Dear neighbor,
My cousin is very strange. She wears dark clothing, reads odd
books, and stays up late writing in a leather bound notebook. Is she a witch?!
~
Sincerely Suspicious
Dear Suspicious,
As Reverend Hale once said “the marks of the devil” are precise.
Sometimes, too precise for mortal man to see. There are many non-magic
explanations for your cousin’s oddities. She may be in mourning, prefer dark
dresses to bright ones, may be simply curious about things you consider
eccentric, writing prayers, etc. I cannot answer your question as I have little
knowledge of witchcraft and it’s markings myself. If you are truly worried
about this, then you should ask her about her activities, and if you are still
not at ease, a priest or someone with intensive knowledge on the subject.
~
Neighbor
____________________
Dear Neighbor,
There's something inherently wrong with that Williams girl,
Abigail. Rumored about for seven months, found performing dangerous witchcraft
in the forest (magic potent enough to leave two girls severely ill), now she
parades around town like some kind of saint! Why are we to hang Rebecca Nurse
and Martha Corey, blameless women of piety accused by the jealous and angry?
~
Confused and Angered
Dear Angry,
Abigail unlike the others that you mentioned has redeemed
herself. She has brought to light all those who have sinned, with each new
confession, she is repented. Another point to be taken into account is that it
has already been mentioned already that she may not have been responsible for
her actions as a witch. Elizabeth has been found with a doll filled with
needles, Tituba charged with influencing her to drink blood, and laugh in
church. She may have been possessed in the forest that night. As for Rebecca
Nurse and Martha Corey, to quote Reverend Hale “Remember that until an hour
before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in heaven.”
~
Neighbor
_____________________
Dear Neighbor,
I live in Salem on the border next to Andover. I have heard word
of their rebellion, and am currently witnessing the destruction in our town,
and I fear that it is only going to get worse. This town is no longer the same,
sidelong glances are thrown around like blades and are just as dangerous, and
everyone seems to be hiding something. Good honest people I have known my whole
life have declared themselves witches! Servants of Lucifer! My widowed neighbor
is one of the many, and now I house her children in addition to my own. Should
I leave Salem?
~
My Entire Life is Lie
Dear Lie,
Salem is in the midst of a descent, it has been falling into
since it’s beginning perhaps. The witch hunt is just it’s climax, where it will
go from here is unknown. It will either fall into an anarchy akin to that of
Andover given that some of the deaths are that of citizens considered virtuous,
or it will fall apart because of the lack of living, working citizens.
Honestly, whether you should leave Salem has much to do with whether or not you
have a plan for what you will do once you leave. Where else will you live? Will
you have support in that area? How easy is it to find good work there? How
devout are the Christians who live there? Are they Puritan? If the answers to
these questions are positive, then leaving would not be a bad idea. From this
point onwards, Salem is only going to get worse. The town we knew before, will
be a distant reality.
~ Neighbor
________________________
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