Something's wrong with Alice

Something's wrong with Alice :: Chapter I

There is a sort of Witchcrafts in those things, whereto the Temptations of the Devil would inveigle us. To worship the Devil is Witchcraft, and under that notion was our Lord urged unto sin. We are told in 1 Samuel 15:23, "Rebellion is as the sin of Witchcraft." When the Devil would have us to sin, he would have us to do the things which the forlorn Witches use to do. Perhaps there are few persons, ever allured by the Devil unto an Explicit Covenant with himself. If any among ourselves be so, my counsel is, that you hunt the Devil from you, with such words as the Psalmist had, "Be gone, Depart from me, ye evil doers, for I will keep the commandments of my God."

COTTON MATHER, On Witchcraft

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Chapter I

 Alice enjoys Tea

September Twenty First, 1842

The presence of witches. Never have I believed in witchcraft or magic. For God would never let a creation which held such powers exist. And if the Lord himself had, why would he not give us the powers to do such things? Would it be a sin if we were all that way?

The girl Henry asked me to meet, she was described as a witch by many, and he had asked me to investigate. They told me her name was Alice. And at first, they were reluctant to let me go up into the attic to see her. The elderly family who kept her in their orphanage. I understood their concern when I entered the room to find the girl sitting at the bay window, no more than ten years of age, with pretty black hair. The color of a raven‘s wing. She didn’t seem to notice me at first. But when she did, dear God, did it frighten me. Her eyes were not as God would have made them. The color of ice and snow. But I stayed. I asked her about her family. Her childhood. She seemed normal. No different from one of the girls who she read to on Sunday mornings. Alice told me she enjoyed tea.

I do not believe that girl, Alice, is a witch. How could a child with that much humanity in her. Witches, as I believe, are created from the Devil. But would Satan create something with so much human emotion? 

The girl has been set the death penalty. Henry has explained to me that to kill a witch, you must burn her blood. Inside, the distress for the girl turned in my stomach. This girl did not deserve to die. But when I told that to Henry he laughed, and said that the girl was a witch. I felt as if I had contributed in her future death. When I told Henry this, he stared in shock, but waved me off, reminding me of the evil the girl possessed. 

Henry is sending a report off to the college tomorrow afternoon. In it contain the reports from Henry on several witch complaints in surrounding cities and towns. I can hope that the people accused will have a fair trial. But, I can only hope. But what will the hopes of a woman do?

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The flame around Emily Charlton flickered, the wax burning down. Her bedroom was dark. Her fiancé Henry was away. Thank heavens, for he would have been disappointed at the time, and how she was still awake. Though, she had needed to write this. Her thoughts, would not be going into the report that would be sent out tomorrow. No, they would call her a traitor for siding with Alice. The witch. Though, that is how she felt. The girl was innocent.

She was going to see the young girl tomorrow. To reassure her. Though, when she had visited Alice this morning, bringing tea with her and a new novel Henry had brought back with him the previous day, the girl had seemed to know. And maybe she had. Her expression was depressing, and she spoke as if her time was running out. Which it was. Poor girl.

Emily went to the window, opening it onto the balcony. The cool night air was refreshing. Peaceful. It stripped her of her dark, and sorrow filled thoughts. 

“Emily.” She opened her eyes. Had it been the wind speaking to her? Surly not, the wind did not speak directly to a person. Yet, it whispered her name again.

Her eyes scanned the area around. Only the darkness. There was nothing there.

She jumped when the voice came from behind. She whirled around, fear clutching at her hear. “Alice?” She asked in a stunned voice.

The girl moved out of the shadows of her bedroom. As if she had been standing there all along. The icy eyes of the young girl shone through the blackness. The candle on her desk had gone out.

“Alice what are you doing here?!” Emily asked her, clutching at the windowsill.

“Emily, they are going to kill me. Aren’t they?” Alice asked. Her voice sounded defeated. And, angry. Filled with hate. It scared her.

“Of course n-” Emily started but was cut off by a loud shattering sound. The glass behind her shattered, falling to the ground below.

“DO NOT LIE TO ME!” Alice shouted. It might have been her imagination, but Emily could have sworn the room shook around her. 

Emily was at a loss for words. This was not human at all. Maybe she was dreaming it. Having a horrible nightmare. “Alice…”

“See, it is true. Well, I will not let it happen.” The girl sounded older than she should have. Her voice echoed around, vibrating off the walls. Emily just shook her head, stiffening when Alice approached her, the floorboards creaking as if it was not a small girl standing on them, but something much, much larger.

Then, she was in front of her, reaching out a ghostly pale hand for her forearm. Emily was too frozen in place to move.

“You will not let it happen either.” The air around her seemed to heat up. And then, Alice pressed her thumb to the pale blue vein of Emily’s wrist. The world went black, then red. Faintly, Emily could hear Alice chanting something not of God’s bible. Something not heavenly at all.

Emily fell painfully to the ground, hitting her head on the windowsill as she went down, causing her to become dizzy. When the dizzy spell passed, Alice was standing over her, an angelic smile on her face. Though, she was not the picture of heaven. She came from hell.

Emily had been wrong about Alice.

“There. Now you will have to help me. Goodnight, Emily.”

The room around her shook for a second before her mind went dark. 

The soft voice of Emily was the last thing she heard. “Sweet dreams.”