Salem

• Rebecca Mann, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2008

The ropes rubbed against my wrists as I was pulled forward. I tried to drown out the wailing of my younger sister with the crunch of gravel beneath my feet. My sister has the loudest voice I have heard. Many times I would be bended to do something because of that soprano voice. I was doing this for her. Her, with her caramel curls that perfectly framed her pale face and deep set blue eyes. Behind her, my mother stood stony face holding my sister around the shoulders. Her grey eyes looked at me, her expression indecipherable. I had to look away. I searched the crowd gathered on the street as I was paraded around like a circus freak. I suppose, that’s what they thought I was; a freak, an alien. Old ladies held their crucifixes in front of them. Children clutched their mother’s skirts in fear. The men were the ones dragging me around. I searched for a particular face, that one face my eyes craved. I couldn’t find it. I felt my heart sink into my uneasy stomach. Maybe they kept him away, depriving me of my goodbye. Heat welled from behind my eyes. I blinked it back. There was no way I would give them the pleasure of seeing me cry. They didn’t deserve it.

I continued to walk, step by step. The street seemed to go on forever. I flexed my fingers, trying to get the circulation back. Suddenly the ground came to meet me as the rope was tugged forward. Laughter filled my ears as I struggled to get up. The rope was yanked again, more laughter.
“Get up witch!” The demonic law stood above me, sneering down. I managed to get to my feet before being led into the paved town centre. I stared at the sight before me; a large pyre of wood, beckoning. I scanned the gathered people. My eyes came to rest upon the one face I had been longing to see. I only caught his eyes for a second before he looked at the ground, guilty. I wondered why that was. My thoughts were interrupted as I was pulled onto my stage and bound to a post.

“Gathered citizens,” The murder’s voice boomed, “Today, we rid our town of this evil.” He waved a gloved hand towards me. “This woman has been accused and found guilty of being a witch and is therefore sentenced to burn until dead.”
Smoke drifted toward the sky. It was real.

I stared at Daniel as a pock-faced man clapped him on the back.
“Well done boy. Now we will be rid of this horror.” Daniel’s eyes shot up to mine. No, he couldn’t have, not my Daniel. His eyes pleaded with me. Moisture rolled down my cheek. I stared into his emerald eyes, now seeing myself, a stranger reflected in them. The flames began to rise.