Monday, February 4, 2013

Week 6: WoE Matyrs Challenge

Write at the Merge gives us a snippet of lyrics from FUN "Some Nights"

"I found a martyr in my bed tonight
She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am"
and a picture of the stained glass in the church in Domrémy-La-Pucelle titled "Joan of Arc presented to the Virgin Mary and the Infant Christ".

So martyrs this week. It's a heavy topic, no matter which likeness the word embodies. 

I'm returning to Deliverance Redd, recently accused of witchcraft. She is now before the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

I offer this week's response: The Devil's Tactic



Esther took the stand with the stature of a frightened doe. Shackled at attention, Deliverance was forced to listen while her cousin spoke her mind.

“And after your supper had been cleared?” Magistrate Stoddard questioned. Deliverance heard a quill scratching behind her, recording her damnation. She willed her heart still, aware of the hundreds of eyes locked onto her back in judgment. It would not serve her case to yield to her anger.

“My cousin rose like a woman possessed. It was only recently that her adultery was brought to light and I was concerned for her well-being. I felt compelled to follow her.” Esther twisted her handkerchief, as if it was a talisman.

“And where did she go?”

There were tears in Esther’s eyes. “She walked down to the shore.”

“And then?”

Deliverance caught a look. Her accuser blanched. No words sounded from her moving lips. The courtroom air thickened in the silence.

“Mrs. Lovejoy? I understand that it is difficult to image your cousin to be guilty of crimes so heinous, but you must speak for her soul, and for the soul of the unborn baby. What did you witness?”

Her voice echoed. “Deliverance called out to the fiends of Hell to sink her lover’s ship.”

Gasps of horror surged from the gathered crowd. The magistrate pounded his wooden gavel thrice, sending an unexpected shiver through Deliverance’s spine. She closed her eyes against the taste of rising bile at the back of her throat. Lord, God Almighty, grant me the strength of Christ before the cross and bring my cousin to heel before Your Throne.

“And was her lover on the Goodship September? We found the wreckage a few days after the storm.”

Esther frowned, “I do not know, Sir.”

The grim magistrate looked over the rim of his spectacles. “But you said she summoned the storm with a rod and sank her lover’s ship.”

Deliverance felt the climate in the courtroom shift. Doubt flashed in her cousin’s eyes. The magistrate repeated his statement and Esther shook her head, “Never did I say she summoned the storm. I do not know her lover’s name, nor do I know what ship she found him on. Melancholy consumed her so that I feared Satan would twist that, to use her somehow.” She paused to take a breath. “I feared for her immortal soul.”

Shock or anger colored the magistrate’s features. “Without your testimony, all evidence left is merely spectral.”

Discussion erupted among the jury as hope crept into Deliverance’s heart. Magistrate Stoddard applied the gavel again, silencing the courtroom. “What is the recommendation of the court?”

A juror stood. “Put the accused to the question, Magistrate.”

And with that, hope was gone.

16 comments:

  1. :( I read a YA book called The Witch of Blackbird Pond that seems very similar in content to this. It was a powerful book, and so is this piece! Your ending makes me shiver. And your writing is beautiful and clear!

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    1. Thanks! I remember reading the Witch of Blackbird Pond. I'm humbled that my work stands up to that novel.

      I hope you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  2. I love stories from that time period. Well done. And it looks like, so far, you and I have been the only two brave enough to tackle the prompt (of course I only chose to tackle half of it). I thought it was pretty hard this week. You did a good job.

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    1. Thanks! It's no secret that I'm a history nut, so it was a joy for me to return to Deliverance. And I agree with you: martyr is a difficult topic to tackle. But we can't grow as writers if we're not challenged, right?

      I'm happy you loved your visit. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  3. Yes! I mean...no! Oh, you know what I mean. I can hardly wait to read what the question was. What I found really interesting and frankly refreshing about this was the doubt that crept in because of the cousin, because too often I think in stories like these the witch dying is a given barring supernatural intervention. I liked that you gave me hope as a reader and then yanked it away forcing me to experience what she did!

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    1. Thanks! Unfortunately, "to be put to the question" meant to be tortured. The accused were questioned repeatedly while unspeakable acts of...well, you get the idea. I know what you mean about how stories mean the witch is dying. But for the amount of trials there were surprisingly few executions.

      I'm thrilled I captured the weight of the scene with a realistic perspective. I'm a bit under the weather so I'm surprised I can string together words to form sentences this week. :)

      I'm glad you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  4. Nice job leading us with Deliverance, the slight hope shown when her cousin refused to be swayed by hysteria, and then the crashing defeat of that particular brand of "questioning". Again, I bow to your ability to write period pieces. It's just stellar.
    ~Angela

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    1. Thanks! I wanted the hope to feel fragile and fleeting, but very possible, before the force of that phrase. Esther is a good, God-fearing widow, and not the sort to allow men of any stature to twist her words, regardless of her suspicions. She's the moral anchor to Deliverance's tempestuous emotions. So I'm glad I was able to keep that dance a delicate one.

      I hope you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  5. Wow, Shel. I grew up steeped in Salem and Blackbird Pond and Hawthorne, all touchstones for Deliverance and Esther and the Magistrate. You submerge us in the language and morals with ease, which is enviable. I love, too, that in the end, Esther is true to herself in her testimony.

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    1. Thanks! I'm envious of East Coast history. Y'all are there in the cradle of our nation. It's probably for the best that I'm out here on the west coast. I'd get nothing done for visiting landmarks. :)

      I hope you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  6. I remember reading one part of this story earlier, though I may have missed several between now and then. Now, as before, I really sympathize with Deliverance. I'm intrigued by her invoking Christ, which tells us a great deal about her character without *telling* us anything at all. Nice job.

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    1. Thanks! This is only the third time I've visit this character, so you haven't missed much, I promise. Deliverance has the type of unshakable faith in God that I hope I have. As her author, I'm going to have difficulty bringing her to "question" when that time comes...

      I hope you enjoyed your visit. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  7. I love this. I think, as others have already said, you've caputred the essence and feel for the era and events superbly well here! Great job!

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    1. Thanks! I'm happy I could craft the scene the way it looked in my mind.

      I'm thrilled you loved your visit. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  8. Replies
    1. Thanks! Yes, unfortunately.

      I hope you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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