SWIMMING THE WITCH
When the two little girls died suddenly and without any sign of illness, the town knew who did it. They had seen this happen before, and it was not natural. Two healthy and sweet girls who were playing happily together one minute and then dead the next. It was almost that quick, and no explanation made any sense.
It wasn’t long before they took it upon themselves to look for her. It had been a few weeks since anyone had seen her. She would surface every now and then when she needed something, and everyone watched her closely whenever she was spotted. They knew she was different from them, and they watched from a distance with distrust and fear. Always dressed in black with her hair tied back in a bun, she walked a bit stooped over carrying her ferret on her shoulder. She spoke only when necessary and when she would make eye contact, which was seldom, it felt as if she was looking directly into their soul. So most just stepped aside when she came near and almost no one ever challenged her, too afraid at what she might do to them.
But this time was different. These two girls were the favorites of the town, best friends whose parents were good people. They would not just look away this time, and as soon as the girls were laid to rest, they gathered together in the town hall and made a pact to hunt down their killer. They would take her in the middle of the night while she was sleeping and not able to defend herself. They knew she had secret powers so it had to be done quickly. Also, there was that ferret and some cats to contend with.
When it was over and they finally had her, the town was told there would be a trial. Standing room only, everyone came to hear the facts of the case. Most had already decided she was guilty, but they still wanted to see all the drama play out. They just knew they would talk about this trial for years to come and didn’t want to miss any of it.
They first listened to the testimony of how the girls died, what their last minutes were like. Then came two witnesses, one of them their school teacher and the other a neighbor, who both testified they watched the girls take a different path home that day. Neither thought anything of it, though, because they often saw the girls playing near the woods. Then followed the general store owner who produced a list of suspicious goods that had been sold to the defendant over the past 6 months. Finally, the written declaration of a townsperson who lived near the woods and saw the accused talking to the girls three weeks before they died.
It took less than 15 minutes for the jury to make their decision. Everyone was still in the courtroom talking excitedly to one another when they returned with their verdict. When she was pronounced guilty of murder by poison and black magic, all eyes turned to the defendant for her reaction. But to their surprise and disappointment, she remained calm with no expression. Since she knew it was coming, she had decided in advance not to give them the satisfaction of seeing her anguish and pain. She just stared straight ahead, not focusing on anything in particular, and then stood up when they came to take her away.
She knew there was no escaping death and fully expected to be hung in the town square for the entertainment of all the onlookers. But when they showed up the next morning and dragged her down to the river, she could feel the dread and terror rise in her. It started in her toes and filled up every inch of her. When they tied up her hands and feet, she looked around at the crowd that had gathered pleading with her eyes for someone to stop this …. but there was not a sympathetic or compassionate face to be seen. Only morbid curiosity mixed with a sick desire to watch another one’s suffering. Just when she thought she might pass out, she could hear off in the distance a young boy running toward them, yelling excitedly: “Hurry! Hurry! Come Now. They are swimming the witch.”
After they dropped her in the water, it didn’t take long until she rose back up to the surface. If she had sunk, she was like them — but if she came back up, she was deemed to be a witch with a different gas inside and a different God she prayed to.
On the following morning, at dawn, she was burned at the stake.
Copyright © 2015 (Michelle Parsons, Getting Back on Your Path). All Rights Reserved.
