The VVitch: A New-England Folktale Page #2

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I be the Witch of the Wood

and I have come to steal ye.

Hear me stick

a-flying through the trees:

Clickety-clackity,

clickety-clackity!

- Mercy!

- Clickety-clackity.

Why is't when thou dost a wrong,

I be a-washin Father's clothes

like a slave,

- and thou art playing idle?

- Because Mother hates you.

Spoilt child. I'll tell Mother

you've left the farm alone.

Black Phillip saith

I can do what I like.

Devil take your Black Phillip.

It's your fault I can't leave the yard.

I could go to the brook

before you let The Witch take Sam.

- Quiet, thee.

- It were a wolf stole Sam.

A witch. I've seen her in her

riding cloak, about the wood.

- Father showed me the tracks.

- It was a witch.

Aye, it was a witch,

Mercy, you speak aright.

- Thomasin!

- It was I.

Liar.

Twas I what stole him,

I be the witch of the wood.

- Liar! Liar!

- I am.

List not to her, Mercy.

I am that very witch.

When I sleep, my spirit slips

away from my body

and dances naked with The Devil.

- That's how I signed his book.

- No.

He bade me bring him an

unbaptized babe,

so I stole Sam

and I gave him to me master.

And I'll make any man

or thing else vanish I like.

- No.

- Aye.

And I'll vanish thee, too,

if thou displeaseth me.

- Be quiet!

- Mercy, she's but telling fantasies.

Perchance I boil and bake thee

since we're lack of food.

- No!

- Stop, Thomasin!

- I'ts not true!

- It is, thou thing!

How I crave to sink my teeth

into thy pink flesh.

[screaming]

If ever thou tellst thy Mother of this,

I'll witch thee and thy Mother!

And Jonas too!

- Caleb!

- Stop thy tears and swear by silence.

- I swear it.

- You'll not tell Mother nor father.

- I swear.

- Thomasin! Let her alone.

Get away from her, Caleb,

or she'll witch thee!

Why tell Mercy

those horrible fantasies?

- Dost thou hate me now too?

- It was a wolf stole Sam.

Leave me be. Go tell Mother

and father of my wickedness.

- Thomasin...

- I hate thy pity. I need it not.

And forgive us the sins we have

this day committed against thee,

free us from the shame and torment

which are due unto us, Father.

We beseech thee, increase our faith

in the promise of the Gospel,

our fear of thy name

and the hatred of all our sins,

that we may be assured that

the Holy Spirit dwells in us.

That we might be thy children

in thy love and mercy,

but as we hunger

for this food of our bodies

so our souls hunger

for the food of eternal life.

Finish soon our days of sin,

and bring us to eternal peace

through the purifying

blood of Thy Son,

our Lord and only Savior

Jesus Christ.

- Amen.

- [All] Amen.

Thomasin, what's thou done

with the silver cup?

[Thomasin]

Is't not on the shelf?

Nay.

In the six board, then.

T'ain't there neither.

It's been disappeared

for some while.

Didst lose it?

I've not touched it.

Where has it gone then?

[Thomasin]

I haven't touched it.

[Katherine] I've caught thee

trifling with it before.

She says she haven't touched it,

Katherine.

How thou couldst lose my father's

silver wine cup in this hovel,

- I cannot know.

- I haven't touched it.

Peace, child. It's gone.

Did a wolf vanish that too?

She haven't touched it, Katherine.

What is amiss

on this farm? Hmm?

It is not natural.

Caleb, will thou read out

a chapter of the Word tonight?

We must find some light

in our darkness.

Tomorrow we will have a fast day

but for our sins.

[sheep bleating]

Thomasin, dist not bed them down

before supper?

Baah, baah.

[laughing]

[door creaking]

[sheep bleating]

[rustling]

Oh, Holy and blessed Spirit,

be with me and dwell in me heart.

You must sleep tonight, Kate.

This night and evermore, amen.

Thou dost remember I love thee?

[sniffing]

I do.

List me, Kate,

I fear thou dost look

too much upon this affliction.

We must turn our thoughts

towards God, not to ourselves.

He hath never taken a child from us.

Never a one, Kate.

Who might earn such grace?

We have been

grateful of God's love.

[Katherine]

He hath cursed this family.

No.

He hath taken us

into a very low condition to humble us

and to show us more of His grace.

Was not Christ lead into the wilderness

to be ill met by the Devil?

We should ne'er have left

the plantation.

Kate.

- We should never have left!

- That damned church.

- There's naught hither!

- Well, what need we? Silver chalices?

How dare you chide me on a cup?

Tis not for vanity

that I am grieved of it.

[sniffing]

Katherine, I must tell thee...

- We might have sold it.

- What?

What fool would trade for our corn?

[sniffing]

List me, our daughter hath begat

the sign of her womanhood.

Thomasin? Caleb?

Are you abed?

Mercy?

Jonas?

She's old enough.

She must leave to serve another family.

[William] Twas not her fault.

Kate, I must tell thee...

[Katherine] Aye, it was thine

for taking thy family hither.

[William]

This is Godly land.

[Katherine]

Godly?

Our children are being fostered up

like savages.

[William]

Kate!

[Katherine] How oft I begged and begged

thee to take Samuel for baptism?

[William] They'd not baptize

outside the congregation.

[Katherine]

Our Sam is in hell!

[William]

Go to.

[Katherine]

God save us, Caleb is well.

[William] We must keep him still.

And Thomasin.

[Katherine]

Our corn is trash!

[William]

We cannot back to that church.

[Katherine]

We will starve!

[William] Peace, peace.

You'll wake them, peace.

[Katherine crying throughout]

[William] I'll to the village

with the horse and Thomasin tomorrow.

The Tildens or the Whythings,

they can make use of her.

They're good folk.

Stop, Kate.

We will find food, I know it.

[Thomasin]

Caleb?

What are you doing?

Go to sleep.

What is this?

Tell me, now.

- Running away then?

- No.

- Lie not to me.

- I don't.

Then what?

Tell me!

If thou went back to sleep

and kept silent of this,

I promise thee,

you'll need not leave to serve

the Tildens nor any family else.

I'll be back by mid-day.

- Well, let me along with ya.

- No.

- Let me along.

- I cannot.

If you don't let me along with ya,

I'll wake Mother

and father this instant.

Well?

Aye, but we did!

- Nay.

- We did!

No.

We had glass windows in England.

We haven't been hither

so long you can forget that.

As you like, Thomasin?

You've gone mad.

Dost not remember Fowler

laying on the floor in the sun?

- You must!

- Nay.

And where the sun would shine,

would he warm himself.

Remember once he lay upon the table,

and father saw him and he saith,

"We will have him for meat!

Kate! Kate!

We will roast this beast."

You must remember that!

[Caleb] I remember that day,

but no glass.

Well... it was pretty.

[dog barking]

What is't, boy?

[Caleb] Burt, calm thee!

Fowler! Nay, Fowler!

Stand here with Burt.

- Caleb, no.

- I'll straight back.

He's gone mad!

[yelps]

- Thomasin!

- Caleb!

- Thomasin!

- Thomasin!

- Caleb!

- Caleb!

- Thomasin!

- Caleb!

[William] Thomasin!

- Thomasin!

- Caleb!

[heavy breathing]

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