god bless the bewildered // proctale

hale's arrival

John Proctor was, quite obviously, a man in his prime. He had a quiet confidence and even temper; these qualities, along with his suggestively open shirt, powerful body and striking features, led to him being widely regarded as a man one would like to get to know.

And know he did. After his wife, Elizabeth, died of sickness, John Proctor was a free man to give most of the girls of Salem a promise in his bed, but, somehow, he always felt like he was missing something. Someone. He was never quite satisfied. Unfortunately, the girls always were, so whenever John travelled to Salem from his farm you could guarantee that he would have a small parade of rather afraid but strangely titillated women following him, vying for his attention. The boldest of that number was a pretty girl of 17, named Abby Williams. Abby steadfastly believed that John loved her; more often than not John would not deny the fact for fear of hurting her pride, and thus he spent much more time with her than the other girls, most looking upon them as a couple.

Still John could not find satisfaction, even in Abby. He felt empty, incapable of loving since Elizabeth. His three children had been taken by sickness too, so he lived alone with his serving girl Mary (whom many believed knew him well, but in fact their relationship was much more akin to one of friends). Proctor's life was plain and monotonous, and he prayed for someone to lift his curse.

It appeared someone had, for one day Mary rushed into the house, eyes bright and panting.

'Salem's cryin' witchcraft! Betty and Ruth have been taken ill after Parris caught us dancin' in the woods! They'll be calling us witches!'

'Mary, I told you not to dance no more - I said nothing good would come of it!'

'Yes, but it were so fun, John...I think Mercy were naked and Mr Parris saw, what are we to do?'

'Did he see you?'

'I-I'm not sure, I think I hid before he could see me properly, but oh, John, what'll we do? We'll be whipped for dancing, and witchery's a hanging error. I didn't do none of it but dancing, but they won't know that!'

'Calm yourself, Mary, I'm sure there will be a way out. Now, I'll go to Salem, see if I can bring some peace. I'll just sort out the last field before I leave. You stay here, you hear me?'

'Yes, John, only do tell me what happens when you return!'

'I'll be sure to. I'll be home at dusk.'

After harvesting the last of the wheat that he was planning to harvest that day, John rode up to Salem. He arrived at the Reverend Parris' house soon after. 

Parris was a rather slimy man, with an insufferable victim complex, and John and Parris held a mutual dislike for each other - John believed Parris was far too full of himself, getting offended even by someone closing the door in meetings without asking his permission first whilst Parris thought Proctor was out to get him, believing him to be a part of a faction in his church which wished him ill. As a result of this, John did not attend church nearly as often as he should have in such a Puritan community, which led to some rumours that may not have benefited him. Nonetheless, John Proctor was a well-respected, even feared member of the community, and many looked up to him.