I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

The next day, Goody Sibber stood before the court protesting her innocence as the crowd pointed fingers at her, but the girls remained oddly quiet. They suffered no attacks in her presence and only answer questions plainly.

The women was known for being a bit of a jaded spirit, having lost her eldest son in a sailing accident and her husband to fever.

She had a fast and sharp tongue and often did not think before the spoke.

But Sarah found herself unable to determine if the woman was a witch or not.

But all the same she was found guilty and sentenced to the jail until further punishment.

Meanwhile Sarah began to acquaint herself with the locals.

She knew a few, such as a man who often would trade his hunting furs in Beverly and his wife, but the rest were strangers to her and therefore she was often unable to judge them fairly in the courts.

She had suggested that John do the same but he feared growing close to anyone would make him biased, and rather passive aggressively implied the same would happen to her as she left for town.

But it was the next case three days later that planted the seed of doubt deep into her heart.

A mother and child, lacking a father and a husband.

At this point amongst the babbles is was nearly impossible to tell who the original accuser was, but Sarah heard them not.

She just stared at the child, who huddled fearfully in her mother's arms.

She had large blue eyes and a dirty face, but it appeared her hair was bright red as it peaked out occasionally from under her bonnet.

She could not have been older than eight or nine years old.

She may not have even fully understood what she was being yelled at for, only that she should be afraid of it.

Sarah felt her heart jerk and her face began to heat up.

Surely someone so young, so innocent, could not be swayed by evil. It simply was not possible.

But still the girls in the stands pointed their fingers and hurled accusations like arrows from bows.

And suddenly Sarah found herself thinking.

Where is the proof? What proof is there to say that this woman or her child had done any wrong?

But that was ludicrous, surely there was proof there must be so.

Or else they would not be there.

Danforth brought the court under control once more and looked at the mother and daughter on the stand.

"Naomi Getty, Mary Getty, you have both been accused of the supernatural crime of Witchcraft. What say you?"

"It is simply not so your Grace." Naomi stood and looked at the judges pleadingly. "I have worked honestly to provide for my daughter and brought her up to be a good Christian soul as I am myself."

There was some muttering among the crowd but Danforth's icy glare silenced it.

"Is there any here who would willingly testify to the character of these two?" Hawthorne inquired and the crowd looked around.

Sarah was on fire inside.

She wanted to stand.

She wanted to go before them and plead that such a young child cannot possibly be in league with Satan.

It went against everything she knew to be true.

But as much as she wanted to her body would not obey.

After the ruling the court was in recess and Sarah, unable to contain herself, rounded the church to the secluded back yard and leaned on the cool panels sucking in deep breaths and blowing them out.

"Sarah?"

She closed her eyes as the voice came from around the corner. She swallowed and straightened up, sniffing slightly.

"Yes, John?"

"Are you alright?" He peered around the corner to find his wife looking flustered and slightly ill.

"Oh uh…I'm fine it's just…"

She couldn't tell him, not after everything they had put into this.

He needed her.

He needed her to be strong and resolute when his soul wavered, just as he had always been for her.

"I am not feeling well, you know how I get sometimes. Headaches and such…" She shrugged it off with a sheepish smile. "I will be fine."

He frowned and approached her, pressing his hand to her neck and forehead gently. "You haven't a fever…" he hummed and looked into her eyes, which she resisted the urge to shift away lest he detect the falsehood.

But he seemed content with her explanation and nodded. "You should go to the house, rest…"

Sarah laughed. "You always say that, 'Go home and rest', one should think me an invalid."

"If you think you can hold out the rest of the day, you are welcome to." He assured her, but she bit her lip and shook her head.

"No, you are right. I will see you this evening." Sarah pressed her lips chastely to his cheek.

She started off just as court resumed, but had no intention of going home to rest.

Instead she needed to walk, and think.

And most of all pray.

She would never tell her Dear John this, but she never felt the Holy Spirit quite like she did in the wide open wilderness. With the shining sun as her altar and the wind, and birds, and all the sounds of nature as her hallelujah chorus.

There were no churches in the beginning, when Adam and Eve dwelled without sin. There was just the garden, and the animals within it.

A half an hour's walk from the house was a vast, untended field, most likely on the boundary of two properties.

As soon as she reached a spot that called to her she sunk to the ground, not kneeling as though she were in church or at home, but sitting with her thick skirts flooded out around her.

She looked around before reaching up slowly and releasing her hair from the constricting white bonnet she wore to preserve her modesty and let the warm spring sun shine on her scalp as her brown locks tumbled down her shoulders.

Slowly she laid back on to the ground and sighed deeply.

She remained completely silent and just listened.

That was something she felt people had forgotten to do, listen. They were too busy talking to listen close enough. Her mother told her that was why they left England, for a simple life in the new world where people were too busy surviving to talk so much.

It was her Mother who taught her to hear the voice of God everywhere, in the trees and in the water and in the animals.

Having been taught all her life that humans were made in Sin, Sarah's mind from a young age came to the conclusion that therefore their creations were made in sin as well.

So logically speaking, one would have to turn to Nature to find the Lord in his truest form.

She lay there, still as can be in utter silence. And she waited for guidance, for something to tell her what to do.

"Goody Hale?"

Her eyes shot open and she sprung up instantly to find Elizabeth Proctor hovering a few yards from her.

"Oh! Goody Proctor, I…" Sarah hastened to twist her hair back up into her bonnet while sputtering manically. "I apologize, I did not realize these were your lands I…"

"Don't worry." Elizabeth shook her head. "When I say you laying there with your eyes shut, I feared you had taken ill again."

"Oh, no! I was just uh…I was just…I mean it is hard to explain." Sarah blushed. To go outside the church for spiritual enlightenment was looked down upon.

"You needn't explain yourself to me, Goody Hale." Elizabeth assured her and looked down. "May I sit with you?"

"Oh, of course. Please…" Sarah nodded and Elizabeth smiled.

"Is there more news from the village then? About the trials?" She inquired and Sarah swallowed hard.

"I am sorry." Sarah whispered. "But I would really prefer not to speak on the trials right now, I beg your indulgence"

Elizabeth frowned deeply and put a bony hand to Sarah's own soft, plump one. "I understand."

"Thank you Goody Proctor."

"Elizabeth."

Sarah smiled and outstretched her hand, "Sarah"

Elizabeth shook her hand and nodded. "Is that why you came out here? You are discontented?"

Sarah nodded. "I always found that…it is easier for me to feel God's presence, outside of the house of God and in creation." She confessed. "That must sound strange but it is true."

"In these dark times, we must find light any place we can get it." Elizabeth agreed poetically and Sarah marveled at her with a smile.

"Amen."

Elizabeth nodded and sighed. "I must go back to the house, the boys are out with John in the fields. They will be hungry when they are done."

Sarah nodded. "I should head back as well, I told my husband I had a headache…It wasn't a lie, but I told him I would be resting."

Elizabeth helped her up and smiled. "You are always welcome here Sarah, in my home and on this land." She proclaimed to the younger woman and Sarah smiled fondly and patted her hands.

"Thank you Elizabeth, You have been most kind to me."

They parted ways with a silent agreement to maintain this friendship and Sarah returned to the house tired.

She set to roasting a hen carefully and thought on her time in the fields.

God had not spoken to her this time.

But this time she believed she knew why he declined her prayers.

Because she already knew what to do, she knew the right and proper path to take but she was too afraid to do it.

She had a few more hours to prepare herself.

She would bring it up with John tonight over supper.