The Death of Sadie Marcus

two

Despite Sadie and I having to share a room, Henry and Anne seemed ready for us. Sadie almost instantly accompanied Anne in handling the house's affairs, whereas I went on the town. Salem was a fairly large town, so I could only explore a portion. There was an enormous courthouse rather close to where Sadie and I were given lodge. While I was out, I found a market and other places I could potentially work while Henry didn't have anything for me, most of which, however, we on the waterside. From what I saw, Salem is a town purely for the purpose of trading. On the north river, which is where Henry and Anne live, was where they built ships, did most of the town's fishing, and embarked on trading expeditions. 

I returned to the house within the hour. Sadie and Anne were in the process of making dinner, whereas Henry was chopping wood in the yard. I went inside to talk to Sadie.

"Where did you go?" My sister asked without looking at me. She was busy chopping root vegetables on a wooden board. Anne was slicing the fat off of a slab of meat with a huge knife.

"I went to check out the town." I said. Upon hearing me, Anne turned around.

"Henry doesn't like you. You should go help him with the wood." She advised. She had tied her silver hair back with a blackberry ribbon.

"Okay." I said with a nod, going back outside. Henry wordlessly handed me the axe and went back inside. Before his death, my father had taught me how to effectively chop wood. We had a large forest close to our house, so we had a near unlimited supply of wood.

From where I was standing with the axe, I could see workers milling around on the dock and beach. After a few hacks with the axe, I figured Henry had supplied hardwood, which I decided was either light hickory wood or dark maple wood. The handle of the axe, however, was a softwood. I could tell because my fingernail could very easily make small indents into the wood. I could tell the axe was old because the metal of the blade was quite scratched. Propped up against the side of the house was a short board that appeared to be a bastard file that Henry would use to sharpen the axe. The axe, on the other hand, was for splitting because the blade was thick, while the blade of a chopping axe is thinner. That being said, Henry only has to sharpen the first quarter inch of his axe.

"You almost done?" Sadie asked loudly, poking her head out the door.

"I don't know how much wood Henry wanted to chop." I replied as I tossed a freshly split log into the wood pile Henry had previously formed.

"I think that's enough." Sadie said after having peered at the pile. "But the food's ready, so come inside."

I nodded and followed my sister inside the house. Henry and Anne were sitting at the dining room table already, so I joined them. In front of every placed seat was a bowl, a cloth, and silverware. Henry had taken his place at the head of the table, and Anne on the length side to his right. I decided to sit on his left as Sadie reentered the room with a pot. The room was completely silent as she served soup to everyone. After she took her seat beside me, she started talking again.

"I overheard some people talking earlier." She started, pausing as if tasting the words in her mouth. "Who's Bridget Bishop?" Instantly after she said the name, both Henry and Anne looked up from their food.

"Bridget Bishop was hung a month ago for witchcraft." Henry said.

"She was near sixty years old, I believe." Anne added. Henry went back to his food for a moment before turning back to Anne.

"You know, the council is thinking about trying that Elizabeth Howe." He said absentmindedly.

"Who's Elizabeth Howe?" Sadie asked.

"I was her midwife back in the day." Anne told her, looking back at her husband. "What was her crime?"

"She made an appearance at the saloon and discussed the book of the devil." Henry explained. "Many of the men grew suspicious."

"Is she going to the gallows?" I asked. "Does Salem have gallows?"

"Yes, Salem has gallows." Henry replied. "They're deciding her conviction at the moment."

"Do you work for the council?" Sadie asked.

"No." He shook his head. "I'm a fisher, so I have to take fish and things to the market. Which means," Henry continued, throwing a pointed look towards me, "you'll have to pitch in and fish with me."

"Of course." I nodded, pleased that I didn't have to ask about a job. "When am I starting?"

"Tomorrow morning." Henry said.

"You will have to wake yourself up." Anne told me.

"That's not a problem." Sadie said, pitching back into the conversation. She and Anne then discussed the work for the next day and Henry and I finished our food. I went back outside to finish chopping the rest of the wood, though I didn't know where Henry went. When it got dark, I went back inside to talk to Anne.

"Is there a saloon I should visit so that I can make an impression?" I asked as she wiped down the counter. "Or should I go to bed to prepare for tomorrow?"

"The best way to make a good impression is to show them a good work ethic." Anne said after half an instant. I nodded and found the room they had entrusted to Sadie and I.