world of mixed emotions. They spoke in private, trying to decide what they should do. They knew that due to all the risks involved they shouldn't help her. At the same time they realized they couldn't simply leave her helpless. She was desperate and they were already interfering simply just by talking to her. This seemed to be their biggest weakness; show them a pretty face and a troubling story and they'd play hero no matter what the cost. They always played hero. This time they felt wouldn't be any different.
Before they realized it, they had agreed to help Fern with her mother. They weren't really sure how they were going to do it, or how long it would take but they felt that it would be better in the long run to help anyway they could. I was dangerous for many reasons but it was still something they felt they should do. They began talking quietly with Fern about the situation with her mother and what they could do. As they talked, they realized it would be impossible to simply clear her name of the accusations of witchcraft.
It was concluded that the best thing for them to do was to break her out of jail and help her escape into a neighboring town. However, the only way something like this could work was to do it under the cover of night. This meant they'd have to stay longer in the 1690s than what was originally planned. This, of course, would pose an even bigger risk for The Monkees. But it was a risk they were willing to take, as crazy as it made them feel. Crazy and stupid. Thanks to Micky pointing out to them that "if risks weren't a little but crazy and stupid then they wouldn't be risks, and definitely not worth taking" the four of them agreed to give it a go. After all, they were used to taking these risks together, and they always got themselves out of whatever trouble that came along for them.
…
The moon was the only light they had as they sat in the bushes just outside of the jailhouse. The five of them kept hidden and spoke in hushed voices as they moved around to the window which looked into Goodwife Badderly's jail room. After a brief whispered discussion, Peter was nominated as the one who would get the attention of Goodwife Badderly. Peter gulped and moved closer to the window.
"Mrs. Badderly!" he spoke just above a whisper. This caused the others to cringe and stifle their groans. "Mrs. Badderly!" he said again
Mike nudged him hard in the side with his elbow. "Goody!"
Confused, Peter looked at Mike "Thanks, Mike, but I haven't even got her attention yet." He looked at the window again, missing Mike's eye roll. "Mrs. Badderly! Are you in there?"
"Goody! Goody!" Mike corrected, sternly
Peter clapped his hands together with a smile "Goody it worked!" his smile turned into a confused frown "But she's not there."
Micky reached over and flicked the brim of Peter's hat "No you dummy! Mike means you should address her as Goody, as in Goodwife!"
"Oh why didn't anyone tell me before?"
Peter's question resulted in groans and muttered comments of "oh Peter…" This brought the Goodwife Badderly over to the window and she peeked out with a tired, confused frown.
"Who out there is making that racket?" she called, displeased
Fern moved forward, still keeping hidden in the bushes. "Tis me, mother! And some new friends of mine!"
"Oh Fern!" Goodwife Badderly peered further out the window. "So nice to see my daughter." She looked at The Monkees "And who are these gentlemen you claim to be your friends? I have never seen them about Salem before."
"Of course not, mother. They are visitors from Andover. And they assure me they are trustworthy. Mother they're here to help me get you out of jail!"
Goodwife Badderly looked at The Monkees skeptically "How do you propose to do that?"
"Do not worry Goodwife Badderly." said Mike, failing to disguise his southern accent. "We have a plan. A very good plan. All you have to do is listen to what we tell you, and trust us."
"I'm listening." She said with a tone of arrogance "This plan better be as good as you say it is, young sir."
"Oh it is!" Mike reassured with a nod "You can trust us."
Though still skeptical of them, she still listened to their plan. As they talked by the open window, a male prisoner in the jail room next door woke up and let it be known they got his attention. Coincidentally, this was perfect timing since their plan to break her out involved help from another prisoner. The Monkees promised the prisoner some gold coins in exchange for his cooperation. He eagerly agreed to help and sat to listen to their plan. He even pitched in an idea of his own which surely would help in their jailbreak being a successful one.
According to the prisoner, there happened to be a loose block in the stone wall which separated the two jail rooms. When pulled away from the wall it made an opening large enough for a person to crawl through comfortably. Goodwife Badderly and the prisoner quickly switched places inside the rooms. Before putting the block back in place, they removed and exchanged clothing. Through the window the prisoner was handed a small pouch containing several promised gold coins, as his payment for helping them. Then, once the Goodwife was dressed in the male prisoner's clothes, she was assisted through the window. The group with their escaped prisoner gave their final thanks to the male prisoner before heading off towards the town limits.
Through the darkness, everybody hurried as best as they could while being as quiet as possible. It was crucial that they not draw the attention of any other townsfolk. Luckily for them all, everybody else was fast asleep in their homes and their jailbreak went unnoticed. They raced swiftly and tirelessly all the way to the town limits, not once stopping to rest. When they got there, Fern and her mother quickly gave their appreciation for all the help. After saying their goodbyes, The Monkees watched as Fern and the Goodwife Badderly quietly entered the next town to begin their new lives, officially as outlaws. For a little bit, though, the four guys followed them to be sure they got somewhere safe.
By the time they returned to Salem, the first signs of the sun rising in the sky were seen. That was when they realized their original mission was not complete. Immediately upon realizing this they all scrambled, rushing back into town. They were in a panic as they started searching for the paper that they needed for Mendoza.
The first place they went to was just down the street from the blacksmith's shop where they first met with Fern. They stopped there only to catch their breath. Once everyone was rested enough they went on their way with hawk eyes in search for the paper. Searching high and low they were going to leave nothing unturned until they located it. After a few misses in their search, they were surprised when they spied the piece of paper sticking out of a nearby bush. Feeling responsible for being the one to lose it earlier that day, Micky dove head-first into the bush to retrieve the paper. After briefly wrestling into and getting overdramatically tangled in the bush, Micky grabbed the paper and waved it in the air. The other three excitedly rushed over to Micky and helped him to his feet. Then, each with a whoop of excitement, they each held onto the paper.
As they did this, they heard Doctor Mendoza's voice calling out to them. His voice was so loud and booming as though coming from the heavens like the voice of God, The Monkees were surprised that nobody else in the town seemed to hear it. This was immediately followed by a buzz in the air and a bright light. The light surrounded them and they appeared to dissolve into it. The light and buzzing sound faded away, along with any traces of The Monkees' existence in Salem.