A Salem Witch Trial

A Story by Lizzy

My story is about two sisters living in the early colonial times in America. This was a time of what those back there thought to be of witches so they would have trials if one was even accused. It's supposed to be a mystery and in the point of view of t

An Innocent One Taken

It was a cold autumn’s night; leaves everywhere were beginning to fall. Everyone hated this time of year, our village was surrounded by trees in this new world. My sister Mary and I moved to this new world about a year and five months ago. We came after we heard this fool named Columbus discovered new land, of course, we knew he had already discovered the land 200 years ago. It is 1692. The problem with England was that there were too many rules against unmarried women. I am 23, Mary is only 17. When we got here, I met Henry. He is a sweet guy, we used to like each other but I forgot exactly what happened except I wanted to put Mary first. We also made an enemy in this small village. His name is Sir Johnathon Clark, a middle-aged rich man. He was the heir to a large sum of gold and money. He is so snobby and cruel that no woman would take him as a husband.

Our lives are grand in this small village of Salem except for our witch problem. I’ve seen so many executions it isn’t even funny. Ever since William Griggs, our village doctor, announced that the daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris of Salem Village became ill and was bewitched. But alas, I fear for Mary’s life, she is not a witch but she is spontaneous and risky. I knew this would be her downfall.

It was around 1 a.m., an ungodly hour; the night was silent as I waited for Mary in the one of the two chairs that was in view of the door. Mary came running into the house yelling to me. “We have to flee. We have to go,” she repeated. I didn’t understand what she was yelling about. She looked as if she had seen a ghost; her emerald eyes were wide and her long golden hair was tangled and filled with twigs. I ran to her trying to calm her down. She told me. “I saw-,” she began, pausing for air. “The forest-,” she continued although she was interrupted by a knock on the door and didn’t continue.

“Ms. Smith!” I went to answer it, I knew it was the constable but why was he here? Before opening it, I heard yelling in the background and smelled fire. I was beginning to become afraid so I did not open the door. I still didn’t understand what was going on or understood what Mary was talking about. I turned around except Mary was already gone. I followed her, knowing the only other way out of the house. When I got to the exit, I found she was already apprehended by the constable while others called her a witch. She was taken to the jail house with the glowing torches following.

One Person to Turn To

I ran to Henry’s house, banging on his door. Half of me was expecting him not to answer, I knew him well enough to know his lights were turned off at 9 p.m. However, he answered his door right away.

“Oh, Luna, what’s the matter?” he seemed surprised to see me although he greeted me with his magical smile.

“They just came and took Mary! We have to go get her.” Every bone in my body was shaking from worry and fear colliding together in a giant explosion of emotion.

“Who did, Luna?” His voice was strong and he placed his arm on my shoulder to stop my shaking.

“Who do you think?! It was the constable of course!” I answered with the fury of ten lions. A fool would have thought I was angry at him for not being a mind reader. He just starred at me with saddened eyes as I began to cry. A wise man would have thought I was crying because I had just lost my sister to the authorities. However, strangely as it seems, it wasn’t because of Mary. I cried because I had made him sad. He began to hug me with his long warm arms until I seemed to have no tears left to cry. We both walked to the jail house. My legs were too weak to run.

The Better Decision

The constable refused to speak to me being the sister of a “witch”. His attention was to Henry the whole time we were there. He wouldn’t allow me to ask any questions or be in the room where the questions were asked. Several hours passed, it must have been a pretty in depth conversation because I ended up dozing off in a chair. Henry shook my shoulder, waking me up. I opened my hazel eyes and sat up in my seat.

“What did they say? What happened?” I asked as soon as I recalled the events.

“Mary is a witch in their eyes. In a clearing, in the forest, were strange markings and a candle that could have burned down the entire forest. Sir Johnathon Clark saw Mary escaping the area as soon as he came. Luna, I think-”

“Mary isn’t a witch,” I said loudly and slowly just to be sure I was heard by everyone.

He hugged me, again, trying to calm me down. It worked because my anger had vanished but so did my strong will. “I know, Luna, I know Mary isn’t a witch. I was just going to say we should rest up for today and-”

“And visit the area in the forest?” I cut him off again.

“And go to Sir Johnathon’s estate tomorrow.”

“Ok.” I agreed, his decision sounded better than mine. For some reason, they always did. I walked to my home with Henry. Our walk was a nice one except it was for the wrong reason. He went home as I entered mine. The cold wooden chair from before had greeted me as well as a portrait of our parents. Mary always hated that picture saying it made our father look fat. To think, just a few hours ago, I was waiting for Mary to come home. Now she wouldn’t be coming home at all.

A Cold Morning

The next day, only a few minutes after sunrise, Henry and I knocked on Sir Johnathon’s door. His estate was huge except it had no next direct heir to it. It made you wonder who would claim it after Sir Johnathon is gone. It was cold out so Henry was wearing a red scarf but I was wearing my colonial dress as always.

A man I had never laid eyes upon opened the door. He had a stern face, smaller than other men, and had long, yes I said long, black hair. However, his hair wasn’t the only trait that popped out about him. He had eyes that were almost the color of rubies in the right light. He starred at me as if he was surprised to see me nevertheless I did not recall this man. Maybe he was a new butler hired by Sir Johnathon. After all, Sir Johnathon was the only man that could afford to hire help. I didn’t think twice about Charles, the old butler.

“Good day to you. Might Sir Johnathon be here?” Henry’s words broke the silence.

“Yes sir but Sir Johnathon has advised me against visitors until further notice.” He seemed serious to me but who was I to say someone I had never met before was serious or not.

“When was the last time you had seen him?” I could feel Henry starring at me as if I just said something that was unacceptable.

“Three days!” the butler yelled at me. He swung the door closed at an amazing speed. I wasn’t expecting him to yell at me. It was a spontaneous mood change.

“Three days. Is that man mad?” I had to say.

“Maybe he just likes his time to himself.”

“If Sir Johnathon was out last night, wouldn’t of the butler seen him leave?”

“Maybe Sir Johnathon left through a backdoor while the butler was upstairs. Come, let’s go. There’s no reason to stay out in the cold.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

It seemed to me he was trying too hard to lead me away. The temperature wasn’t any colder than it was earlier except his hands, once warm, felt frozen.

We walked around a little, not doing much of anything. It was really quiet until I spoke. “I think I just want to go home.” Henry didn’t respond, he just let me go and saw me walk off. Was I doing something wrong or did Henry just act differently?

A Good Memory

I knew I had to prove she wasn’t a witch but it was more difficult then I had expected. I was beginning to lose hope but knew the gallows would face Mary if I did nothing. Her death would become my fault for being not smart enough. My mother’s death was Mary’s fault for being born. My father’s death was my mother’s fault for dying and leaving him. The same thing happened to my mother’s sister’s family and my mother’s mother’s family but had a different story to it. This chain of death is like a family heirloom that can not be broken away from.

I knew I had to be smart and know all the facts. I then realized that I didn’t know when Mary’s trial was. I was going to ask Henry to accompany me but decided against it. After all, I did just ask to be alone. I began to walk to the jail house on my own. Children playing in the fallen leaves caught my eye. It reminded me of when Mary and I were children. The crisp leaves crushing under our feet as we ran around in the cold with smiles on our little faces. The orange sun would always seem to be smiling upon us though neither of us never dared to look directly at it. Mary’s long blonde hair was almost as long as it was now. It trailed to her hips and seemed all to of stopped growing in a perfect line. Her hair was so light that when the wind began to blow, her hair would seem to be dancing along with the wind. Unlike my hair that seemed to always be in one spot because it was always short and pulled behind my head. Mary swore it would dance around as well. Leaves would float to the ground in a merry measure as if there were never a problem in the world. Now, well now Mary couldn’t see the leaves or the sun or my hair dancing along behind my head. She was in a cold, damp jail house.

The Regret of Hate

I entered the jail house; it was filled with more prisoners then before. I walked to the constable who was holding a stack of papers.

“Luna, what brings you here?” It seemed he was puzzled.

“It’s about my sister, Mary. When is her trial?”

“Her trial was this morning. Poor child, didn’t you know?” He sat his papers down on a near by desk.

“What but she didn’t do anything!” The hate for Sir Johnathon grew rapidly inside of me. I was beginning to hope he died.

“The judge thought differently. He found her guilty. I’m sorry, Luna.”

“Where is Sir Johnathon Clark?! I must speak to him at once!” I was ready to burst with an explosion of anger that even Haiti’s anger couldn’t match.

“My dear, Sir Johnathon is dead. Mary was convicted for his death.” My heart skipped a beat. How could I wish something so terrible and then finding out if happened less than two minutes later?

A Family Portrait

“What do you mean he’s dead!?” I had to yell.

“His body was found in the forest. Strange markings were surrounding him along with a single candle. Mary was reported running from the scene.” It was silent for a moment. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was the reason that she wanted to flee so badly. “I can see this is hard for you. I should go.”

“No! Wait…who reported her?”

“Why a young man with demon eyes, almost, and long black hair. Funny, a village this small you’d think the constable would know everyone.”

“Yeah…funny…” I paused, remembering the man who opened Sir Johnathon’s door. “Constable, are you busy right now?”

“If I said no, Ms. Smith, I’d be lying.”

“Please, it’s important.” He took pity on me and kept listening. “I want you to come to Sir Johnathon Clark’s estate with me. I think the man you described earlier is staying there and killed Sir Johnathon.”

“Oh and how did you get to this conclusion?”

“He answered the door.”

“Ms. Smith… Did you not think of the possibility he is a nephew who is just staying with Sir Johnathon Clark?”

“All the more reason to kill Sir Johnathon and if you don’t listen to my words then you are a fool.” The constable became angry with me. Calling him a fool was one of his only weak spots and a low blow that he gets irritated with. I was showed out of the jail house.

I decided to go to Sir Johnathon’s estate myself when the constable refused to help. I knocked on the front door but no one answered. I was beginning to become annoyed. Instead of turning around again, I decided to show myself in. Sir Johnathon’s estate was large meaning that there was bound to be some window opened. I began to walk around the house and didn’t stop until I found a window. When I did, it was like I became a child in a candy store. I ran to the hallway window, like I had no sense, and climbed in with quick pace.

The hallways were dark as if no one had been there for ages. Even with the sun outside, I had to squint to see enough to not walk into a wall. I walked closer to the end of the house that was farthest from me until I saw a light on the other side of a door. I gently pushed the door open to see a single candle lit in the center of the room with something wrapped around it. I looked closer at the candle; it was fairly new, looking as if it was only lit for maybe an hour. I grabbed the item wrapped around the candle. It was a red scarf with “HC” written on it. I tried to think of who “HC” was except no one in our village had those initials. I thought it was fishy so I decided to take the scarf with me. As I was exiting the room, I stepped on something that cracked under my feet. I bent down and picked it up. It was a portrait of Sir Johnathon, Sir Thomas, a woman, and a young man. Sir Thomas was Sir Johnathon’s father who died, leaving his estate and fortune to Sir Johnathon. I couldn’t identify the woman or the young man exactly. I turned the portrait on the back and it was a family tree. Strangely most faces and names were crossed off. Even Sir Johnathon was recently crossed off and the woman from the portrait as well. I realized who the woman was, back in England, she was convicted as witch. The only one left was the young man from the picture. Looking at the portrait closer, I realized something, the young man had Henry’s face but in a tinier body.

“Oh no, Henry,” I whispered as if it was a secret. I took the portrait and ran out of the estate. If Sir Johnathon was killed maybe whoever accused Mary would be after Henry. I couldn’t let that happen.

A Witch of Salem

I ran with quick pace to Henry’s house, I banged on the door and called his name numerous times. When he didn’t answer I began to the center of the village where most of the marketing would go on. There was a possible chance he would be there. Instead of finding Henry or a murderer, I found something more horrifying. I dropped the portrait and scarf where I stood as Mary was walking up a stage escorted by the constable and a rope was put around her neck. I was silent and couldn’t move as Mary looked down out to the crowd. She starred at me and I starred back. It was silent between us two. It was silent in the crowd. The whole world seemed to have slowed into slow motion as I watched the platform slip. Only cheering could be heard around me, I dropped to the ground. I began to cry, one day was all I had. One day and she would be hanged. One day and I failed.

I became more enraged then ever. I was ready to kill whoever did this to my sister. Wiping my tears away, I stood up. The crowd slowly began to depart. I picked up the scarf but the portrait had blown away into some surrounding forestry. I ran into the forest, not turning around for even a second. I followed the way the wind blew; it was almost perfect like a straight line. It led me to a clearing with worn down markings. It must have been where Sir Johnathon’s murder happened because it was the only clearing that was known of. There was a rustle in the bushes to the left side of me. I quickly picked up a pointed stick. I was ready to use it when Henry walked into the clearing holding the portrait.

“Luna!” He seemed surprised to see me although he greeted me with his smile.

“Henry, I must warn you. You are in danger!”

He paused and for a moment, his smile was gone.

“Henry did you hear me? Someone has been tracking people down on the back of that portrait. Are you not that boy?” As these words left my mouth I finally understood everything. Why Henry was awake past his time, why he lied to me so I would focus on Sir Johnathon instead of go into the forest , why he led me away so quickly from the man with red eyes, why he seemed so different, what “HC” stood for on Henry’s red scarf, and whose fault Mary’s death really was. My smile had vanished adding all this up. I kept the sharp stick to my side and backed away from Henry. This made me drop the scarf. “Why?”

“Luna, you must understand,” he couldn’t finish his own thought.

“It was for the money, of course. All he needed was Sir Johnathon dead and he inherits the fortune!” the man with red eyes called, walking out of the surrounding area. He walked over to Henry and took the portrait.

“No, I mean why Mary?”

“You have to understand my reasons. She saw Sir Johnathon’s death.”

“There was a chance of her telling on ole Henry and I couldn’t let that happen now could I?”

“She wouldn’t of. Mary wouldn’t of. That is, if you knew her well enough.”

“If you would have known Henry enough you would have known just what kind of man he is.”

Neither I nor Henry had anything to say about that.

“If Henry is the one getting all the money out of this, why are you here?”

“Henry is my ole chum from back in the day. I’m sure we would have figured something out. Now there’s just the matter of what we are going to do with you.” He began to walk closer to me.

I backed up even more with the stick still at hand. It began to weigh more and more with each passing moment. I knew I was going to drop it if something didn’t change. “Stay back!” I warned but the man kept advancing. Henry just stood there watching.

“Stay away from her,” yelled the constable just as I dropped the heavy stick. He came into sight behind Henry. The red eyed man picked up the scarf and dashed off into the forest. Henry then tried to run himself but it was already too late. The constable grabbed and arrested him for trying to run away. We were taken back to the jail house.

“What happened back there?” The constable asked in the safety of the jail house.

I wanted to tell him about everything I knew but the only way I could prove it was with the scarf and the portrait. I wanted Henry to be punished for his crimes against me and society so I told him the most powerful thing I could possibly say. “Henry is a witch.” Just like that, with my words spoken, started a Salem witch trial.