corn13's awesome one-shots and short stories

the debt

Short stories

  The torch sat simply in the desk making what the dark brightened by its simple light.

  I grabbed it and walked out the door of my old wooden house. The village is silent but I know all to well that they are all in an uproar.

  While crossing the stone streets of the small village I see small children running to the center of the village which as it turns out is where I'm headed to as well. Once at the village center I see a large bonfire unlit but I know it soon will be. The angry villagers gather around the bonfire like flies to honey. They all watched the large unlit fire with awe and anger as we all waiting for the "entertainment" to commence.

  A small group of villagers later came from the south side of the center and behind them was a man with a torch and some of the village nobles that live in their manors on the outskirts of town. The nobles were lead to a platform where they all resided close to edge and the group of villagers went to bonfire to open up slightly and reveal a young girl in ragged, dirty clothes.

  My hand clenched around the torch slightly as I watch how they treat the poor girl. She sacrificed herself for her cause. The villagers brought the woman to the center of the unlit fire and tired her up on a wooden post in the middle so she doesn't move. The villagers during this time have been yelling profanities at the exceedingly calm woman who did nothing but let the burly men tie her up the post.

  "Clank!" I loud sound resonated throughout the large circle also known as the center. Everyone immediately stopped talking and turned to the source of the sound. "Clank!" It was the town priest making a somewhat grand entrance. "Clank!" He looked towards all of us with a small smile displayed on his shriveled face. "It's always an honour to see so many of God's children gathered hear." Father maudlin turned to the nobles on the platform and walked over to them. "Clank!" We were all in silence as the old priest walked up on to the platform and positioned himself in front of the tired nobles.

  Father maudlin then pulled out a book from his large overcoat and opened it to a certain part of the book. The book he was holding was a bible. "As it is always good to see so many of God's children in one place it would raise the question as to why we are all here." He paused to sweep his gaze over all of the people gathered below him then laid his usually soft eyes on the woman. His face molded into disgust as he watched the calm woman match his gaze. "Well the reason we are all gathered here is because we are in the presence of no child of God." He tore his gaze from the girl and everyone collectively gasped or said terrible things that should never be mentioned to anyone that did not hear it already.

"We are all in the presence of a devil worshipper. An agent of the devil. A witch." He said that last line through clenched teeth while again looking at the young woman.

  Father maudlin looked down into the bible and began reading from it.

  I zoned out from what he was talking about and looked over at the woman. She didn't seem at all seem to be frightened and seemed to have accepted her fate. I now remember where I have seen her after questioning inside my head who she was. She is the bakers wife. Glenda baker was her name. But now she has lost all right to her name or any name except for witch.

A loud noise resonated throughout the center as the father's bible is slammed shut which then caught everyone's attention. "Do ye witch have anything to say before the eyes of God?" Father maudlin asked. The "witch" shook her head slowly then stared into the crowd which caused some people to back away from the bonfire because of her cold gaze. "Very well then, by the power invested in me I commend you to burn in the eternal pit of damnnation." He said as he rose his right arm to reveal a rosary in his clenched arm.

The man that came with the nobles walked up to the bonfire and placed the large torch onto the bonfire. The fire grew in a hypnotic pace. It surrounded the witch and finally envelopes her completely. Her screams were almost in human and unbearable to listen to. Her clothes are burned with her earthly binds stripped away from her as well.

  We all stood there in awe as the witch was being burned but slowly people began to disperse. I continued to stand there and watch as the once beautiful woman turned into a crisp and sent to whatever new world she is destined to be sent to. After a very long time even the priest has left which left only me entranced with the slowly dying embers of the once great fire. That woman took my place. What was left woman is slightly charred bones that is now the only remnant to show someone was alive once.

  I was supposed to die today. I am the witch that was going to die but she took my place. Glenda sacrificed herself so I could live. I am forever in her debt. A debt that I could never possibly repay.