In the peaceful village of Salem, Massachusetts, in the year 1653, the townsfolk are going about their day, mingling with one another. But the peacefulness was interrupted when one teenage townsfolk, in particular, was charging and pushing her way through the people. Her name is Winnifred Sanderson.
"Out of my way!" Winnifred cried out as she pushed past a man.
A group of young children smiled as they held hands and danced in a circle. But they were in Winnifred's way.
"Move!" Winnifred pushed through the children, ending their fun.
The teenage Winnifred continues shoving past her fellow townsfolk as she breaths angrily. The girl knocks over buckets and people to the ground. One woman had the sense of returning inside her home moments after leaving when Winnifred walked past her. Several men, women, and children gasped at the rudeness of Winnifred Sanderson as she stormed through their quiet, little village. Some wondered how the youngest Sanderson could be related to the angry red-haired teenage girl walking past them.
Winnifred pushes through a group of men before storming into her home. As Winnifred slams the door shut and removes her bonnet, she sees her three younger sisters' cheerful faces as they hold a banner that says "Bless-ed Birthe Day". Winnifred Sanderson is the eldest of four girls at the age of sixteen. Her sisters are by age: Mary at fifteen, Sarah at fourteen, and Lydia at thirteen. The four Sanderson sisters had been mostly on their own since their parents died.
"This is the worst day of my life," Winnifred grunted.
Mary, Sarah, and Lydia quickly and messily folded the banner. The three knew their sister needed cheering up since no one should be sad or angry on their birthday.
"But, Winnie, look what we have made," Sarah said, drawing her sister's attention to the red gelatinous shape on the table. I discovered if thou doth grind pig's hooves and mix it with water, it creates mysterious goo. Then Mary had the wonderful idea to mix a drop of goat's blood. And look. It jiggleth. Here."
Young Sarah giggles when she repeatedly pokes the gelatin, causing it to jiggle. Young Mary and Lydia join their sister's giggling.
"Taste this, Winnie. 'Tis divine!" Mary exclaimed.
"I cannot eat. I am too troubled," Winnifred told her sisters as she threw her bonnet aside and began pacing.
"What hast caused thee to be upset?" Lydia inquired. "Didst the Turner boys lock thee in the hay barrack again?"
"Worse. I've been told I'm getting... old, and I must marry..." Winnifred revealed, causing her sisters to gasp at the shocking sentence. The eldest sister finishes her sentence and informs her sisters who she must marry, "...John Pritchett."
Mary, Sarah, and Lydia gasp again in shock while their oldest sister gags in disgust at the idea of being married to John Pritchett.
"Reverend Traske arranged it. He said it was his duty since father died," Winnifred added.
"Didst thee say no?" Sarah asked her sister
"Of course. Then I took the Lord's name in vain twice," Winnifred said with a wicked and pleased smile. Mary, Sarah, and Lydia chuckled with glee at their sister's actions.
"Thou art most wicked, Winnie," Mary commented.
"Only a truly wretched man can make me say such things," Winnifred explained before grabbing a plate off the table and throwing it to the ground, shattering it.
"It was my favorite plate," Sarah whimpered.
"There, there, there, Winnie," Mary comforted her sister. "Let us forget the Reverend and John Pritchett."
Winnifred sobbed at the mention of the two men she despised most and turned her back to her sisters. An idea soon came to young Lydia to cheer her oldest sister.
"Wouldst thee like to open thy presents?" Lydia asked Winnifred, who quickly turned around with a smile.
"You will love it," Sarah told her sister as Mary went to retrieve the gift.
"We searched for the largest one we could find," Lydia said.
"Twas Lydia's idea," Mary mentioned as she returned with a box before placing it on the table.
Winnifred removes the box's lid to find a spider inside and gasps. A smile appeared on Winnifred's face, meaning she was greatly pleased with the gift from her sisters.
"It is adorable," Winnifred cooed before asking her sisters, "What shall we name it?"
The cheerful moment was interrupted when there was thumping on their door.
"It is the Reverend. Hide. Act as if we're not here," Winnifred quickly told her sisters.
The four girls scatter to find a hiding spot. Sarah, Mary, and Lydia hid on the canopy bed behind the curtains while Winnifred hid beside the door.
The thumping on the door continues before the sisters hear Reverend Traske's voice.
"Open the door," The Reverend demanded.
"We are not here," Sarah told Reverend Traske, ending their barely begun ruse of pretending not to be home.
Winnifred shushes her younger sister before she returns to hiding behind the curtain. Lydia steps out of hiding and stands beside Winnifred, who is composing herself. The youngest Sanderson sister was prepared to do battle with her eldest. Despite the gap between their births, the oldest and youngest were very close.
Winnifred opens the door and greets the large crowd before her home, "Yes?"
A couple of townsfolk spew words of disgust at Winnifred Sanderson but happily smile at Lydia. Despite being Winnifred's sister, Lydia and the people of Salem got along swimmingly. Three faces in the crowd caught the two sisters' eyes. The first is Reverend Traske at the front of the hob. The second is John Pritchett standing near the Reverend. The third is Billy Butcherson, the boy who captured the hearts of two Sanderson sisters. Unfortunately, he detested the one and hoped to marry the other in due time.
"Winifred Sanderson. I will mercifully give thee one more chance," Reverend Traske spoke as he stepped forward. "Atone for thy disgusting words and agree to marry John Pritchett."
"Allow me a moment to reconsider," Winnifred said.
"Yes, of course."
"Mm, yes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm," Winnifred was pretending to reconsider, which Lydia knew, before announcing her decision, "No."
The eldest Sanderson sister's 'new' decision caused the people of Salem to gasp in shock, except for one.
"Oh, praise God," John Pritchett breathed in relief, which caught the crowd, Reverend Traske, Lydia, and Winnifred's attention. Everyone looked at the young boy with the same shock as Winnifred's reply. John then went on to say, "I apologize, Reverend. It is only she is so ugly and unpleasant."
The crowd murmured and nodded in agreement with John Pritchett's reason for not wanting to marry Winnifred Sanderson.
"And thou art some prize?" Winnifred shot back at John Pritchett.
"Oh, it is true, he is quite odd," Reverend Traske admitted before saying, "But how dare thou sayeth so."
"She cannot speak that way to a man," A middle-aged woman in the crowd spoke.
At this moment, Mary and Sarah stepped out of their hiding spot and stood behind their sisters.
"I refuse to marry that lout. If I shall marry anyone, it will be Billy Butcherson," Winnifred proclaimed.
The entire crowd turns their attention to young Billy Butcherson, who appears confused. Lydia did her best to hide her pain and anger toward her sister about her having feelings for Billy.
"What? Why me?" Billy questioned.
"Because we are soul mates," Winnifred responded.
"Since when?" The young Billy further inquired.
"Since we shared that kiss in the graveyard."
Winnifred's shocking sentence caused the townsfolk to gasp and groan at the taboo event. A kiss between an unwed man and an unwed woman was immoral. But the crowd could tell Winnifred had no shame in kissing a boy she was not engaged to.
"She relishes in her petulance," Phillip Pritchett, John's father, stated.
"Correct. Goodbye," Winnifred chuckled.
Winnifred closes the door, but Reverend Traske stretches out his hand and prevents the door from shutting. Winnifred slowly opened the door, and her gleeful smile was gone. Mary, Sarah, and Lydia's smiles were gone too. Each sister was frightened by what the Reverend would do next.
"Thou has defied the authority of the Church. If thou doth wish to continue in such flagrant disregard of all that we hold sacrosanct, thou shall not do it here. A rotten apple quickly infects its neighbor. And we want no more like thee. I banish thee from Salem!" Reverend Traske declared. "Forever."
While the crowd clamors cheerfully and applauds Reverend Traske's decree, the Sanderson sisters gasp in shock and terror as they would have no home. Billy Butcherson turned his gaze toward Lydia, afraid he would never see her again. Lydia also looked at Billy, afraid she would never see him again.
"Take the girls," Reverend Traske ordered.
"What?" Winnifred questioned.
Two men stepped out of the crowd and went inside the house. One grabbed Sarah and Mary by their arms, pulling them out of their home, while the second man did the same with Lydia. The three sisters cried in protest as they were taken away from their home.
"You can't do that. Take your hands off my sisters," Winnifred demanded.
"No! Stop it! But this is our home," Mary cried.
"Oh, not anymore. The kind Smiths have agreed to take thy sisters and turn them right!" Reverend Traske told Winnifred.
Reverend Traske leaves Winnifred as he follows behind the two men with the younger Sanderson sisters. And the people of Salem follow the good Reverend.
"Stop! Thou cannot take my sisters!" Winnifred cried as she rushed toward her sisters to free them, but two men grabbed the eldest Sanderson sister, preventing her from reaching her sisters.
Winnifred struggled to free herself from the men. Mary, Sarah, and Lydia cried for the townspeople to stop and let them go as they cried for their sister.
"Thou must have faith. Thou must have faith. This is for..." Reverend Traske calmly said before spotting Winnifred's spider climbing up on his cloak. The spider's brown-colored body stood out on the black fabric.
The Reverend lets out a scream before flicking his cloak up, sending the spider into the air before it lands on the ground. A wave of panic caused by the spider washed over the crowd as they tried to find the arachnid. The two men holding Winnifred let go of her and rushed toward the Reverend after hearing his continuing screams. Winnifred took advantage of the opportunity and ran into the crowd to find her sisters.
"No, it's Satan's hand," The Reverend cried.
"Reverend, are you all right?" One man asked.
"I'm not all right," Reverend Traske responded.
"She tried to kill the Reverend," A middle-aged woman said, accusing Winnifred.
Mary spots Winnifred through the crowd and begins waving her hand as she calls, "Winnie, Winnie."
Winnifred spots Mary, Sarah, and Lydia huddled together before racing toward them. The four Sanderson sisters were happy to be reunited.
"Oh, Winnie. Winnie," Lydia said before she wrapped her arms around her oldest sister.
"Quick. To the forbidden wood," Winnifred ordered her younger sisters.
"But it's forbidden," Sarah mentioned.
"So they will not follow," The eldest sister explained. "Go!"
The four Sanderson sisters ran with every ounce of energy they could muster. As they raced toward the forbidden forest, the sisters could hear the voices of the people of Salem behind them.
"With thy eight legs of sin! It was on me!" Reverend Traske cried.
"They are wicked! All of them!" A woman exclaimed.
When the sisters reached the forbidden forest, they didn't stop and continued to run for their lives. Winnifred continues to lead her sisters further into the forbidden forest. The eldest sister grabbed the younger's hand when she noticed Lydia was falling behind.
"Keep up. Stay close," Winnifred told her sisters as they ran.
The four continued running until they reached a small clearing and caught their breath.
"Where are we?" Mary asked Winnifred.
"I do not know," The eldest sister replied. "I've never been this deep into the woods before."
"I do not like this place," Sarah said, sounding as if on the verge of tears.
Lydia saw the scared faces of her sisters before quickly coming up with an idea, "Perhaps we should form a calming circle."
"All right," Winnifred said before she and her sisters joined hands to form a circle.
The four Sanderson sisters deeply breathe in before exhaling and moving in a circle. But unbeknownst to them, a bird with black, orange, and red feathers perched itself on a branch and began watching the young sisters.
"Think soothing thoughts. The smell of fresh mud. The Reverend screamed when he saw the spider," Winnifred said.
"The soothing of thoughts," Sarah spoke.
The calming circle worked as it had done before, but it would not last long. The sudden sound of a twig snapping pulled the sisters out of their calming circle. The four gasped and looked around with terror on their faces.
"What was that?" Mary questioned.
More twigs continue to snap around the sisters, creating fear in them. Winnifred huddled her sisters together so she could protect them from the lurking danger. Suddenly, the twigs snapping stopped, and the sisters heard a woman's voice calmly singing.
"Come, little children, I'll take thee away into a land of enchantment."
As the song continued, the sisters were put into a trance of sorts. Sarah began feeling a pull and walked away from her sisters. Lydia broke out of the trance in time to notice her sister.
"No, Sarah!" Lydia rushed toward her sister and pulled her back to the others.
A bird squawking called the sisters' attention toward it. The Sanderson sisters gasped when the bird flew towards them. Winnifred, Mary, and Lydia backed away, but Sarah stood her ground. Just before the bird reached them, it transformed into a woman with long blonde hair and glowing blue eyes. She wore a long black cloak and a red and orange dress. But Lydia could tell this was no ordinary woman. It was a witch.
The witch grabbed Sarah and held her up by her jaw. The three other Sanderson sisters knew that the witch was about to do something terrible to their sister.
"No! Stop!" The three Sanderson sisters cried as they rushed toward the witch to save their sister.
The witch held her other hand up, causing a powerful gust of wind to push the three sisters back.
"Thou looketh thirsty, child," The witch held up a bottle with a green, bubbling liquid inside before trying to pour it into Sarah's mouth.
"Let her go!" Winnifred demanded before rushing toward the witch and pulling her hand with the bottle away from Sarah.
The witch drops Sarah before grabbing ahold of Winnifred and sniffing her. The witch gasps as her eyes lose their blue glow, and she drops Winnifred. Mary and Lydia help their sisters up before backing away from the witch.
"Why didst thou come into my woods?" The witch questioned.
"We had no choice," Winnifred told her. "They were gonna take my sisters."
"Thou art different from the other children I have eaten..." The witch said, earning concerned looks from the sisters. "Met. They feared thou wouldst corrupt them. New World. Same story. But they were right to fear thee. Thy temper."
"I do not have a temper," Winnifred lied with a scoff.
Mary, Sarah, and Lydia share a look, knowing the witch was correct when she said Winnifred had a temper.
"Thy..." The witch sniffs the sisters. "Power. Dost thou know why the commoners fear these woods? This is a very sacred space for witches," The witch summons a small ball of light in her hand, astonishing the sisters. "We come here to charge our magic. To make us stronger. More powerful. This altar is what makes Salem so very special."
"Special?" Lydia questioned. She was confused and curious as to what the witch meant.
"Salem is dreadful," Winnifred told the witch.
"Only because it is run by fools!" The witch exclaimed before calmly speaking, "But one day, Salem will belong to us."
Winnifred looked at her sisters. All four Sandersons were confused before Winnifred says, "Us?"
The witch briefly turns her back as a floating, brown leather book appears. The four Sanderson sisters stared at the book with amazement. Suddenly, the book opened its one eye, causing all of the sisters, but Winnifred, to scream. The witch barely taps the book before it floats toward Winnifred, who gladly accepts it with a smile.
"Magic has a way of uniting things that ought to be together," The witch told the sisters before saying to Winnifred, "Happy sixteenth birthday, child."
"But..." Winnifred began, looking confused at the witch and wondering how she knew it was her birthday.
"I'm a witch. I know things," She said before encouraging the young girls, "Go on."
Mary giggled in excitement as Winnifred opened the book. The first page of the book says, "Manuel of Witchcraft and Alchemy. Winnifred turned the pages to reveal a great many spells.
"Cat Transformation. Levitation Spell," Winnifred read aloud.
'Tis an apothecary book. Like one of Father's," Mary said.
"No, 'tis a spell book," Winnifred corrected her sister before reading aloud, "Magicae Maxima. The Power Spell. Oh, let's do this one."
The book suddenly snaps shut, scaring Sarah and causing her to yelp.
"Magicae Maxima makes a witch all-powerful. It is most frowned upon. Doomed is the witch that uses this spell," The witch explained. "Promise thou shalt never do it."
Mary, Sarah, and Lydia quickly nodded, agreeing they would never use the spell, while Winnifred questioned, "Why?"
"Because I said so," She responded. "Besides, Book does not like it."
"Do not worry, Mister Book. I shall not do that spell, I promise," Winnifred told the Book.
"But what of the cat one? That would be good to do to John Pritchett," Mary suggested, causing all four sisters to laugh at the idea of tormenting John Pritchett.
The witch smiles fondly at the sisters before speaking, "Thou art lucky to have each other. A witch is nothing without her coven."
"Where is thy coven?" Lydia inquired, noticing the witch's sadness.
"Long gone, I'm afraid," She responded with heartbreak. "The world is not too fond of witches. Can't imagine why."
"Perhaps because thou eateth the children?" Mary suggested.
"How else does one stay young and ridiculously beautiful?" The witch questioned.
"How can I ever thank thee?" Winnifred asked as she looked up from the book, but the witch had vanished.
A bird was heard cawing as leaves fell to the ground.
"She turned into leaves," Sarah giggled.
"What will we do with it, Winnie?" Mary asked her older sister, who had a scheming look in her eyes.
"We will get revenge on the Reverend for what he hast done to us," Winnifred. "We shall wait for nightfall."
That night, under the cover of darkness, the four Sanderson sisters ventured into Salem. They were reading to enact their revenge on Reverend Traske. The four sisters hid behind a house near the Reverend's home.
"Okay, Mister Book, shall we get some revenge?" Winnifred asked Book before it opened.
The sisters gasped in amazement and giggled in excitement. Book stops at a page that looks very promising to the sisters.
"'The Spell of Smoke and Flame'," Winnifred read aloud before speaking the spell, "'Upon thy house so full of lies...'"
"'Ichita copita melaka mystica,'" Mary, Sarah, and Lydia spoke.
"'Bring my wrath, may fire rise!'" Winnifred exclaimed, finishing the spell.
Thunder rumbles in the night sky before a bolt of lightning strikes the side of the Reverend's house, creating a small fire. The four Sanderson sisters giggled and jumped in delight that the spell worked.
"It worked, Winnifred. It worked," Lydia cheered.
A moment later, Reverend Traske and his wife stepped out of their home because of the smoke inside. While his wife runs off to get help, Reverend Traske notices the flames at the side of his house.
"Oh, my God!" Reverend Traske exclaimed. He quickly goes to the bell attached to his home before pulling on the rope and ringing the bell to alert the townsfolk. "Fire! Wake up! Wake up!"
"Now, they shall never take us," Sarah said.
"Now, we'll be together forever," Mary said.
Several men with large buckets rushed to the Reverend's house and began trying to put out the growing fire. They tossed the water in the buckets onto the flames one by one before refilling their buckets.
"This is Satan's work! Hurry! Throw the water! Oh, this is the work of the spider!" Reverend Traske screamed. "Can you feel it? It's all around us. It's evil. It's evil!"
The four watched, giggled, and jumped in delight as they watched the panicking Reverend Traske. Lydia glanced up at Winnifred with a smile, which the eldest returned. The youngest and eldest Sanderson sisters held hands, intertwining their fingers.
Lydia smiled at her other sisters before returning to the fire and the Reverend's screams. Nothing was going to separate the Sanderson sisters. They were going to be together forever.