The Accused Witch

Part 16

Rowena jolted awake in cold sweat, she shivered. She never remembered her nightmares more than a hour or so but right when she wakes up it is engraved in the front of her mind re-playing As the conscious part of rowena was desperately trying to rationalise her fear and calm herself down.

The night before was spent in the library trying to understand the logistics of the trial and all rowena gathered from it was just that it stared from a pair of four year old twins where were acting "Possessed" which was described as they were : bending their bodies in weird ways, were feeling bad, rashes, would be awake at night and couldn't sleep. Witch to rowena sounded like they fell into some poison ivy or got a cold or whatnot. and this has been happening for some time. 

How could I not be aware there were trials every month on average for a year?  This was absolutely absurd. But she understood her mother better now, the whispers, the trying to get her to fit in...

"Wear a dress."                                                                                                                                                                  "Lay off the books for a while."                                                                                                                                     "Go outside."                                                                                                                                                                        "Go make friends."                                                                                                                                                       "Forget about school."                                                                                                                                                   "No nothing, just got to your room"                                                                                                                           "Act like a lady"                                                                                                                                                             "Learn to cook or something useful like embroidery."                                                                                                                                                             "Stop with the books for god's sake!"

But she understood now. Philips didn't accuse her for no reason, she had proof for the judge. She must have saw rowena reading. Of course she did she lived  only a few doors down. But what about Abigail?

Rowena had talked to Philipa last night as Philipa came over to deliver some Frits for her mom and mother instructed her to welcome the guest.

"So, who is it?" Philipa asked

"What?"

Philipa sighed and with a tone that seemed like she could believe there were such stupid people in the world said "Who you're accusing, who else?"  

It seemed Philipa made the choice for her: she was accusing someone and that was that. Well what other choice was there? 

"Well? Are you going to accuse your cat?" Philipa was getting frustrated and then she laughed to herself "Rumour ays that one, someone accused the neighbours dog."

"What happened to her?"

"Eh, probably hanged." And then she dismissed the topic. Rowena found out that they actually killed two dogs, because they were acting strange.    

Philipa asked again who she was to accuse and rowena asked to run some ideas by her.

"How about that creepy man down the street?"

"Old one with blue had he wears every day?"

"Yes!"

"No."

 Why not? it seemed like a perfect idea, nobody liked him, he had no family left, and he seemed odd enough to invoke himself in witch craft.

"He is a man."

"So?"

"Dear lords don't you read? I taught since you read you were smart. How did you not figure this out? We can't accuse men. Well we can accuse them but they get off the hook real easy."

"Why?"

"Because. It's the way it is."  

 And the idea stuck her, it was perfect.