The Witch Hunters by Steve Lyons

Author:Steve Lyons [Lyons, Steve]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780563405795
Publisher: BBC Books
Published: 1998-02-28T23:00:00+00:00

From the parsonage, it takes but two minutes to reach the highest point of Salem Village. Past Ingersolls tavern lies the crossroads, whereon meetinghouse and watchtower stand at opposite corners, twin guardians of soul and bod~ From here, verdant fields slope all ways, freckled with the simple homes of local farmers. The wooden buildings become more widely spread, and smaller to the eye, with distance.

Only the languid trails from brick chimneys provide proof that they are more than the children's toys they appear to be. The morning sun is greeted by tranquillity, but has scant time to enjoy it.

As soon as light allows, the colonists swarm about their business. They spill from the houses, take to shovel and plough. They tend to their herds, gather milk and water and crops. Samuel Parris stands and watches their black shapes against nature's pastel shades, performing their duties with almost mechanical familiarity. The drudge of everyday life, accepted with the knowledge that God will bless their endeavours. As it should be.

But lonely servants desire more than spiritual succour. And so it is that, soon enough, routine is broken and the patterns of life become haphazard. Distant figures begin to converge; paths are crossed. They call on neighbours to ask for advice, barter for goods, any reason they can find. And, most importantly, they talk. Did you hear that Giles Corey seeks to recant his accusation of his wife? Did you see how Sarah Good swore at the court? What news of the poor children?

Speculation and rumour are rife, pumped around the village like blood around arteries. But the heart has been displaced. At the crossroads, Parris stands and prays for a community fragmented, directionless, at war with itself. The flow of information oft-times passes him by now. His services are better attended than ever, but polluted by whispered suspicions. His sermons have become more strident, his hectoring more forceful. But Sarah Cloyse still stormed out of the meetinghouse when he preached against her sister, Rebecca Nurse. And they stifi talk of the rising of the Devil in his own home. Goodwife Cloyse is in the witches' jail now, of course. But, as to the other, is that not precisely Satan's plan? The village cannot be saved if its people will not trust in their minister's guidance.

Samuel Parris works harder than any of them, in these dying days. He seeks out information that will not come to him unbidden, makes difficult decisions - with the help and blessing of God, of course - and uses what considerable influence he still has to guide events along their best course. Today, his mind is occupied by the Chestertons. He cannot forget how the outbreak of strife coincided so closely with their first visit to the colony. And now they have returned, to spread their heresies anew.

Parris needs time to consider how best to act. Susan, he has long suspected, is under the malign influence of higher forces. The responsibility for her actions lies with her parents.

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