Evelyn wore black as usual even though Lydia refused, her normal golden hair no longer laying flat on her shoulders but instead now in a neat bun due to her aunt's constant pestering, today she was attending church and Evelyn disliked the idea; either way, it was unavoidable because Lydia has been so excited from the start to show off her nieces, fair Evelyn and little Dorothy to her church, including to Minister Acros or Judge Stewart.
"Auntie, is my God in London the same as Salem's?" Dorothy asked while she stood upon a stool in her upper garments as Lydia sewn the rest of her lower garments under a silky blue layer that was now a long skirt until the rest of her new dress would be finished.
Careful not to make a mistake, Lydia pulled her gold thread through the soft fabric, "Yes, dear." She said with no eye contact at all, "Our God is the only God there is out there, all around the world, that is what makes him so special."
"That's not true." Evelyn said, rising from a stool she was previously sitting from, "I've read about Orpheus and Eurydice in the ancient times of Greece, they were lovers, but Eurydice went to the underworld to meet the king of the underworld. So, Orpheus went into the underworld to rescue his wife from the king, who turned out to be a God named Hades."
Lydia looked at Evelyn while she still sewed, eventually she was sewing in unraveled circles that made the waist part of the long skirt become puffy, "Look what your nonsense made me do, Evelyn!" The youthful lady snatched a pair of scissors with a huff then she cut off the dead thread angrily, "No matter now...Dorothy, your new dress will just have to wait awhile. Until then, you're just going to have to wear Evelyn's spare church dress; that is if she has one that isn't such a murky black color."
Dorothy sighed for having wasted all that time, she stormed off with a glare at her sister before leaving away into their bedroom to look for a spare dress.
As if nothing happened, Lydia started to wind up the string back on its role to eventually rest it back in her sewing basket along with the other tools she used for the skirt part of Dorothy's unfinished dress.
Evelyn watched her put the basket behind the old rocking chair in its usual resting place when her aunt wasn't using it.
To Evelyn's surprise, she found that her aunt was very good at the sewing she did, but she could tell it was only her hobby because Lydia's occupation was to be a manners educator for children, which was expected from the first introduction Evelyn had with her since coming to Salem.
"Well, Evelyn, you may resent this but now is the time for us to head off to church." Lydia advised with her white velvet gloves pushing back a stray hair strand behind her ear, she also straightened her dress instead of it being crooked like it was, "Dorothy dear, after you change into any dress you can find, please give me that skirt so I can fix it after our holy day."
"All right, auntie!" Dorothy called back to her from the other room, "I'm almost done anyway, I'm just tying a bow around my waist as I did back in London."
Evelyn folded her arms, "I'm not going to church or school, and you can't make me."
Lydia picked up the stools the girls were on before so she could put them back in the closet where they belonged, "Well too bad, you're going to church with us and that is final."
"My people, my friends, my neighbors," Minister Acros said aloud to the standing crowd of people in the risers in front of him, his arms were stretched out wide that it showed creases where his belly was hanging from, "My family." He finished his line with a smile then resting his arms down to his sides, "Everyone may now sit except for our newcomers, Evelyn and Dorothy Jane, that have come from London to live with our own Lydia Jane who has told me personally is their aunt."
Everyone else of Salem sat down to look at the newcomers, they thought of their own gossip about the two girls and contemplated whether or not it'd be wise to have their children interact with them in the future.
Now that she was in the eyes of everyone, Evelyn was growing concerned and so she felt frightened about what anyone would think of her, she just wanted it over..
"Now that that's settled, you both may sit down." Minister Acros advised them with his hands motioning downwards, making the two sit, "Well, I suppose we can get back to business-"
The entrance doors opened then slammed which made heads turn towards that way including the Jane's heads, the late persons that entered was no other than Judge Stewart, "I hope that I'm not too late, everyone..what was said that I missed?"
Acros's jaw was dropping to see the out of place man in his church, but he knew why he was here, "Our judge is here today to lead us to a very different message on this fine Sunday morning. The floor is yours, so everyone is respectful to the almighty judge even without his jury or stand, and after his speech then usual practices will continue as per usual."
Evelyn's eyes followed the judge walk through the aisles as if it were nothing, she kept staring at his hair to see the fire in it and for some reason, the ginger hair reminded her of the sun, "Lydia, who is that odd man?"
Instead of answering, Lydia silenced her by flashing her a look and resting her index finger on both of their lips so they could listen to what the judge had to say.
Eventually, will all eyes on him, the judge was standing beside minister Acros with his held high, "Salem, I have some bad news that our own humble town is now cursed."
It didn't take much to frighten Salem, the town began to spiral out of control; ladies gasped, men protested, and children cried because they were taught to by their parents about the evil curses that witches were capable of.
"Was it a witch?" A man asked.
"It was mistress Wilmot, that whore!" Mrs. Bailey lashed out to the man, her eyes burning down at her husband beside her, "The adultress still hangs at gallows hill with her legs dangling above the ground; she's the reason why my husband was bewitched, she caused our marriage to fall apart and that's why the shameless witch hangs at the end of her rope alone at that hill, so her flesh can be picked clean off her brittle bones by the ravens!-she cursed us, all of this is her fault, we should have hung her sooner!"
"Quite right." The judge chuckled low with a smile, this was exactly what he wanted to hear, "Starting this day forth, as long as this curse exists no one is able to escape from trial..or possible tribulations, but the governor believes my decision needs to be in constant motion for our town to be peaceful again. So, sacrifices will have to be made in order for our town to reconcile once more."
"Agreed!" Mrs. Bailey praised before being pulled down by no other than Mr. Bailey.
Soon, the church began to riot between the sides that did or didn't approve of the trails that were being made around the town; so far, they were at their third trial, they were in too deep now.
Also, since Governor Sparrow was approving along with the judge there was no way to peacefully do anything different..all they could do was continue until their God was forgiving to them because of their villainous town.
"Thank you, judge Stewart, for your wise words that'll surely keep everyone thinking at night.." The minister numbly said because his nerves were sticking out blue in his neck and so he felt anxious in the very least, "Well, let us retire these bad tidings so we can embark as close as we can back on the righteous path of God, our Lord, and savior."
"Amen!" Joan Bailey was the first to cheer after again having her way.
"Auntie, where is gallows hill?" Dorothy asked while she walked the cobblestone fences with her arms wide like a soaring bird for balance.
Lydia was hesitant at first, but she sighed knowing that they had to know eventually,
"Well..it's outside of town, far across the woods is where the hill sits," She went on, grabbing Dorothy off the fence to embrace her closely, "Upon that hill is an old ash tree, it hangs over like a shadow and so that is why it's used because it's the raven's feeding grounds, also due to the fact that where the tree stands no one can see it unless they venture off into the woods themselves."
Evelyn's stomach began to turn in disgust; how could hanging other people be all right?
And then she remembered the judge when he walked into the church, how she felt unsettled just by seeing him...
Now, her family was leaving from the church, but they decided to take a walk so their heads could become clear for this long and upsetting talk, "Why are people getting hung?" She asked her own question as well over this dark matter, joining in so she could hear both sides.
Lydia looked back at Evelyn, "The judge understands the failures of this plan, to cleanse all evil off from Salem's honorable puritan name," She continued with her own doubt, "Mistress Wilmot still hangs at gallows hill because her body was claimed by the Ravens and her soul was claimed by the shadower man. Though, if we buried her then our crops won't grow, so she must hang in all of her crimes, to be between the three realms of the afterlife; perhaps it's wrong, but it must be this way. Yet, in some ways, we are helping the wicked rest, so then no evil can be spread. So, child, will you let the witch hang for her crimes? or shall you attempt the dark arts as well."
Evelyn stayed quiet, she had to find that tree if she was going to find a way to stop this, or at least bury Mistress Wilmot herself.