Salem Moon (4 page)

T
here was little fan-fair as Gabriel and Abigail were pushed into a jail cell already full of other unfortunates. Some, also accused of witchcraft
,
were people the
Blackstones
knew, or at least knew of
. They were
decent and honorable people
from prominent, wealthy families
, and
were accused of making an unlawful and evil covenant with the Devil in order to gain all they possessed.

Still others were common thieves and the poor who were unable to pay their debts. The latter, were normally kept in a separate
jail cell
; however there simply was no room.  Ironically, the truly guilty would nonetheless be released by day
’
s end due to the massive overcrowding of the jails as they quickly filled up with those accused of witchcraft.

The massive throng pushed to the front of the jail as the doors were opened for Gabriel and Abigail, crushing them back momentarily against the rusty, iron bars, until the gates swiftly closed with a loud clang of metal on metal and the sound of the key in the lock. Then the others moved away, some muttering to themselves, others standing quietly against the cement wall, still others sitting on the long, wooden benches placed along the three walls around the cell.

The jail house itself was not a large structure, made of wood, encased in concrete in some areas, the old, stained pine pegged flooring creaked under foot and the entire structure held a horrific stench of old urine and feces, sweat and even the underlying coppery smell of blood. All this was made worse because of the heat and humidity of the day and the unusual amount of colonists held in its tiny cells.

Gabriel had his arm around the waist of his sister, shielding her from the lecherous looks and touch of the common thieves. They were filthy. Their fingernails were so caked with dirt as to appear black and their hair was tangled and matted, giving them the look of madmen.

The voice that had gone round and round in Gabriel
’
s head had disappeared
,
and although he feared it, he wished it would return. The
power
he
’
d experienced was both intoxicating and libe
rating. Although
he was sure it was an unclean spirit (why he thought this, he did not know,) he didn
’
t care anymore because it might be of help to Abigail. He was less concerned for himself than for her.

She could not endure this fetid place much longer and he knew that the complaint against them was already deemed credible
. The
carcass of the deer
had
been unearthed by the local magistrate
’
s office. They would be held here until their trial could be arranged and then they would be sent to
the dreaded
court of
Oyer and Terminer
.

As the day began to wane and the early evening twilight began to turn the cell darker, a peculiar thing occurred. Abigail was taken from the cell by one of the jail keepers, a quiet, solemn young man of about Gabriel
’
s age.

Gabriel rushed at once to the door of the cell, but it was of no use.

“
Where are you taking her? I must go with her…please she is but a helpless innocent, a child
.
”

There were two men standing guard on either side of the gate and they pushed him roughly away. The door closed with a loud and ominous clang.

Gabriel was desperate
.
Where was this entity that told him to
“
have no fear?
”

He called to it, silently, through his thoughts, but there was no answer, only the sound of the moans of those who awaited their fate with him and occasionally, the gate opening and closing, releasing the thieves and other riff raff back into the night.

He
’
d been brought up to believe the world was a just place for those who believed in God, but even He seemed to have deserted him.

W
hen
Thomas Snow came to
the small room without windows,
his
heart was beating as fast
in anticipation.
He unlocked the door to the room where Abigail was being held. And, just as he
’
d promised, he
’
d come to visit her on this night. When the door closed behind him,
it was pitch black.
He could hear the sound of his own breathing and that of hers as well.

As
his
eyes adjusted to the dark,
he saw
the glitter of
her eyes resting full upon him. He felt his heart beat even faster. 
She
was
backed up into a corner
. As he drew closer, walking in a swaggering manner,
she
cowered. He knew full well she understood what his intentions were toward her. He was sure she could read his lustful thoughts, but he didn
’
t care.
In all actuality, Thomas was quite nervous around Abigail
.
He tried
to hide it with masculine bravado. He would not,
could
not turn back from this chance. He
must
have her
.
She would be his and his alone, if
only for
this one night
.

He stood within mere inches of her and leaned in to smell the sweetness of her hair, her skin. Ah, but the very urgency of his need called for her to look at him. He needed to see her eyes to make the moment truly intimate
,
to pretend for this one moment in time that she wanted him.

No matter that
her
desire
for
him was but an illusion, it made no
difference
. Even
as she shrank away from him, her head down and her arms tightly crossed over her chest, slouching down into the fetal position.

He felt a small twinge of guilt at what he was about to do, but he knew deep down that he was not a bad person. After all, he loved her.

“
Come, Abigail and take my hand
.
”
He
extended
an arm
toward her, speaking in a calm, gentle voice.
“
I
shall
not
hurt you. I will be gentle
if you will come to me willingly.
”

Finally, she looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him not to do that which he meant to do. And yet, she rose of her own accord and stood facing him, her eyes looking into his, with disdain. That she was looking into his eyes at all only heightened his desire and he
played into his fantasy that
she
wanted
him. He reached out and brushed the tendrils of hair that had fallen across her lovely face. Gently he tilted her chin up with his index finger and his lips lightly brushed hers. So full, so pink and tender these lips, never before kissed. She didn
’
t move, did not kiss him back, but that was of no consequence to him
.

At once, he felt a powerful stirring in his loins
.

He had to have her now
. He pulled the bodice of her dress down, exposing the tops of her breasts and heard her sharp intake of breath.
She lifted her arms to cover herself, but he wouldn
’
t allow it
.
He kissed her
passionately, and pulled her down onto the splintered wooden floor and there, he took her
.

He looked into her eyes
and as
he
did,
the terror in them caused him only a moment
’
s pause.
This
is
wrong, wrong, wrong!
His conscience screamed at him. He ignored it, even when she cried out for help. He
clamped his hand down
over her mouth and kept it there until he was finished.

Stunned back into reality he disengaged himself from her and quickly pulled up his britches and buckled his belt.

He looked down at the aftermath of what he had just done. She lie prone, her legs askew
, her dress bunched up around her.
She did not move to dress herself, actually, she did not move at all, except for her eyes. They were wide, unblinking as she stared into his face. Was that fear he saw in them? No,
it was
something
…
else
;
disgust and downright hatred
.
She did not avert her eyes from his, even as he
looked away
from hers.

Finally, ever so slowly she dressed herself, not taking her eyes off of him. She whispered something that was barely audible, yet he was able to hear it clearly.

“
May you burn in the fires of hell for what you have done, Thomas Snow.
”

“
Abigail…I…love you. I am so sorry. I
’
m not a bad person. You know me
.
Y
ou have known me your whole life long. I just got caught up in the moment…you
’
r
e
so…beautiful, and I knew you
would never have me—
never—
even though I would have worshiped you as a queen
.
I
’
m a
good
man.
”

And then a thought came to him, unwanted and he felt a shiver of fear run up his spine:
What if she really was a witch? What
vengeance
would she take on him for the atrocity he
’
d just committed? And her brother
?
What would he do?

Three short and quiet knocks at the door reminded him that Joshua was outside guarding the room.
He
’
d
been in
here
way too long. He had to make haste and leave immediately.

He knocked back and the latch on the other side of the heavy wooden door opened.

Unable to resist, he looked back at her, and still she gazed defiantly at him. He lowered his head
in shame. He
could not bear to see her eyes upon him any longer
. He was almost thankful that she
’
d most surely hang as a witch, saving him from that hateful gaze which would haunt him all the rest of his days. Still, he rationalized,
“
I
’
m not a bad person.
”

“
W
hat took you so long, Thomas?
”
Joshua asked nervously looking around. No one was there. Even the night guard had not come down this corridor all night.

“
I had…intercourse with her, Joshua. I didn
’
t mean too…but I did
. He dared
not
look
at his brother for fear that he
’
d see the same look of disgust he
’
d witnessed on Abigail
’
s face. A look he would never forget as long as he lived.

“
You did…what? How could you
do
that! I thought you were just going to kiss her, perhaps stroke her hair, maybe touch her, but that?
”

“
She…damned me to hell.
”

“
I cannot say that I blame her, Thomas. We must tread lightly here. She may in fact be a witch and who knows what she could do to us
. Although
, we did not accuse her
, the colony did that.
”
Joshua mused, distress
ed
over his brother
’
s actions. He
’
d been speaking only in jest when he had dared him to take her during that conversation in the woods, moments before Gabriel came upon them.

“
Truth be told, I worry more about what vengeance her brother may seek.
He
is the witch, not her. And yet, because of us both, she shall hang right beside her brother. Why have you done such a shameful thing? You profess to love her
,
and yet, you
commit
such a foul deed on what very well may be the last day of her life!
”