Read Online Witch Hunt by Devin O'Branagan - Free Book Online
Authors: Devin O'Branagan
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enough.”
William decided he liked Jansen Van Carel.
Bridget, Phip, and Silver searched the sandy beaches for crabs and sea vegetables. They found large seashells to use as cups and bowls, and dragged home huge bundles of driftwood to add to their growing store of firewood. Although it was only summer, they were already preparing for the winter that lay ahead. The sheriff had taken their axes, and they had no other means to create fuel but to scavenge the land and seashore.
They worked their fields by hand, trying to produce as large a crop as they could without tools. They wandered the countryside gathering berries, fruit, and birds’ eggs. They set simple traps to catch rabbits and squirrels, and dried the meat and tanned the skins.
Bridget learned to heat water in tightly woven baskets.
None of the Hawthornes’ former friends or neighbors offered to help them. No one would associate with the children of accused witches.
Bridget made weekly trips to Boston to share her meager bounty with her family, and to help keep hope alive.
Bridget and Phip closed off all the rooms of the house with the exception of the kitchen, and the kitchen became their home. They made beds of straw bales and cuddled together on cool nights to keep warm. Bridget discovered a creative gift she had not known she possessed and became a consummate storyteller. Her gift helped her and Phip get through the long, dark nights.
In July, Bridget quietly celebrated her thirteenth birthday.
William stood in the darkness of his cell and looked out the barred window, studying the sky. When the bright sliver of moon finally appeared in his sight, he bowed reverently to greet her. Every month of his life, from his earliest childhood, he had greeted the night lady’s return in such a manner. Life was like the moon, he mused. It began slight and fragile, grew in might until it shone with glory, then started its decline until it disappeared from sight altogether. However, it always returned. He bowed a second time to the new moon. “Life does return,” he whispered to the night. Sadness threatened to overtake him. Last night the moon had been dark, so he scryed. After Jansen had fallen asleep, William took a cup of water from the barrel and magically charged it. Then he sat on his bed, gazed into it, and saw his family’s future. He had not been surprised by the vision, but he was forced to face the truth about his own fate. He hoped he had the courage to see it through to the end. He sighed, and careful not to disturb his snoring cellmate, lay down on his bed.
He had not been allowed to see his wife, even though they were housed in the same building, since their incarceration in Boston. However, on every new moon they visited each other.
William closed his eyes and fell asleep. Once in the dream state, he laid himself down on his bed of straw and fell asleep again. Then, in the deeper dream state, he made himself awaken and stand up. He looked around at the shimmering quality of his surroundings and knew he had passed from the material world into the world of stars — the name he gave to this other dimension he occasionally visited. His body of light passed through the jail wall and moved to the nearby grove where he and Margaret always met. She had not yet arrived, and he waited.
Soon a luminous figure glided into the clearing, and he saw the glorious form of his wife. As she neared, she spoke the name that was their password between the worlds, so he would know it wasn’t an impostor. He returned the proper response, and they came together. They embraced and caressed each other. His emotions of love and sadness welled up with the extreme intensity that was characteristic of the star world, and he struggled for greater control.
Margaret wiped away crystalline tears from his face. “Don’t cry. What happens happens. They can’t separate us. We’re bound for eternity. We’re two halves of one whole.”
“What becomes of
William decided he liked Jansen Van Carel.
Bridget, Phip, and Silver searched the sandy beaches for crabs and sea vegetables. They found large seashells to use as cups and bowls, and dragged home huge bundles of driftwood to add to their growing store of firewood. Although it was only summer, they were already preparing for the winter that lay ahead. The sheriff had taken their axes, and they had no other means to create fuel but to scavenge the land and seashore.
They worked their fields by hand, trying to produce as large a crop as they could without tools. They wandered the countryside gathering berries, fruit, and birds’ eggs. They set simple traps to catch rabbits and squirrels, and dried the meat and tanned the skins.
Bridget learned to heat water in tightly woven baskets.
None of the Hawthornes’ former friends or neighbors offered to help them. No one would associate with the children of accused witches.
Bridget made weekly trips to Boston to share her meager bounty with her family, and to help keep hope alive.
Bridget and Phip closed off all the rooms of the house with the exception of the kitchen, and the kitchen became their home. They made beds of straw bales and cuddled together on cool nights to keep warm. Bridget discovered a creative gift she had not known she possessed and became a consummate storyteller. Her gift helped her and Phip get through the long, dark nights.
In July, Bridget quietly celebrated her thirteenth birthday.
William stood in the darkness of his cell and looked out the barred window, studying the sky. When the bright sliver of moon finally appeared in his sight, he bowed reverently to greet her. Every month of his life, from his earliest childhood, he had greeted the night lady’s return in such a manner. Life was like the moon, he mused. It began slight and fragile, grew in might until it shone with glory, then started its decline until it disappeared from sight altogether. However, it always returned. He bowed a second time to the new moon. “Life does return,” he whispered to the night. Sadness threatened to overtake him. Last night the moon had been dark, so he scryed. After Jansen had fallen asleep, William took a cup of water from the barrel and magically charged it. Then he sat on his bed, gazed into it, and saw his family’s future. He had not been surprised by the vision, but he was forced to face the truth about his own fate. He hoped he had the courage to see it through to the end. He sighed, and careful not to disturb his snoring cellmate, lay down on his bed.
He had not been allowed to see his wife, even though they were housed in the same building, since their incarceration in Boston. However, on every new moon they visited each other.
William closed his eyes and fell asleep. Once in the dream state, he laid himself down on his bed of straw and fell asleep again. Then, in the deeper dream state, he made himself awaken and stand up. He looked around at the shimmering quality of his surroundings and knew he had passed from the material world into the world of stars — the name he gave to this other dimension he occasionally visited. His body of light passed through the jail wall and moved to the nearby grove where he and Margaret always met. She had not yet arrived, and he waited.
Soon a luminous figure glided into the clearing, and he saw the glorious form of his wife. As she neared, she spoke the name that was their password between the worlds, so he would know it wasn’t an impostor. He returned the proper response, and they came together. They embraced and caressed each other. His emotions of love and sadness welled up with the extreme intensity that was characteristic of the star world, and he struggled for greater control.
Margaret wiped away crystalline tears from his face. “Don’t cry. What happens happens. They can’t separate us. We’re bound for eternity. We’re two halves of one whole.”
“What becomes of
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