A Salem Awakening

Chapter 11

Tobias kept his eyes on the water, looking for the telltale signs of death by drowning. At first, he saw no air bubbles arrive at the surface. This was normal, as the accused held their breath for as long as they could. After about two minutes, there was a deluge of rising air, causing a smattering of bubbles which were seen only from directly above because of the waves crashing against the shore. This was the sign the accused gave up, and the air was escaping their body. "Sooner than I expected," he thought to himself. "But then again, she was young and petite. Not much room to hold a lot of air." He witnessed some adults undergoing the test hold their breath for three, almost four, minutes. That was more impressive. Two minutes was well below the average.

He did not announce the deluge to the assembled crowd, so nobody else knew how long Millie lasted. Instead, he stood watching the water, holding his pocket watch in his right hand. He would need to wait another eighteen minutes so the full twenty minutes could elapse and he could deem the test complete. At that point, his men could retrieve the body. "These next eighteen minutes will be torture," he thought, already bored and not sure how to pass the remaining time while continuing to appear interested.

One could feel the ebb and flow of the crowd's mood. When Millie first went into the water, there was palpable anxiety as people waited to see if she would emerge and show herself to be a witch. After three minutes under water, the anxiety gave way to the realization that perhaps she was innocent after all. There was still anxiety buzzing in the air, but it was slipping away by the second. By six minutes in, everyone knew Millie would not emerge alive. Most in the crowd hanged their heads, ashamed for having any part in the death of another innocent. But nobody moved. Out of respect for Millie and her family, every person waited the full twenty minutes in shameful quiet, with only Mrs. Porter's anguished cries and the sound of the waves breaking through the tense silence.

When his pocket watch showed it was exactly twenty minutes, Tobias turned to the crowd. "We now conclude the test." He looked at his two men, who left their rocky posts during the test, and walked to the shoreline near the spot where the rest of the crowd gathered. Tobias motioned for them to go into the water to retrieve the body. Both men already removed their boots, stockings, and shirts. Only their trousers remained in order to keep most of their clothing dry. Each man grabbed a knife Tobias brought for this task, held it in their teeth, and entered the cold water. At first they were hesitant, with their arms in the air like a couple of orangutans walking across a plain. When the water was up to their chests, they dove in and swam to the location Millie entered the water, directly under the rocky outcrop. Each man grabbed the knife from their mouth, took a large gulp of air, and dove for Millie twenty feet below them.

When they arrived, her body was blue and in its attempt to float to the surface, seemed it was trying to lift its attached stones. They cut the ropes connecting each of the stones to her legs. The men didn't bother to remove the rest of the rope – they left it to join the stones and rope from previous tests, becoming a morose museum on the ocean floor. They simply needed to get her back to shore where they could remove the rest of her constraints. Her body was much lighter than twenty minutes earlier, and the men easily brought her back to the shore and lay her down on her back so everyone could see her face.

The crowd moved toward Millie slowly. Most wanted to see her, their morbid curiosity getting the better of them. But they all showed restraint and respect, allowing Millie's parents to get to her first and spend a few moments alone. Mrs. Porter knelt beside her daughter's lifeless body and laid her sobbing, but tearless, head on Millie's chest. Joseph Porter kissed Millie on her forehead and, with the palm of his hand, dragged her open eyes closed. He could see the horror of Millie's last few moments in her eyes, and he did not want Elizabeth to experience that. She already went through enough.

Tobias climbed down from the rocks and came to stand next to the body. Elizabeth Porter looked at him, her eyes as if he stabbed her in the heart several times. "You vile, wicked man. This is your fault."

Tobias slowly and calmly responded, "Mrs. Porter, I am truly sorry for your loss. But God has commanded us to rid our town of all followers of Satan. Your daughter was a valiant soldier in this pursuit and has exonerated herself and also your family. You should be very proud of her."

Elizabeth Porter stared back at Tobias as if her eyes alone could provide vengeance. Joseph stood and crossed his arms, careful not to let his hands touch each other. His body was facing away from Tobias but he stared at him out of the corner of his eyes with a gaze that said simply, 'I hate you'. Tobias paid no attention to either of them. He turned and walked away, heading back to his home. The proceedings made him late for supper.

As Tobias passed the back of the group, William Putnam rushed to him and placed his hand firmly on Tobias' shoulder. "What have you done?" he asked accusingly.

"My job, young man. I've done my job. And I suggest you do yours." And with that, Tobias and his two men walked out of view, leaving the crowd to comfort the Porter family and dispose of the body.