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Authors: Lawrence Norfolk
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women to kneel for hours? Would he have sent a witch to poison their children? From across four decades, the sound of breaking glass reached Father Hole's ears.
Absurd, he told himself sternly. His warden was no Zoyland zealot. The sickness would pass. His promise to Susan Sandall would lapse. He stood alone at the edge of the deserted green.
‘The palm tree stands,’ he murmured to himself. Then he turned and trudged back towards his house.
The sickness leapt from cottage to cottage, back and forth across the village. The children it touched burned with fever first. Then the retching began. Just as Mercy Starling had warned. At the end, John's mother told him, they writhed like worms on a pin.
After Mercy's outburst John's mother had banned him from the village. In the mornings he walked the slopes until the afternoon heat drove him down to the meadow and the stand of beech trees in the corner. There he waited and listened.
Sometimes he would sit in the shade all afternoon. On other days he would wait no more than a few minutes, listening and peering down the bank from time to time. Then the hedge would rustle. The bushes would part. One by one, the faces appeared.
Dando sneaked out whenever he could. Seth found it harder with his ma dragging him down to the church every day. Tobit came when he liked. The boys settled themselves about the gurgle of the water trough.
‘My ma says Mercy Starling lost her wits years ago,’ Dando declared.
‘Mine says Jake ain't much better,’ added Seth.
They looked up the path as if they could see through the elder and hawthorn to the white-fronted cottage.
‘You hear about Maddy Oddbone?’ Dando asked. ‘Her waters broke in Marpot's lesson. They didn't let her out till evening.’
‘What about old Connie Cullender,’ Tobit said with a smirk. ‘Aaron Clough promised they'd go easy on her. Then they stripped her naked and made her kneel half the day . . .’
‘Naked?’ asked Dando. ‘Connie Cullender?’
John remembered the old woman murmuring to him outside church. It was hard to imagine her naked.
‘Ephraim saw her,’ Tobit added.
John and Seth exchanged glances. But before they could ask how come Tobit was talking with Ephraim, a soft high sound drifted down the path, growing in volume as they listened, the first note swelling and soaring. A high clear voice shaped the verses. John listened intently. Tobit rolled his eyes.
‘There she goes.’
Cassie sang psalms every afternoon. Sometimes she sang in the evenings too. Then John walked the meadow above the Starling cottage, creeping closer and lying down in the grass so as not to be seen by Mercy.
‘Singing's all she does,’ said Seth.
‘She's praying,’ said John. ‘For Abel.’
The boys stared at their feet, silenced by the mention of Abel. At last Cassie's voice fell silent.
‘Ephraim asked me to come with him,’ Seth said abruptly.
‘You say yes?’ Dando asked.
Seth shook his head. ‘I ain't going around with them.’
‘Nor me,’ said Tobit.
‘None of us are,’ said Dando. ‘Are we, John?’
John shook his head.
Tobit was the first to stop coming. Seth, Dando and John sat on the edge of the trough dangling their fingers in the cold water and discussing his treachery.
‘I heard a thing about Marpot,’ Dando offered as consolation. ‘Meg Riverett was telling my ma. He's hiding.’
‘Marpot?’ asked John. ‘How?’ He remembered the man's baleful stare.
‘The Bishop had him up in his court,’ Dando continued. ‘Marpot had a woman dancing around naked out Zoyland way. Then he beat her half to death.’
‘What'd he do that for?’ asked Seth.
‘Don't know.’
They shook their heads at the incomprehensible ways of their elders.
‘What if he's right though?’ asked Dando. ‘What if there is a witch?’
‘How come they can't find her then?’ asked Seth.
‘They ain't examined everyone, have they?’ said Dando. ‘Ain't been down to the Huxtables’.’
‘Marpot
Absurd, he told himself sternly. His warden was no Zoyland zealot. The sickness would pass. His promise to Susan Sandall would lapse. He stood alone at the edge of the deserted green.
‘The palm tree stands,’ he murmured to himself. Then he turned and trudged back towards his house.
The sickness leapt from cottage to cottage, back and forth across the village. The children it touched burned with fever first. Then the retching began. Just as Mercy Starling had warned. At the end, John's mother told him, they writhed like worms on a pin.
After Mercy's outburst John's mother had banned him from the village. In the mornings he walked the slopes until the afternoon heat drove him down to the meadow and the stand of beech trees in the corner. There he waited and listened.
Sometimes he would sit in the shade all afternoon. On other days he would wait no more than a few minutes, listening and peering down the bank from time to time. Then the hedge would rustle. The bushes would part. One by one, the faces appeared.
Dando sneaked out whenever he could. Seth found it harder with his ma dragging him down to the church every day. Tobit came when he liked. The boys settled themselves about the gurgle of the water trough.
‘My ma says Mercy Starling lost her wits years ago,’ Dando declared.
‘Mine says Jake ain't much better,’ added Seth.
They looked up the path as if they could see through the elder and hawthorn to the white-fronted cottage.
‘You hear about Maddy Oddbone?’ Dando asked. ‘Her waters broke in Marpot's lesson. They didn't let her out till evening.’
‘What about old Connie Cullender,’ Tobit said with a smirk. ‘Aaron Clough promised they'd go easy on her. Then they stripped her naked and made her kneel half the day . . .’
‘Naked?’ asked Dando. ‘Connie Cullender?’
John remembered the old woman murmuring to him outside church. It was hard to imagine her naked.
‘Ephraim saw her,’ Tobit added.
John and Seth exchanged glances. But before they could ask how come Tobit was talking with Ephraim, a soft high sound drifted down the path, growing in volume as they listened, the first note swelling and soaring. A high clear voice shaped the verses. John listened intently. Tobit rolled his eyes.
‘There she goes.’
Cassie sang psalms every afternoon. Sometimes she sang in the evenings too. Then John walked the meadow above the Starling cottage, creeping closer and lying down in the grass so as not to be seen by Mercy.
‘Singing's all she does,’ said Seth.
‘She's praying,’ said John. ‘For Abel.’
The boys stared at their feet, silenced by the mention of Abel. At last Cassie's voice fell silent.
‘Ephraim asked me to come with him,’ Seth said abruptly.
‘You say yes?’ Dando asked.
Seth shook his head. ‘I ain't going around with them.’
‘Nor me,’ said Tobit.
‘None of us are,’ said Dando. ‘Are we, John?’
John shook his head.
Tobit was the first to stop coming. Seth, Dando and John sat on the edge of the trough dangling their fingers in the cold water and discussing his treachery.
‘I heard a thing about Marpot,’ Dando offered as consolation. ‘Meg Riverett was telling my ma. He's hiding.’
‘Marpot?’ asked John. ‘How?’ He remembered the man's baleful stare.
‘The Bishop had him up in his court,’ Dando continued. ‘Marpot had a woman dancing around naked out Zoyland way. Then he beat her half to death.’
‘What'd he do that for?’ asked Seth.
‘Don't know.’
They shook their heads at the incomprehensible ways of their elders.
‘What if he's right though?’ asked Dando. ‘What if there is a witch?’
‘How come they can't find her then?’ asked Seth.
‘They ain't examined everyone, have they?’ said Dando. ‘Ain't been down to the Huxtables’.’
‘Marpot
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