The Elden Witches
Each ran away to meet in the caves beyond the settlement. The Elders decree made it impossible to stay. Their children and husbands slept while they assessed the fear.
“They can’t be serious?” asked the young Janey girl.
“As serious as the decree nailed to the Cryer’s Post,” said Mrs. Applewaite, the leader of this commune.
“But all the deaths came by fever. You were there!” The Janey girl looked frantic.
“All under a full moon and Old Man Nethers reported a black cat ran near the Smith child.” The older ladies shook their head. A hushed murmur filled the room as their whispering echoed off the damp walls.
“Quite!” said Mrs. Applewaite.
“They no longer see as nursemaids,” she said. “They only see us as witches. They fear those they don’t understand.”
“But we are not witches,” pleaded the young Janey girl. “We seek to make them well.”
“Hazel for soothing a rash, dandelion for upset stomach, chamomile tea for demons,” said old lady Gentry.
“Perhaps, we should give them hemlock for mania?” said the Janey girl.
“Perhaps, we serve it to them raw. Give them its poison?” said old lady Gentry.
The women of Elden, accused of witchcraft and sorcery, talked late into the night until each fell asleep in the cave. Tomorrow they would consider what to do.
Great post @wordymouth, I'm a big fan of free writing and this piece is very nicely written. You're a very good writer, I'm constantly on the look out for such bloggers on Steemit. You guys keep this a fun place to get some reading done. Keep up the good work sir! Following and upvoting! :)
Thank you for the kind words. I had bandwidth problems this morning. I just kept kept trying to post it. I’m glad you liked it.
Ahh, this is a great piece of fiction and now I wonder what plan of action follows!
I like to think they used the Hemlock...but they might cast a spell!
Wow, this prompt triggered another freewriter to hit on this theme, too! They fear those they don’t understand.
You are so good in writing fiction. I am still learning on fiction. Well, the more we write the more we will improve right? I still have alot to learn here.
Write, write, write everyday. Soon you’ll find you’re so good others will be saying they need to improve to reach your level. Thanks for the compliment; I feel I need to keep practicing too.