Once I reached the well, I was approached by one of my friends from primary school, Antoinette Eldridge. She was a very bubbly and happy person, and was promised to a local shopkeeper. He was not bad looking, but as she was only sixteen and he was twenty five, he had to wait a year before marriage so her parents knew his intentions were pure.
"Hello Soline!" she said cheerily, "What a wonderful day! They will write about what had happened here in history books! A real witch, accused, tried and executed right here in small Salem!"
"Oh yes," I lied, "Wonderful indeed. May God have mercy on her soul."
"That beggar woman is surely going to hell. She signed her name in the devil's book. She sold her soul. Didn't you know? The devil makes all his servants sign their name in his book. It's a contract." She told me matter-of-factly.
"I did not know that," I said, and then remembering what was going on I started eyeing her suspiciously, "How do you know that?"
"It's the scuttle butt around town. Apparently Reverend Parris's girls told him that's what that witch was trying to get them to do." She told me.
"Ah, I see. Well thank the Lord they have the Pastor as a father. They are very lucky. I've heard that witches can kill people." I told her. I had about finished gathering my water.
"Oh yes they definitely can," Antoinette said, "I'm just so glad the witch is gone now."
"Me too," I replied, nodding my head. "I have to go and complete my chores. I'm going to be hanging the laundry later. If you would like to you can come and help," I told her, but I knew that she wouldn't. Her father was well off and she did not have to do any work besides keeping herself pretty.
"No, thank you," she said, "I am courting with Micah today, so I will not have time." So we said our farewells, and parted ways. I returned home and started washing the laundry in the basin with a washboard. As I started wringing the laundry and hanging it on the clothesline, Aunt Mabel knocked on our door, holding a basket of cookies.