Title: Circumstance
Rating: PG-13
Part: Conclusion
Date develop: 14 March 2002
Date revised: 14 March 2002

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Conclusion – Final Farewell

“Goodbye you witch! And may Satan save your wretched soul!!!!”

Rachel looked down at the townspeople that she had long since forgiven, the gruesome sight from the night before was too much to handle. How they were killed so quickly and quietly she could never comprehend, not to mention find out. Now she would be paid a sentence that she was originally given before the hysteria finally came full swing.

Tears silently fell from her dark eyes as she remembered her friends and husbands, hanging from a sturdy tree. All of them were sentenced to hanging. Her husband was there at the end of the branch a hook pierced his tongue as he died being hung by his tongue. The mere sight caused her stomach to quench in pain, oh my friends and my love perhaps it would be better this way.

Rachel looked proudly into the abyss of faces that chant the death of the witch, for a moment she was sure that she saw Susannah’s face in the crowds. Her maroon colored eyes, her serious demeanor, it has to be her, but what is she doing here? It was only then that she noticed the younger child that was with Susannah, my goodness what is Hailey doing here, they have to run disappear before anyone sees them.

Rachel felt the flames burning through her legs, but she willed to push the pain aside as she watched the two remaining people alive of her friends. For mere moments her eyes met those of Susannah’s and a wave of calm washed over her… everything would be alright she thought she heard her say. Things are not as they are suppose to be…

As the flames finally engulfed Rachel’s body she felt the blessed release of her mortal life. For the first time she felt hope for the people that condemned her to her death. Perhaps circumstance would bring her and her friends together once more, not as witches, but perhaps as something more…

Title: Circumstance
Rating: PG-13
Part: Epilogue
Date develop: 3 November 2001
Date revised: 14 March 2002

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Epilogue – Remembrance

Since that day many of our friends began to disappear. Poor Michael watching his wife burning amongst the flames pulled him over the edge of despair. Soon after her last screams faded away with the embers, he fled the town and was not heard from until just a few days ago. As it turns out he was living close by the shore of the Pacific deep in depression. When he was finally found by some of our friends all they found was his corpse sitting upon a wooden chair staring into the sea. No one could figure out how he died…

Hailey and Susannah fled to their cabin at the edge of the woods, soon after Hailey found out that her father had died by the hands of pneumonia in Boston. They are still alive and doing alright, Hailey refused to talk to any of the other girls in the Salem area because of their antics with witchcraft. Hailey had soon began to develop a grudge against the majority of the children especially Abigail Williams for the death of her surrogate mother’s friends.

Which brings me to Honor and Millicent, their growing attraction to beyond the point of simply friends caused a great uproar in the village. Even though Honor could pass as a man and could fight with the best of them, the fact that she is in fact a woman and in love with another woman was enough to call them as Satan’s children. Just mere weeks after the death of Rose Chayne, the two were captured and sentenced to burn at the stakes without a trial. The sight was saddening because at the last few moments before thier souls were taken from their bodies did the two finally free one of their hands and touched one another ever so slightly. That small gesture proved to me that no matter what happens they would be together.

Thinking about the past few months has been heart breaking to me, but at the same time I never knew that feelings of fear would pierce the heart of this village. Alas, sometimes it is only through fear that we find the weakness of the village.

The cause of this turmoil in our growing smaller circle of friends lies in the wretched hands of Baterich Reeve and her gossip friend Margarete. If it hadn’t been for those two then perhaps… just perhaps things would have been different. Rose needn’t have to sacrifice herself for my sake and perhaps the village would be peaceful once again.

The last of us are around the small fireplace in our new home far from the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. In hopes that we could live the rest of our lives in peace and as normal as possible. Who knows, any of the townsfolk could come knocking on this door and call us witches by association. If that is the case… well… I do not wish to think of the circumstances.

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Rachel closed her journal and looked at it solemnly, “Perhaps I should put you someplace safer than here.” She whispered. She looked up to her husband, Jeffrey and the two nodded in unison as knowing what to do is best. Leaning towards the fireplace she tossed the small journal into the flames destroying everything that may cause a later uproar.

“I’m going to find the others, it shouldn’t have taken them this long to do the laundry and find firewood.” Rachel smiled as Jeffrey leaned down and placed a lingering kiss upon her soft lips. “I shall return soon.”

Rachel smiled as she watched her husband leave the home. Taking a look around she cleaned up the pots and pans from the friends supper and waited for the others to return. Looking towards the fire she realized that there wasn’t much wood left, I should go outside and see what is wrong.

She reached for her shawl and opened the door outside, and what had met her deep raven colored eyes was more than she could possibly bare to see…

Title: Circumstance
Rating: PG-13
Part: Prologue
Date develop: 3 November 2001
Date revised: 3 November 2001

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Prologue – From the Beginning

As I look around my home now, it seem to me, much more emptier than in the past. The ones that used be with the remaining ones are gone now, whether it was being accused of witches, shunning themselves from the community because of losing loved ones, fleeing from the town from accusations.

Thinking about this more, perhaps it would be wise if I write this all from the beginning…

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Several months ago

Embers dwindled down in the fireplace as the warmth dissipated from the air throughout the home. The cold air from the lingering winter breeze blew throughout the house causing the lone occupant to hold her arms and warm herself slightly.

“How did it turn so cold?” The woman whispered to herself.

Walking outside she grabbed pieces of firewood and headed back into the house, feeling someone’s eyes watching her she turned and looked all around her. Her eyes scrutinized the countryside as she attempted to find something out of the ordinary.

Down the countryside she saw a flash of burgundy red hair, looking at the figure she realized it was just Baterich one of the more prominent females in the community. Baterich Reeve was one of those persons that would watch everyone else and gossip about him or her later. She tended to keep to herself than to go out into the open. Before her husband, Hughes Reeve, death, he had often bragged about his wife’s beauty at the local salon after a few drinks. Hughes died suddenly in his home not so long ago, probably an infection, and the child that the two were expecting also died.

Everyone pitied the poor woman, but the death of her child had also coincided with the unexpected circumstances of the children in the community. The children were walking around the community and their homes in trance-like states; their behavior was strange to say the least.

Amongst these young girls, was a child of ten years of age, her hair was of a dark black hue, some would have sworn to see purple highlights in the child’s hair; it was cut short to straight just above the shoulder. Hailey Tothyll’s father, was the prominent physician in Salem has it not been for his recent calling to Boston a few months ago. Now young Hailey resided in the home of the physician’s close assistant Susannah Mereworth.

Hailey, too, began to exhibit symptoms of reminiscent of the other girls. Somehow, Susannah was able to bring the child about and now young Hailey was about to run around like a child again. Susannah kept to herself for the most part, she was a part of the circle of friends that nothing seemed to be able to break their chain of friendship.

The female smiled at the friendships, and walked into her home with the firewood. Carefully she placed the wood onto the dying embers hoping the embers would catch the new fuel, however the embers died away at the hearth. Puzzled, the young woman carefully crouched to the fireplace and attempted to start the fire again. Seeing the sparks and the embers catching on again she stood up, took off her coif and brushed her long black hair from her eyes. She looked at her reflection in the window and noticed the faint violet highlights in her hair, she straightened out her hair and replaced the coif.

Looking to the small cooking area she sat down and readied herself with supper when a commotion outside grew in pitch and in sound. Curious to the commotion she walked towards the door and reached to turn the knob.

Before she may open the door, the door flew open and she faced an angry red haired woman. The female at the door pointed an accusing finger towards the other’s direction and screamed, “You, you were the one that bewitched my husband to death and killed our child!”

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Title: Circumstance
Rating: PG-13
Part: Introduction
Date develop: 7 October 2001
Date revised: 23 October 2001

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Introduction – Better Left Forgotten

I do not know why I am writing this. I do not know how I managed to continue to live this long. Things seem so different now; we used to be a part of such a close-knit town where everyone knew everyone else. People could walk by one another with a smile on their face and a gesture of a greeting and such. The children would work in the farms with young Hailey, and later would spend time on their own.

Everyone did their part to keep our little town alive. John Proctor would go out hunting with several of the other men in town, including my husband and his friends. The women would tend to the children with Rebecca Nurse. Everything seemed to be in place, and there wasn’t anything that could possibly throw our lives off course… or so we believed.

At first I thought that it was terrible that the children might have made contact with Satan. I prayed for the children day after day, night after night. But when they accused those poor souls of practicing witchcraft I was shocked. I knew that young Hailey was a part of the girls that were supposedly possessed by these witches, but since then she stayed at home with her foster mother Susannah. What am I saying… I shouldn’t even be talking about such things, after all, anyone could be eavesdropping and an accusation of being – being – well let us just keep it at that. It is strange, how everything seemed to have started with an accusation.

I have often wondered that if I had not allowed my friend to defend their friendship with me, justify why I was able to do things that others could not… then perhaps, perhaps, they would still be with me and everyone left today.

Now I would sleep with the screams echoing through my head, the voice of my friend talking while I attempt to continue with my life. Most night falls, some of our friends would come by and we would talk about what could have been. Since my friend’s death nothing was the same anymore, no more laugher, no more freedom. It is as if everything we had come here for was in vain.

I look back and I wonder, I knew whom it was that accused me of taking part in witchcraft, it was she – which I later found out – that influenced young Abigail Parris to accuse the Proctors of witchcraft as well. What others close to me and myself, do not understand is whom was it that sealed the fate of my friend. What puzzles us more was what the accusation was based upon, for we were not permitted to attend my friend’s trial. Alas, perhaps that is one thing we shall never have the chance to learn…

AUTHOR NOTES: This was originally developed in 2002. With the beginnings and endings completed, however, as I attempted to flesh out the middle… it was just too difficult and too dark for me to continue. Perhaps one day I will revisit this as an original piece, but that is up in the air.

PARTS WRITTEN:
– Introduction
– Prologue
– Epilogue
– Conclusion

NOTES:
Circumstance
– based on the Salem Witch Trials
– NA dubbed names (or re-made ones when appropriate)
– Rei is the supposed witch
– Inner scouts are already friends of Rei until someone accuses her of being a witch
– Story has a moral it is the test of friendship
– The outers were kind of friends but became suspicious based on circumstantial evidence eventually they…
– Inners are a little hesitant except for Usagi… (this is one course with them bickering a lot but then Usagi being her sole supporter)

Setting
– set in the late 17th century (1692)