Reni
The Queen of all Birds
Thump-thump… Thump-thump… Thump-thump…
Mercy's Heartbeat was pounding so loudly that the shrieks and angry cries from her accusers seemed like they were coming from miles away. They were chanting something, something she couldn't hear no matter how hard she strained to. Tears stung her usually warm brown eyes, blurring her vision as she looked out on the crowd of angry townsfolk. Faces she had known all her life glared at her with vehement hatred. Her head swam as she searched the mob for sympathy, a hint of kindness, anything but the loathing that she was greeted with at every turn. But there was none to be found.
Words formed in her mouth but stuck there like sap to a tree. She had to make them understand. To see that it was not her fault. She had not meant to hurt those girls. Surely, they knew that? How could they believe she would hurt anyone, let alone her friends? She had to tell them she was innocent. But how could she when her mouth was cotton dry and she could not raise her voice over a whimper?
"Please!" Her voice came out as little more than a squeak. Swallowing hard, she tried again. "Please!" She tried again, managing to be a little louder this time, enough to get a man's attention to the side of the room, holding a quill above a sheet of parchment. He met her eye for the briefest moment before quickly looking away as if her gaze could burn him.
"Order. Order! I will have order in my court!" Declared a middle aged man seated high above the crowd. His deep voice, coupled with the banging of his gavel, cut through the chaotic uproar of the courtroom and the beating of Mercy's heart. After a few moments, the clamor quieted to mumbling whispers.
"Mercy Wilson, you have been brought here today under suspicion of committing the most heinous crime of witchcraft; how do you plead?"
"I-I…" Her voice was hardly audible over the mutterings of the crowd.
"Speak up!" The judge demanded.
"I-" she started again. Looking down, she saw her small hands clutching the railings of the defendant's box to keep herself steady. Her knuckles were white with the effort, and she was trembling. It felt as if the railing was the only thing keeping her standing. Drawing a shaky breath, she looked up at the judge. "Not guilty." Somehow the words left her mouth loud enough for everyone to hear.
"She lies! She speaks the devil's words!" A young woman shouted, raising a finger and pointing at Mercy. The young woman was soon joined in her accusation by a trio of her friends. They began to chant. "She lies! She lies! She lies!"
"I have seen her! She flys through my window at night and bids me to join her master. To sign his book! When I refused, she put the evil eye upon me!"
"The eye! The eye! The eye!" Shrieked the trio.
"What proof do you have of this, Anna Glover?" The judge asked.
Anna stepped forward, hiking up her skirts to her thigh, revealing skin peppered with red oozing welts. Gasps and cries of outrage emitted from the scandalized yet engrossed crowd as the young woman exposed herself. Some of the more modest women hid their faces while many of the men unabashedly stared at her thighs. "There! See, she sends her specter to torment me! She drives nails into my flesh!" Anna cried.
"No!" Mercy cried. But her words were drowned out by yells from the crowd. "She's a witch!" Some called. "Hang her!"
"Witch! Witch! Witch!" Chanted the trio. More joined in until the courtroom filled with the deafening chorus.
"No! It was not me! I didn't! I couldn't!" Mercy wept. Her breath was coming fast. Too fast. She felt hot, constricted like her clothes were tightening around her. She could hardly draw breath.
"Order! Order!" The judge shouted, once again banging his gavel. Slowly the crowd grew silent. The judge looked down his nose at Mercy. "Irrefutable evidence has been presented against you. Confess and give us names of others in our hellish coven, and all will be forgiven."
There was silence as everyone waited on bated breath to hear her response. "I-" she started glancing frantically around the room, searching for a way out. "I-"
The crowd grew restless, and once more, the trio began to chant. "Confess! Confess! Confess!" The rest soon joined in
The room seemed to close in around her. There were too many people and too little space. Too little air. She could not breathe!
The cries of "Confess!" echoed around and around the room. The ground beneath her feet seemed to move. Everything was spinning, and then… darkness.
Mercy's Heartbeat was pounding so loudly that the shrieks and angry cries from her accusers seemed like they were coming from miles away. They were chanting something, something she couldn't hear no matter how hard she strained to. Tears stung her usually warm brown eyes, blurring her vision as she looked out on the crowd of angry townsfolk. Faces she had known all her life glared at her with vehement hatred. Her head swam as she searched the mob for sympathy, a hint of kindness, anything but the loathing that she was greeted with at every turn. But there was none to be found.
Words formed in her mouth but stuck there like sap to a tree. She had to make them understand. To see that it was not her fault. She had not meant to hurt those girls. Surely, they knew that? How could they believe she would hurt anyone, let alone her friends? She had to tell them she was innocent. But how could she when her mouth was cotton dry and she could not raise her voice over a whimper?
"Please!" Her voice came out as little more than a squeak. Swallowing hard, she tried again. "Please!" She tried again, managing to be a little louder this time, enough to get a man's attention to the side of the room, holding a quill above a sheet of parchment. He met her eye for the briefest moment before quickly looking away as if her gaze could burn him.
"Order. Order! I will have order in my court!" Declared a middle aged man seated high above the crowd. His deep voice, coupled with the banging of his gavel, cut through the chaotic uproar of the courtroom and the beating of Mercy's heart. After a few moments, the clamor quieted to mumbling whispers.
"Mercy Wilson, you have been brought here today under suspicion of committing the most heinous crime of witchcraft; how do you plead?"
"I-I…" Her voice was hardly audible over the mutterings of the crowd.
"Speak up!" The judge demanded.
"I-" she started again. Looking down, she saw her small hands clutching the railings of the defendant's box to keep herself steady. Her knuckles were white with the effort, and she was trembling. It felt as if the railing was the only thing keeping her standing. Drawing a shaky breath, she looked up at the judge. "Not guilty." Somehow the words left her mouth loud enough for everyone to hear.
"She lies! She speaks the devil's words!" A young woman shouted, raising a finger and pointing at Mercy. The young woman was soon joined in her accusation by a trio of her friends. They began to chant. "She lies! She lies! She lies!"
"I have seen her! She flys through my window at night and bids me to join her master. To sign his book! When I refused, she put the evil eye upon me!"
"The eye! The eye! The eye!" Shrieked the trio.
"What proof do you have of this, Anna Glover?" The judge asked.
Anna stepped forward, hiking up her skirts to her thigh, revealing skin peppered with red oozing welts. Gasps and cries of outrage emitted from the scandalized yet engrossed crowd as the young woman exposed herself. Some of the more modest women hid their faces while many of the men unabashedly stared at her thighs. "There! See, she sends her specter to torment me! She drives nails into my flesh!" Anna cried.
"No!" Mercy cried. But her words were drowned out by yells from the crowd. "She's a witch!" Some called. "Hang her!"
"Witch! Witch! Witch!" Chanted the trio. More joined in until the courtroom filled with the deafening chorus.
"No! It was not me! I didn't! I couldn't!" Mercy wept. Her breath was coming fast. Too fast. She felt hot, constricted like her clothes were tightening around her. She could hardly draw breath.
"Order! Order!" The judge shouted, once again banging his gavel. Slowly the crowd grew silent. The judge looked down his nose at Mercy. "Irrefutable evidence has been presented against you. Confess and give us names of others in our hellish coven, and all will be forgiven."
There was silence as everyone waited on bated breath to hear her response. "I-" she started glancing frantically around the room, searching for a way out. "I-"
The crowd grew restless, and once more, the trio began to chant. "Confess! Confess! Confess!" The rest soon joined in
The room seemed to close in around her. There were too many people and too little space. Too little air. She could not breathe!
The cries of "Confess!" echoed around and around the room. The ground beneath her feet seemed to move. Everything was spinning, and then… darkness.
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