Child in the Woods

December, 1683

Alice sat quietly at the table eating the slice of bread from her breakfast while Sarah brushed her brown hair and braided it down her back.
Winnifred had gone off on an errand before neither Alice or Mary and Sarah had woken, leaving them to eat and start their days without her.
Mary bustled around the downstairs room gathering ingredients for a potion Winnie had asked her to start in a note left on the table. She placed a handful of jars on the table next to the cauldron before looking back down at the recipe for what else she needed. She hastily turned back around and walked to the shelves against the wall. She shuffled through the endless supply of bottles and jars for a long minute, before her arms dropped helplessly to her side. Alice watched as Mary turned back and looked at her and Sarah annoyingly.
"There be no partridge-berry left." She sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "And that's the final ingredient for the immunity potion."
This winter was proving to be just as bitter as the year prior, and when everyone in the cottage including Winnie, fell ill due to the harsh elements, she decided they'd best brew a potion to prevent anymore ailments from occurring.
Mary looked pointedly at Sarah, who just finished Alice's braid. The blonde let a sigh that matched her sister's irritation as she moved the braid over Alice's shoulder.
"And I suppose thou wants me to go out and find some?"
Mary smirked.
"I'm still recovering from my sickness you see sister."
Mary let out an unconvincing cough to make her point.
Alice looked up and watched Sarah roll her eyes and groan to herself.
"Fine." She tutted, moving away from her spot behind Alice and toward where her purple cloak hung on one of the rungs of the latter that led to the upstairs.
Just as she got it on and began reaching for the basket hanging by the door, Alice quickly turned in her seat to face her.
"May I come?" She asked hopefully.
It had been a little over a year since Alice was found unconscious in the woods. Though it seemed that the reverend and the townsfolk had given up on finding and killing Alice, the sisters were still very hesitant to let her leave the cottage grounds; even if she was accompanied by one of them. Despite the falling early December temperatures, Alice yearned to spend some time outdoors.
Sarah stared back at the girl's pleading gaze before looking at her sister who peered back her cautiously. Sarah's tight lipped expression slowly turned into a small smile. She knew Winnie would be furious if she took Alice away from the safety of the cottage, but she also knew how badly the girl wanted to go out. Finally, she nodded and held out her hand.
"Sarah!" Mary hissed in warning "Winnie will have our heads!"
"Twill be fine Mary." She argued, wrapping a knitted shaw around Alice's shoulders as she approached her.
"We won't go far. I believe there be some partridge-berry growing just down the stream. I'll have little Alice back and safe before Winnie even returns."
Mary exhaled and shook her head.
"I'm not taking responsibility for this."

"Thou won't have to." Sarah replied opening the door.
With that, she led Alice out and shut it behind her.
The pair dashed off into the early winter morning and followed the stream that ran along the cottage and through the woods. Alice giggled as Sarah sang to her and towed her along to the spot where the berries grew. Before long, they came to a patch of ground dotted with small green leaves and small red berries.
"Here we go!" Sarah announced happily.
She let go of Alice's hand and knelt down. She carefully plucked a handful of berries before holding out her hand for Alice to see.
"Observe Alice." She instructed "This be what we are searching for."
Alice peered down at the bright red berries in Sarah's palm before looking back up and nodding. She skipped off a ways before crouching down and gathering up more, careful only to gather the ones that were bright red. She would every so often move back to the basket next to Sarah and gently placed the berries she found with the rest. Just as she was skipping back off to find more, Alice heard a rustling in the trees and the cry of an owl. She peered up and saw the light colored bird soar through the mostly barren treetops and land on a branch a couple hundred feet away. She watched the majestic creature in awe and slowly began walking toward it, unbeknownst to Sarah who was too occupied with gathering the berries.
   As Alice grew closer to the tree where the owl sat, it let out another loud hoot and once again took off to find a new landing spot. Alice skipped off after it, eager to see where it would go.
With her gaze turned upward instead ahead, Alice suddenly tripped on large tree root and went tumbling down the sudden decline of the frosty forest floor. She violently rolled to the bottom, her small body scraping against every rock and stick she came in contact with on her way down. She lay in a heap in the leaves, writhing in pain from the scratches and lacerations that covered her body. After a few moments she pushed herself to sit before attempting to stand and go back and find Sarah. That's when she noticed the large blood stain at the end of her dress and a sharp, intense pain in her calf to accompany it. She cautiously lifted the material and saw large and deep cut running from just below the side of her knee and stopping right above her ankle. She winced as she attempted to straighten her leg out. This cut was serious and she just knew Winnie was going be furious when she saw it. Just as she was about to try and push herself up on a stump, she heard dry leaves crunch under feet. Thinking it was Sarah, she turned to look. However it was not Sarah. It was someone entirely different.
About ten feet ahead, a young boy Alice thought to be around her age stood and stared at her in her sorry state. His honey colored hair sat like a curly mop on the top of his head, his locks hanging down around his hazel eyes and fair skin face. He wore a loose fitting white top and brown vest underneath his large woolen coat. His trousers were dirty and ripped, presumably from running about in the woods.
Alice froze when she saw him, beginning to tremble harder than she was already. She didn't recognize this boy, but couldn't imagine he was from anywhere other than Salem.
"Hello" the boy greeted cautiously.
"Art thou alright?"
Alice stared silently back at him, shaking with fear.
"Can I help thee?" He asked further, taking another step toward Alice.
He reached out his hand to help her up. Alice peered at it, contemplating the risk involved in interacting with this boy. There was no doubt he was from the village. Beside his torn pants, he was clean and clearly well fed. If he returned back home and spoke about seeing a young girl in the woods, the other villagers would surely know it was her and come after her. Despite all this, she took his hand and allowed him help her up.
"I thank thee." She said quietly, leaning against a tree to take some weight off her injury.
"Whats thy name?" He asked.
Alice hesitated. Telling this boy her name would surely lead to the revered to finding her. She was just about to answer with a fake name, when a man's voice traveled from further on in the woods.
"Thackary!"
The boy quickly turned his attention back to where he came from. He looked back at Alice apologetically.
"I am sorry. I must go."
With that, the boy turned around and took off between the trees and out of sight.
Alice stared off after him for a moment. A mixture of fear that the boy would tell his father about her, and curiosity about who he was, took over her thoughts.
Just then, Alice heard more footsteps coming from the top of the hill. Moments later, a very frightened Sarah came into view.
"Alice!" She cried, once she spotted the young girl. A wave of relief seemed to washed over her expression. As she raced down the incline, Alice moved from the tree she was holding on to for support and attempted to run to her. She however tripped again and landed on her stomach. Once Sarah approached her, she knelt down and pulled Alice into her arms.
"Where did thou go?" Sarah asked, tightening her embrace.
"I saw an owl." Alice whimpered into her chest.
Sarah sighed and looked the girl over again.
"Art thou hurt?"
Alice broke down into sobs and nodded. She lifted up the hem of her dress to reveal the nasty gash on her lower leg, blood trickling down her skin and into her shoe
"Oh dear!" Sarah gasped, examining the wound.
"Come now. We must get thee home."
She scooped Alice up and started back toward the cottage, the young girl blubbering into her neck.
Mary was waiting for them by the door when they entered and was horrified to see Alice's battered state. She fussed at Sarah about letting Alice get hurt, repeating over and over that "Winnie would have their heads" like she had earlier.
Both sisters ran around the downstairs room, gathering what they needed to treat Alice's injuries and get her cleaned up before Winnie returned, which thankfully she hadn't yet.
Finally, Sarah pulled Alice into the rocking chair with her so Mary could clean her leg wound. After cleansing it with water, she grabbed the same jar of oil she'd used to clean the wounds on Alice's back the day she was found. Alice knew this oil well, for Mary used it on her every time she got so much as a scratch over the past year. Alice buried her face in Sarah's chest and waited for the intense sting that the oil would bring to the already painful cut on her calf. When the first drop of oil touch the wound, the girl let out a scream and squirmed in Sarah's arms. Sarah pulled her closer to her and whispered soothing words in her ear. Fortunately the cut wasn't very deep and was able to simply be bandaged up instead of stitched.
Eventually, Mary did all she could do to tend to Alice, and all there was left was to get her calm and wait for Winnie to return.
By the time Winnie did return, Mary had finally started brewing the potion. Sarah still sat in the rocking chair with Alice, softly humming to her as the young girl wearily sniffled and watched Mary work.
"What's happened?" Winnie questioned cautiously once she noticed the bloody cloth bandage wrapped around the child's calf.

"She fell sister." Sarah answered honestly, though she had no intentions of revealing where she'd been when it happened.

"Where?!" Winnie asked, anger appearing on her features.

"On the front steps." Sarah lied.

"And why was she outside?!"

"Twas getting some fresh air." Mary chimed in.
"Fresh outside air is beneficial for a child."

Sarah looked over at the middle sister gratefully.

Winnie huffed. What did either of them know about what is good for a child? Then again, what did she know about what was good for a child?
She sighed and shook her head, her curly red updo swaying in its place. She moved to where Alice sat in Sarah's lap and crouched down. She carefully moved the bandage a bit to see the severity of the injury. She then shook her head again and looked up.

"Thou needs to pay better to what thou art doing Alice." Winnie chided, though the irritation in her voice had changed to something closer to tenderness.
Alice looked at her and nodded.
"Yes Winnie." She answered softly.
Winnie smiled softly at the girl, before getting up and turning her attention to what Mary was doing.

"Tis the immunity potion?"

"Yes Winnie." Mary replied.

Winnie nodded, moving to the cauldron to help her sister finish it.

"This will do well to prevent that cut from infection." Winnie said, adding the fresh partridge berries Alice and Sarah had gathered to the cauldron.
Once the potion was complete, Winnie put some in a cup and brought it to Alice's lips. The girl pulled a look of distaste at the smell, but obediently took a sip. She'd grown used to all the strange smells that frequently wafted through cottage. She grimaced at its bitter taste as she swallowed.
Before long, Winnie ordered that Alice be put to bed to rest after the stressful morning. Sarah tucked Alice into the small bed she now had in the corner of the upstairs room, and left a kiss on her forehead. She then left and joined her sisters back downstairs.
Alice stared out the window and thought about the boy she met. She didn't plan on telling the sisters about him. Even at her young age, she knew that it would stir up unnecessary panic and tension in their household.
  Who was that boy? Why didn't she remember him from her time in the village? Would he speak about her to the elders? Would they start searching for her again? If he was in Salem on that fateful day, surely he would've recognized her as the "devil child" the reverend had cast out. Eventually these thoughts began fading as she started falling asleep. As her eyes started to droop and close, the owl from earlier flew by the window and majestically landed on a nearby branch. Alice smiled before finally allowing herself to fall into a deep sleep.