Ch 1: Arrival
Morning came once again, splashing against the sides of the large boat.
"LAND HO!"
A large voice, one of the leaders of the bat's crew, shouted through the thick fog of morning, echoing through the underdeck of the shop where I had been sleeping. My mind has been racing all night, but I was still jolted awake. I leaned over to my brother, Matthew, who was sound asleep. His blonde waves had been strewn everywhere, leaving a stray curl hanging loosely.
"Matthew, please wake up! We've arrived!" I smiled gleefully and pulled my long blonde curls into two low pigtails, and threw my dress on over my dressing gown.
"A-Abby..."" He whispered, awakening. He yawned and reached for his glasses stacked on his clothes. The boat hit another wave, and I fell onto the floor, my own glasses thrown off my face. I struggled, but found them quickly. I stood back up with a smile, excited. Our older brother, Francis, had left a year ago in hope of a better life, and we would be able to see him. He said the land was so fertile for farming, and it was beautiful. The boat jerked, and we were thrown forward once again.
"A-Are we here?" ,I whispered timidly. Matthew nodded and helped me up, and we gathered our things together on the boat. We made our way upstairs into the sunlight, where I shielded my eyes from the sun. I saw Matthew do the same. I looked around and saw my fellow my travelers gather there things. A crew member shoved down a board to the sand and helped women and children off the boat. As a fifteen year old girl, I stood with my fellow women. They held their children's hands, waiting to see their husbands and families. And not many of them were much older than me; one of them I met was seventeen, and held a three year old son in her arms. Though I was old for my age to marry, I was to be engaged to someone in the colony, as Francis had written.
I stepped off the boat onto the shore with the others. The fresh air blew my pigtails around, and the sea salt made my skin sticky, but I was happy to be off the horrid boat. I heard Matthew join me and walked with me up to the colony. We peered around at the new sight. Houses had been established everywhere, and people world around us to build more.Women cooked in their homes, and a town herald spoke in the square, next to a pole where a scarecrow hung by a rope.
Francis, who had been talking to a woman slightly older than me, saw us a grinned, running over.
"Matthew! Abigail!"He gleefully hugged us. "I'm so glad to see you've made it safely!" He kissed the top of both our heads, to which we both blushed. He looked around cautiously and looked to us. "We must talk in private."
He grabbed our bags (to which I had protested at first) and led us to a house near the fence, overlooking the ocean.
"Wow.." I heard Matthew whisper quietly. "I-It's beautiful."
Francis pulled us inside, breaking our day dream. He closed and locked the front door. Francis had never been a quiet person, so locking the door made me wonder.
"Francis, is there something the matter?" Matthew joined me in my concern, looking at the oldest blonde in the house. Francis looked at me in particular and hugged me.
"It's not safe here for you anymore..." His lavender eyes watered slightly. "When I last wrote to you, a few months back, it was fine for you. But since then, things have taken a turn..."
I looked at him with worry. "What do you mean?"
He sighed and led me to the window, pointing to the middle of the town. To the pole .
"They hunt your kind, Abby..."
I saw it now as he pointed. The wood had scorched marks, all over it. The scarecrow, I now noticed, hung by a not just rope, but a noose. Pile of wood and twigs lay under it. The scarecrow itself held a wooden stick, and had green and black cloth covering it, and a pointed hat on top.
I saw what it was not.
And why I wasn't safe.
The scarecrow was a witch.
