Child in the Woods

Anne Good

    A week past and the men from the town seemed to have given up on finding Alice; at least, they were no longer seen wandering near the cottage. The sisters carried on with their daily lives, as they adjusted to having a new and younger member in the household.
    Though she didn't speak much and was still incredibly timid, Alice was quite pleasant to have around. She was obedient and stayed out of the way, which the sisters, Winnie especially, appreciated.
    She was quite a curious little thing and enjoyed watching the sisters as the brewed potions or practiced their witchcraft in any way. It was nothing like she'd ever seen in the village. Winnifred also made it point to make sure she saw certain parts of their practice. From the minute she came into their lives, Winnie was adamant that her and her sisters prepared Alice for when she came of age and was finally able to use the magic she had stored within.
"Come child and observe" she would say, calling her over from wherever she was in the cottage. She would quickly place her with Sarah or Mary and begin explaining what they were doing as they resumed their work. Alice would stare wide eyed as she hung onto every word Winnifred spoke.
     If she wasn't quietly watching the sisters work, or completing any of the tasks or chores they would ask of her, Alice would typically sit by an upstairs window and watch the trees and the birds and the other nature beyond the cottage walls. Like Winnifred had said that first night, she wasn't to go outside too often incase any townsfolk happened to be nearby. Though she had so fervently dismissed Reverend Traske's warning, Winnifred and her sisters knew that all four of them would be in great peril should Alice ever be discovered in their home. If she was ever outside, it only a few feet from the cottage steps where she could quickly flee to safety should the need ever arise.
    It was late in the night, though the sisters continued to work diligently to replenish their supply of potions they kept on hand for different occasions. For awhile, Alice was able to help by fetching things, holding things, cleaning up spills or anything of that nature. After some time however, there was nothing more left for her to do. That's when Sarah handed her a book to entertain her. Alice couldn't read it, but the way the words were delicately written on the pages, accompanied by intricate drawings was enough to keep the girl occupied until she fell asleep on the floor next to the fire.
    When they accomplished all they needed to that night, Mary went to move the girl upstairs. Just then however, there was a knock on the door. All three sisters froze and exchanged panicked looks.
"Get her upstairs now!" Winnie hissed as she quickly swung around to face her sister.
Mary hastily proceeded to gently lift Alice up and run as fast as she could to the stairs. The child stirred and opened her eyes.
"Mary?" She murmured.
"Shhhh" she replied quieting her as she began her ascent.
Another knock was heard just as Mary had safely gotten the girl out of the room. Winnie slowly moved to answer, taking a mental note that it did not sound as loud and forceful as the way Traske had knocked the week prior. Hesitantly, she opened the door, revealing a middle aged woman standing on the front steps.  
"Hello" she greeted softly when she saw Winnifred standing before her in the doorway.

"What dost thou want?" Winnie replied curtly.

"Please miss, I don't mean any trouble. I'm here about a child. A little thing with brown hair. Her name is Ali..."

"There be no child here." Winnie growled, cutting her off. She started to slam the door but it was caught by the woman.

"I-I know she's here. I saw her be whisked away in the woods by thy sister. Please. I be not here for the reverend, only for myself."

"I am afraid thou art mistaken my dear. There. Be. No. Child. Here." Winnie answered again, anger and irritation clear in her voice.

"I was her caretaker. She was foundling, left in the churchyard as a baby. Myself and few other women in the village look after such children."
Winnie glared at her and examined her top to bottom. There was a look of true sincerity in her eyes.
"I just want to know she is safe. I never wished for anything like this to befall her. But it did, and I saw the the whole thing unfold. That poor girl. She is too young to ever endure something such as that."

"What happened?" Sarah quietly asked, slowly creeping into view from the doorway.
Winnie glared back at her sister.

"She was in front of the house." The woman began, prompting Winnie to look back at her.

"Her and a few other children I care for were completing their chores. I was working by the window when I saw some of the other village children come by. They began to tease Alice and harass her. I had just turned to go out there and shoo them off, when I heard screams. When I looked back, one of the boys was collapsed on the ground. I didn't see what happened but according to the other children she pushed him and the boy instantly fell unconscious."
Both Winnifred and Sarah watched and listened to this woman intently, taking in her story.

"No one knew how this could have happened. Not even Alice seemed to understand what she had done. The onlooking town's people began screaming for the reverend and when he finally came he deemed poor Alice a child of Satan. She hadn't meant what she had done, she was just simply trying to get this boy to leave her alone. It was just a horrible accident".
The woman put a hand to her mouth and shoved back a sob.
Winnifred looked at the ground and thought hard. She knew first hand of  "accidents" such as that. Often before a young witch knows of her power, terrible things tend to happen around her with no viable explanation. Winnifred had been lucky enough for these said accidents to never occur in front of the entire town when her and her sisters were young . They always seemed to happen inside their home or when the three were out playing in the woods. They had not been cast out for their ties to the devil but because Winnifred simply refused to comply with the wishes of the church.
It wasn't until after the fact that they discovered their powers in witchcraft.
"I begged and pleaded with the revered and magistrates. She is but a child. She knew not what she had done. They unfortunately would not listen to a woman such as me."
The woman took another shaky breath.

"They beat her in front of the town and the left her in the woods to die. They said it twas God's will, but I do not believe that. I say it twas man's will. They had no use for an orphan like her in Salem so they rid the town of her, making her an example. I fear Traske is not the man of God he claims to be".
   Winnifred stifled a laugh and looked back at Sarah who shared her look of amusement. Winnie turned to face the woman again and sighed. She decided that perhaps she was who she claimed to be. She didn't think any Puritan woman would speak so illy of the reverend if she didn't mean it.

"The child is safe". Winnie said finally.
"We plan to keep her here. We understand her kind and can prevent the church from getting their hands on her."

The woman breathed a sigh of relief before furrowing her brow.
"Her kind?" She asked.

"Never mind that." Winnie dismissed realizing she'd said too much.

"We shall keep her safe here. Do not worry. May you have a peaceful journey home."
Just as she began to once again shut the door, little footsteps could be heard running from the second floor and down the stairs, followed by heavier ones. Moments later Alice came bounding into the room with Mary close behind, fussing at her to come back. When Alice saw the woman in the doorway, she stopped and stared in disbelief. Mary stood at the bottom of the stairs, her hands frozen out in front of her where they had tried to reach out to try and prevent Alice from running into the downstairs room. She looked at Winnie in a panic and then at the woman in front of her. Sarah stepped up behind the girl and wrapped her arms around her protectively, just in case this wasn't an innocent visit that it seemed to be.
"Alice!" The woman cried, tears of joy lining her eyes.

"Mother Anne?" Alice questioned softly.
Winnie looked back at her again. She hadn't realized it before but this woman was Anne Good. The sisters had known her when they were all children growing up in Salem village.
Anne fell to her knees and opened her arms for the child.
"Come to me little one"
Alice broke away from Sarah and quickly ran into the woman's arms. Anne held her and rocked her side to side.

"My girl" she whispered "oh my girl".
Alice cried into her neck as she clung to her former caretaker, the only mother she had ever known.
Winnie looked back somberly at her sisters who
were staring at the scene in front of them. After almost a minute, Anne let go of Alice and held both of her her hands in her own.
"Thou shall stay here child. Where the town cannot get to you."
Alice continued crying as she nodded.
"I shalt not ever forget thee my darling. Listen to these sisters and stay out of trouble. Perhaps one day we shall see each other again."
She kissed Alice's forehead before standing back up.

"I thank thee Winnifred". She said quietly before looking beyond her to Mary and Sarah who were now standing together behind Winnifred.
"And your sisters."
Winnifred gave a nod, placing a hand on Alice's shoulder.
With that, the woman made her way back down the steps and disappeared into the dark woods.