Witches!

Part III, following The Magistrate�s Dilemma and The Midwife�s Trial

By

Donna M.

 

 

�May the Good Lord have mercy on our souls!� Samuel Miskoe muttered under his breath.

He�d espied a man upon the thoroughfare who was none other than the Reverend Jeremiah Grout.  If Grout were not a man of the cloth, Miskoe would despise him as no other, though as a Christian believer, the former magistrate and current solicitor naturally still held clergymen at a certain level of regard.   He pushed his horse to trot faster so the clergyman would not have the reciprocal chance of recognizing the man in the wagon.  Only terrible things could come from such recognition.

Why is the wretched man here? Miskoe thought.  With God�s mercy we should have seen the last of him, as we have the dust of our old village.

He drove the wagon to the stables, dismounted, and nearly ran to his cottage.  Emily saw the distraught look on his face and immediately asked, �Samuel, what is the matter?  Hath someone died?�

Out of breath, Miskoe wheezed, �Aye, though only in spirit up until this moment.  I just sighted his Holy Vileness, the Reverend Grout coming into town, no doubt to spit out the same fire and brimstone that hath claimed so many innocents.�

�Doest thou believeth that he knows where we are located?  Hath he a-come looking for us?�

�That appears to be the question at hand, my dear.  We shall need to maintain a lowly profile whilst he is in town.�

�Please, then, go to the others and warn them, especially Sarah.  Tell Hannah as well, for her audacious lips could easily give us up.�  True to his vigorous nature, Miskoe, once hearing of the Midwife�s lips, could only think of them performing duties other than speaking.  He hurried off before Emily could see the tell-tale stiffening going on in his breeches.

When he arrived at Sarah�s place, he found her feeding her child.  Baby Samuel was suckling greedily, and upon seeing the solicitor and former magistrate, Sarah lustily said, �Thou must wait thy turn.  Thy progeny dines first.�

Miskoe laughed heartily.  �T�is no finer dining establishment in town, so I shall await my turn, as thou sayeth.�  He watched with keen interest as the babe suckled on one of her beautifully proportioned, milk-swollen breasts.

�Of course, kind Sir, thou may dine elsewhere at an establishment farther south; an establishment that hath been neglected much of late and is so in need of a returning customer.�

Miskoe didn�t hesitate.  He lifted her skirts and placed his lips at her sex.  He pulled back, �Aye, yet any such dining establishment should be kept cleaner than this one, I�d say, or no customer no matter how loyal would think to return.�

�Oh, stop that!  So, the travails of motherhood have deprived me of such luxuries as bathing, perhaps.  If only to return to brighter days when a devilish Magistrate took me to a gentle stream, allowing me to freshen before he had his way with me.�

�I need no reminders of days such as those,� Miskoe said, his manhood slowly returning to a dormant state.  �My memory hath been set to boil since I espied Reverend Grout on the thoroughfare leading into town.�

�That evil man is here in our town?�

�Aye, he is here. The nature of his coming may only be guessed at, but it certainly cannot lead to the �Light� he so often preaches, for we knoweth he only brings darkness.�

�And death,� Sarah added, though she need not remind Samuel of that tragic history.  �That is the reason for thy visit, Sir, to warn me to �lay low� as the hunter would say?�

�Thus is my warning to thee.  Though I do not believe for an instant that thou can �lay low� except when thy legs are spread and thusly being entertained.�

Sarah scoffed.  �If thy nose was not so delicate, thou couldst entertain me now in such a fashion.�

�Perhaps if young Samuel could be persuaded to sleep now that he hath suckled at such a fine place, I may be persuaded to aid the lady in relieving her itch, which I see hath not abated one bit since giving birth.�

�Indeed!  I imagine no abatement may ever take place until I am in my grave, and even after that��

They both laughed as she lay the babe down in his cradle, and then they both threw off their clothing.  Though Miskoe had his dear Emily, and she was quite lusty with her favors in bed, he would never tire of the amazing energy that Sarah brought to the act.  Even though motherhood had stretched her channel walls somewhat, she was still nearly as tight as a maiden, and Miskoe relished the feel of her as he slid in and out.  One thing Sarah never lacked was the desire�and the moisture produced along with it.  Another area where she was not lacking was in her vocalization.  Miskoe always marveled at how dementedly loud she could be when achieving her climax.

Her whooping cries scared the child, so close to sleep, that he began to wail.  His infant wailing sounded quite similar to his mother�s orgasmic wails, so much so that Miskoe would have laughed if he wasn�t climaxing along with her.

As they cleaned the sex from themselves and re-dressed, Sarah said to him, �If the unholy Reverend is amongst us then as thou sayeth, thou must warn the others.  Wilst thou need time to renew thy seed before �warning� the rest, dear Sir?� she said with a chuckle after coaxing baby Samuel back to sleep.

�Thou art the only wench I could satisfactorily warn in such a manner,� Miskoe said.

�Do not sell thyself short in that regard, my lover, for thou art anything but short.�

With a hearty laugh and a kiss on the cheek, he was off.  He walked briskly toward the town square, wishing to see the midwife, Hannah Moses who lived nearby.  When he got to the square, he found Reverend Grout had set up a makeshift pulpit and was belching Hell�s fire to the few who would stop to listen.

�Ye must heed the Word as I have.  The Good Lord spoke to me in His own manner, and He hath delivered me a task, a mission to warn ye all of the Devil�s work.  Witches, spawns of Satan himself, art among ye, and I challenge ye to flush them out and destroy them.  God will bless and protect all of thee.�

Miskoe had so painfully heard it all before.  He remained at the fringe of the group as he passed by, not wanting to be recognized by Grout.  His heart was heavy, thinking all the while of poor innocent Abigail Whitehead hanging from a tree, her last look a forgiving smile that none of the wicked perpetrators of the evil act deserved.  He thought of the others, such as Anne Sawyer who also didn�t deserve their fate.  He thought of the ladies he may have saved by herding them from the damned Village: his beloved Emily and Sarah Godwin.  Alas, they were still in peril, and so were many more of the town�s women now that Jeremiah Grout was about.

Samuel arrived at Hannah�s in time to catch her as she was leaving for the market.  �Please do not go at this hour, Miss,� he said to her.  �The unholy Reverend thou hast heard me speak of is now amongst us, and so soon after the unfortunate accusations against thee, thou must keep a safe distance from him.�

The young midwife laughed heartily, which took Miskoe aback along with her reply.  �Thou hast rolled with Sarah before coming here!  Thou stink of sex!  Do not go home to Emily in this condition or the cow pen may be thy sleeping place this night.�   She turned and invited him into her cottage where she washed him and put aromatic oils on him to hide the odors.  �Thou art an incorrigible beast, dear Samuel,� she said as he grew large in front of her.

�Aye, that I am, yet my fleshy sword doest often have its own mind when faced with a fiery lass such as thyself.�

�I oft wonder if thy �fleshy sword� would become unsheathed at the sight of any barnyard female.  Do not believe for one moment that thy �fleshy sword� shall pierce me on this day or at any time soon,� she said with a smile.

�A man may possess hope,� Miskoe said with an exaggerated sigh.  

While still in distress, he dressed as best he could, willing his manhood to wither.  Unfortunately, the more the magistrate-turned-solicitor tried not to think of anything sexual, the more his mind seized upon a salacious memory that kept him from withering, especially with the midwife in his presence, and the bawdy memories she elicited.

�Aye, it is obviously displayed,� she said, as if reading his mind.  �If I were thee, I would slouch around until such time when thy �sword� would slacken, though thy proclivity in such matters be well known to most of the townswomen.

After a bit more bantering between them, Miskoe was off.  She had come across to him as a virago upon their first meeting, yet his fondness for the midwife had grown considerably since he had defended her against the witchcraft charges.  Miskoe knew deep in his heart that his fondness for all these women in his life, such as Sarah and Hannah, could not be left unbridled, for his heart was pledged to Emily, and he did not wish to hurt her in any way. 

Yet he could not refrain from the act with any of them.  He muttered to himself as he walked, �Their spell hath indeed been cast.  Perhaps they are all witches after all, and I am but an old, bewitched fool.�  The Solicitor knew what he said was in jest, but he could not let anyone hear him in fear they take him seriously.  He sighed, �Alas, the times in which we live are strange indeed.�

Miskoe spoke with the Chief Constable about the presence of Reverend Grout.  �I have troubling experience with that man, hurling his accusations of witchcraft at whoever displeases him,� said Miskoe.  �I do not wish to malign a man of the cloth, Sir, but his pronouncements rarely correspond with learnings from the Good Book.�

Chief Constable Nicolas Ralphs was not a churchgoing man, but it showed he was still reluctant to speak ill of the visiting Reverend.  �Aye, Solicitor Miskoe, thou hast spoken truths.  The Reverend, if he were not a man of God, would most assuredly be tossed out of town by now for disturbing the peace�my peace,� he said with a half-smile.

�Thy peace, I dare say, is not nearly at risk as the necks of town women once Grout spews his Holy venom.  He will have once sober townsfolk seeing witches everywhere.  Be reminded of the abominable trial of the Midwife lass.  If a supposed learned man such as Doctor Poole can stir rabble into seeing a witch where none exists, then what terrible harm a Bible toting man of the cloth can do.�

�Aye, as thou hast witnessed in thy old village from whence the Reverend came.�

Miskoe need not be reminded of the waste, the image of beautiful young Abigail�s final involuntary kick as she dangled from the rope, an image burned forever in his memory, as indelibly as the memory of the buxom, naked Abigail in his office chamber as she and the young Margaret acted out their forbidden love.  He vowed never to see the sight of an innocent hanging again.  �Over my dead body,� he muttered under his breath.

Chief Constable Ralphs said, �Pardon me, Solicitor Miskoe, what didst thou say?�

�Oh, nothing of consequence Sir, only the prayers of a troubled man.�

�I shall keep an eye on the Reverend, rest assured.  No witches shall be manufactured here.�

Do not be so sure of thy power, Nicolas, Miskoe thought.  Samuel knew the power of evil persuasion and the ways mankind could so easily relegate happenstance to either God�s or Satan�s doing.  He had to remain steadfast and diligent.

He told Emily all (save his dalliance with Sarah) as they lay in bed that night.  �My pride sayeth I cannot hide like a criminal from the damned Reverend, yet gaining his attention may agitate his wrath and place my dearest friends, and thee, my love, in jeopardy.�  Emily soothed her man�s fears the only way she knew how.  Samuel slept with a smile on his face.  However, she did not.  Her fear made sleep an elusive aspiration.

When Miskoe arrived at his office the following morning, he was met by an overly excited William Greenwood, his frequent drinking partner at the public house.  �Samuel!  Samuel!  Hast thou heard?  Michael Poole hath bent the ear of the visiting Reverend.  He and his damned witches!�

�Such an occurrence is unfortunate,� Miskoe replied. �Yet what of it precipitated thy agitation this fine morning?�

Breathlessly, William said, �The Reverend speaks that thou art known to him, and thou �conduct the Devil�s work��aye, he said it thusly�I overheard him.�

I thank thee, William, for warning me of this potential misadventure.  Allow me to warn thee in return that this Reverend is a vile man who speaks the Good Lord�s name, yet not His teachings to love one another.  There is no capacity for love in his heart.  I can attest to that fact.�  Once more Samuel thought of the poor girl, Abigail Whitehead, and the others who were hanged.  William walked away, leaving Miskoe to his thoughts, and worries.

One of his worries was that Reverend Grout may make a witchcraft accusation solely in an attempt to draw him into a confrontation, since as a Solicitor, and the man who successfully defended Hannah Moses, it would be quite logical to assume the accused woman would seek him out.  And who best to accuse but Richard Fish�s wife, Ruth, he thought.  Through no fault of her own, Ruth Fish had ended up shaming her impotent husband by going to see Hannah Moses for medicinal help in the first place.  Miskoe also worried that with the Reverend�s ear, Doctor Poole would make another attempt to discredit the Midwife�s abilities.  Needless to say, the Solicitor�s day was not an untroubled one as he went about his business.  His next business came to him later that day.

�Good afternoon, Sir.  May I speak with thee for a moment, please,� said a lilting voice behind Miskoe as he was exiting his office.

The young lady, surely a maiden of a tender age, stood before him as he turned. She appeared of humble social standing, perhaps a peasant as that was the impression of her simple, threadbare clothing.  However, nothing about her face or her ample bosom looked simple to the Solicitor.

�What may I do for thee, Miss,� he said, trying vainly to maintain eye contact and not allow his visual attention to descend to her chest where he wished he could study further.

�I am Mercy Prentiss.  My sister Martha hath been accused a witch.  Thou hast successfully defended the Midwife from such charges; therefore I beseech thee to defend my sister�s good honor with equal enterprise.

�Please come in, Miss Prentiss,� Miskoe said to her while bowing slightly and holding open his office door.  He did not miss her earthy sent of womanly musk as she passed.  The scent was as pleasantly arousing as the promise of her excellent bosom.  He knew increased concentration was required to keep the beast in his breeches from roaring to life; aye, as it was stirring already.

The young lass explained to the Solicitor the events which led to the accusations. �That farmer hath no skills in animal husbandry.  It is a wonder to all how his livestock remains healthy and alive as long as they do,� she said.  It seemed the proprietor of the farm adjacent to her sister�s property was blaming Martha for the death of his animals.

�And who may this farmer be who chooses to blame spells for his poor talents?�

�Richard Fish, Sir,� she answered.

�Ah, and that is why thou hath approached me for help in thy sister�s defense.  Mister Fish hath lost one battle with me, and thus thou deign to provide me with another opportunity to gloat.�

�Yes, Sir, that is one reason, yet I must be bold enough to tell thee of the other,� she said as she loosened the tie of her simple shift at the neck.  �We are of humble means, and would not be able to pay thee any required fee, save one.�  She continued to loosen her dress.  �Many townswomen have hinted at thy prowess, Sir, and I wish to make a payment to garner thy proficient services.�

The beast could not be tamed any longer, as Miskoe pondered what was being offered.  �I believe thy payment would be a sufficient retainer of my services.�

Without further word, Mercy stood and removed her clothing, revealing the stunning figure hidden beneath.  She was not quite of mature age, however her development was substantial.  Her splendidly narrow arse was that of youth, and yet her breasts were full and firm, with the most prominent nipples he had ever gazed upon.  Her sparse, almost nonexistent pubic hair added to Miskoe�s sense that she was younger than he originally surmised.  He wondered, would a girl be so willing to part with her maidenhead in this manner if it was still intact?  Regardless of her age, he concluded she must be experienced in the ways of physical love.

As she stood before him, he said, �Thou hast been named appropriately, as the Good Lord hath surely taken mercy on my soul.  I gladly will accept thy payment.� 

He disrobed quickly before clearing off the top of his desk and setting her upon it.  Her musky scent was strong and yet not unpleasant as he lowered his head to between her parting, porcelain thighs and partook of her womanhood.

�Ohhhhhhhhh, thou art a master in that skill, unlike any other man I have been with,� she muttered, before another �Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh��

Miskoe stopped long enough to gaze at her heaving breasts, and ask, �Thou hast been with many men in thy tender years?�

�Aye, if thou�enjoy a particular�food�then thou should partake of it�as much as possible,� she said with panting breath.

�I am much enamored with thy food, Miss,� he said in between licks of her increasingly wet opening.

�Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh yessssssssssssss!� she cried out.  �Please pierce this �food� with thy splendid knife and partake of it further!�

Miskoe needed no further prodding, for he was quite tumescent.  He positioned himself between her legs and thrust into her.  Though the girl was enjoyably tight, she was also exceptionally moist, and thus he had little resistance to his first lunge.

Mercy was very much a spirited mount, vocally urging him on, and seeming to take pleasure in the coupling even more than he.  To Miskoe, the girl�s beauty magnified as she approached fulfillment.  This was indeed superb payment.  �Emily, please forgive me once again,� he muttered under his breath as his seed filled his testicles, about to be discharged.  With much concentration he pulled his manhood from her, the wet suction of her concurrent release nearly preventing him from doing so, and spewed his seed in torrents over her quaking and heaving body.

�Ohhhhhhh, Solicitor Sir, thou hast lived up to thy repute� OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!� she declared in loud volume as her release unfolded and swept through her youthful mass.  Only after her trembling subsided did she comment on the prodigious amount of his emission.  �Not only were the stories true of the size of thy appendage, thy impressive performance and discharge confirms them.  My fervent hope is that thy skills in pleasing a lady are surpassed by those required to defend one.�

Miskoe chuckled as he pulled on his breeches.  �I know not of who is telling such stories, but rest assured I am up for both tasks.�

�Aye, �up� is surely the correct word to describe thy readiness this day,� Mercy said as she too dressed.  �My worry is that Martha not be �up� upon any gallows.  That is where thy talents should be henceforth employed.�

�And they assuredly will be, Miss Prentiss.�

�My�payment�hath been acceptable, Sir?�

�Indeed, thy retainer of my services was more than adequate, though I must say that because of thy lusty beauty, I will not be able to drive the possibility of future�ahem�payments from my mind.�

�I confess that what began as sober disbursement became a highly pleasurable diversion, and thusly may be revisited again someday hence,� Mercy said with a beguiling smile.

Miskoe said, trying vainly to focus on the grounds for their coupling and not the coupling itself, �Then we should proceed to thy homestead that I may meet thy sister, and assess her predicament.� And off they went, a smiling young lass and the Solicitor attempting mightily not to smile.

The Prentiss property was not only further from town than Fish�s farm, it was downwind as well; to his chagrin Miskoe quickly noted.  Martha must have been watching for their arrival, for as they entered the rutted lane, a woman, presumably Martha, came out to greet them.  She wasn�t homely, yet life�s tribulations and the apparent hardscrabble existence had not so much aged her but dried and withered her, as a stalk of grain becomes sere in a hot wind.

Mercy made the introductions and then left the two of them to discuss their somber business.  �I am more than grateful to have thee as my advocate, kind Sir,� she said at last as they sat on a bench near the front door.  Miskoe opined that perhaps she was ashamed to show him the inside of what must be their very humble home, so he thanked the Lord above that the wind had shifted.  �I choose not to know how my sister obtained thy services.�

Miskoe chuckled in spite of himself, which brought a fine smile to Martha�s face.  �Aye, it is best not to ponder, though I believe thou doest understand all too well thy sister�s �ahem�wiles.�

Martha began to tell the Solicitor how the charges of witchcraft had come to be.  Miskoe was well aware of Mr. Fish�s meager livestock skills, so when Martha explained that he blamed her for the death of several of his animals, he was not surprised.  �He claims I cast spells upon them,� she said, �as if the �spell� of his lack of skill was not enough to doom them from the moment of their birth.�

�Please, do not be reticent in telling me of any act on thy part which may have led to Mister Fish�s accusation, no matter how daft the connection may be.�

She thought for a moment before answering.  �Sir, only one instance comes to mind.  One day he was driving two head of his pathetic cattle across his field, quite close to my fence, which I was mending.�  Martha showed Samuel her scarred palms, as if as witness to her toils.  �He was whipping and striking the poor beasts mercilessly, and I desired to correct him, hollering loudly that he was a cruel man and his beasts should be spared the indignity.�  Martha made the Sign of the Cross as she said this.  �It was no curse, nor would I ever use the Lord�s name in vain, as he hath so claimed.  However, one of the beasts perished during the night, and thus I am a witch.�

�Did thou make such a Holy Sign when thou shouted after him?�

�Aye, I did�asking for His intervention.  I did not make a sacred plea to hurt the animal, regardless of how poorly Mister Fish was treating it.  I believe our God hath too much to worry about on His Earth than to trifle with one head of livestock, no matter how abused.�  She chuckled, �Of course, if I were of such mind, I could have prayed for Holy retribution on Mister Fish himself, yet I am not that cruel.  He hath many troubles as it is,� no doubt thinking about his now publically-revealed impotence.

�I thank thee for being so forthright with me.  I will pay a visit to the local Magistrate�s office and Constable Ralphs to ascertain the specifics of how this matter will be handled by the King�s Court.  I would tell thee not to be afraid; however I knowest how these damnable witchcraft accusations may play out.  All I can say is that I shall try my best.�

�I am reassured, Sir.  I have been told thy best is indeed very good.�

Her smile made Miskoe wonder if she did not still have some of her sister�s lusty charms, however suppressed they may be.  �I shall be back to see thee with definitive word.  Then we shall discuss thy dress for every public appearance inside of court and out.�

�My dress?�

�Though a man, I have learned that how one is clad hath many advantages and disadvantages in the public forum.  Doest thou know the Midwife, Hannah Moses?�

�Yes, I have met her.�

�She hath become quite wise on the subject of dress and its many perceptions.�

�Since her trial, I would imagine,� Martha said.  Did Miskoe hear a morsel of jealousy in her words?  This was an interesting woman hidden under such a plain wrapping, he thought.

�I will visit the Midwife and ask her to visit thee, if thou do not mind it, so she may prepare thee for Court appearances.�

�I thank thee greatly for thy concern, yet I remain fearful for my life, no matter its humble station.  Please protect me.  Promise.  If not for me, then for my sister�s sake.�

�No man can make such a promise, but I shall work as hard as I have ever worked to keep thee safe.  For thy sake, Madam, not thy sister�s.�

�Thou art indeed a fine man as many have witnessed,� she said before kissing him primly on the cheek.

As Miskoe traveled back to his office in town, he spent many moments surprisingly imagining a coupling with Martha Prentiss, so by the time he reached his office, he was exceedingly tumescent, and considered a detour to his house in order to bed Emily and relieve him of his distress.  He thought better of it, and instead proceeded to the Constabulary to inquire about the pending charges against his newfound client.

He spoke with Constable Ralphs, with the man detailing the witchcraft charges against Martha, which were not so different from how the woman described them.  �Samuel, I am fully with thee that these witchcraft accusations are to be ridiculed by all sane men, yet with some of questionable sanity, though they be men of God, a witch is seen whenever fate does not bless them as they would wish.�  Miskoe did not need to hear the Reverend�s name spoken to know of whom the Constable referred.

�Yes, Nicolas, but as with the one rotten apple, groups of sane men�aye, an entire village�may be spoilt by the views of the one or two,� Miskoe said while shaking his head.  Constable Ralphs was not the enemy here; he knew who that was.  �Shall thou be arresting Miss Prentiss soon?�

�Not soon, but her arrest is quite inevitable, I should say.  The charge will become officially lodged, and thy client should be prepared.�

�She will be, dear friend, and I shall be also.�

At the end of the day, he returned home to a fine evening meal.  Emily asked many questions about the Prentiss women, having heard some of the same gossip that sprouted witch�s wings.  �What is thy impression of her?  I have only seen the younger girl in town, and she looks like a lively one.�  Miskoe was well aware of the pitfalls his love set so easily in his path.  After all, Emily was well aware of his proclivity to stray.

�Aye, she seems a spirited lass.  Martha is unlike her younger sibling.  She seems to be weighed down heavily by her daily burdens, and now these daft witchcraft accusations��

�My dear Samuel, perhaps her burden is in not having a man such as thyself to help her.�

Miskoe chuckled, �Perhaps thine should gather thee up now and relieve another�ahem�burden?�

�Why didst thou wait so long to say it?�

Playfully, Emily belied her age and with the same or more spirit than Mercy Prentiss had shown, bedded Samuel with much relish.  Taking command in her favorite position above him, she bounced and swayed upon his fleshy yet firm shaft; her bosom drawing his eyes as they beautifully bounced and swayed with her.

Miskoe cupped those bountiful breasts, and said, �Thou�art�a�skilled, and�wondrous�lover, and�I�will, Ahhhhhhhhhhhh �never�tire�of�thee.�

�Oh, Samuel!� she cried out, as her rapture approached.  �Thou do not�tire�of any woman who�opens her legs to thee.  Of this I know.  Yet even knowing this�Ohhhhhhh�myyyyyyy, thou hast captured my heart as well as�my womanhood.�  Then she cried out in a loud and shrill manner as she climaxed.  Miskoe unloaded his seed deep within her throbbing and contracting channel.

It was three day�s time before Constable Ralphs approached Miskoe to inform him of the witchcraft warrant and that he would be arresting Martha Prentiss.  �I will wait one day, out of my respect and friendship for thee, before I send men to bring in Miss Prentiss,� Nicolas said.

�I thank thee, my good friend,� Miskoe said in reply.  �I will assure that she shall be ready, and will go peacefully.�

�I will protect her in gaol before court.  Thou hast my word.�

Miskoe nodded at the Constable.  �I know thou will, and I shall attempt to protect her from then onward.�

After a short while, Samuel set off to the Prentiss homestead.  Before this day, he had commissioned Hannah Moses to visit Martha and have her try on some dresses that would be most favorable for her appearance before the Court.  The midwife was happy with the result, and sight-unseen, that was good enough for Samuel.  When he knocked and no one answered, he walked around behind the modest house.  Not seeing anyone, but hearing some sounds coming from below the fringe of trees, Miskoe allowed his curiosity to take hold and walked toward the sounds.

When he cleared the small copse, Miskoe was at the edge of a pond.  The sounds he heard were now explained, and rather beautifully so.  Martha Prentiss was naked and bathing in the placid waters, occasionally splashing about.  Miskoe did not alert her that he was watching. She had apparently just washed her hair, which was now more darkly lustrous than it had been when Samuel first met her.  In his experience, her breasts were quite unique, not large but very firmly upswept without a hint of sag.  Her nipples, very taut at the moment, were exceptionally prominent, and the thought of suckling on them brought Miskoe to immediate stiffness.  The nipples were surrounded by dark, ruddy areolas, unlike the pink ones of, say, her sister, Mercy, or his beloved Emily. 

To Miskoe, the most amazing sight on her slim and shapely body, however, were her pubic mound and pudenda.  As she waded from the pond, she was revealed to have little pubic thatch, as if she was as shaven as a man�s face.  Miskoe thought, could it be that she shaves her nether region?  This would be a first, even for such a worldly man as Samuel Miskoe.  With having no hair, her pudenda were visible, and unique in their own way; thickly swollen outer labia and prominent inner labia.

When she saw him looking, Miskoe was so stiff, and had no possibility of hiding the fact from her.

�Is this a test, Solicitor, Sir?  To see what a witch may look like under her clothing?� she said as she gathered everything up to cover herself.

�Only a test of my will, as I came to this place by happenstance to tell thee of thy pending arrest, and found myself captivated by thy singular form, with natural results.�  When he said this, he unashamedly pointed to the protrusion at the front of his breeches.

�So, I am to be arrested as a witch and lay my fate at thy feet.  Am I expected to lay my body at thy feet as well?�

�No, Madam.  I am a man, with lusty needs like any other, however I am not an un-thoughtful roué callously bedding women as mere playthings.�

�That being said, Sir, art thou denying thy wish to play with me?� she said with a wry smile.  �I have gone many years without the company of a man, so I may be bold in saying that I have heard of thy�talents, Sir, and perhaps wish to be a plaything before my neck is encircled by a hangman�s noose.�

�Thy neck shall never be thus encircled, yet I shall stay mum on the other topic.�

�Do not make promises thou cannot keep, but keep this one,� she said as she dropped her clothing cover and walked to him.

Miskoe quickly removed his clothes, spreading them on the ground as makeshift bedding, where he moved between her parted thighs and partook of her with his tongue.  He quickly noted (and as heralded by her vocal reaction) that besides her prominent labia, Martha�s mother-pearl, known by its Greek-derived  proper medical name, clitoris, a name probably lost on the not-so-learned Doctor Poole, was thicker and longer than most, and proved  exceedingly sensitive.

�I know that I shall shortly take the Lord�s name in vain, for thou art more than skillful.  Please do not bear witness against that sin,� Martha exclaimed as he licked and sucked on her engorged clitoris.

When Miskoe sensed she was about to climax, he positioned himself above her and slowly entered her wet channel.  With her legs wrapped firmly around him, she clutched tightly to him as he proceeded to make long, rhythmic thrusts.  For her age she proved to be virginally tight, and Miskoe delighted in the sensation though knowing his rapture would arrive sooner than he would like.

�Oh Martha, I cannot hold off any longer for thy sake,� he cried out as he began to spew.

�God forsake me!  Thou do not need to�OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh!�

As they lay in embrace, Martha was embarrassed, and told Miskoe that she was �ashamed� to be considered by him to be an �immoral� woman in the aftermath of their mating.  Samuel was quick to praise her as being attuned to her �needs� and that he would not �boast in the tavern� as many men might do.

�Rest assured, Sir,� she said while averting her eyes, �I do not believe thee to be an unscrupulous man.  That is why I entrust thee with my life, as I have moments ago entrusted my womanly need to thee.�

�I will not view either trust cavalierly.�

They dressed mostly in silence.  While Martha went inside, Miskoe returned to town and immediately, to his dismay, ran into Reverend Grout.  �Ah, t�is Samuel Miskoe, the Devil�s assistant,� the Reverend said in a gloating manner.  �Thou may have once hidden witches from the Lord�s wrath, but no longer.�

�Why do I detect the hiss of a serpent when thou speaks, Reverend?  The sound is quite plain.�

�Thou art the one who knows the serpent, I dare say.�

�I have heard of thy serpent being throttled in the past, though I am certain thy congregation does not hear of those practices,� Samuel said, meaning tales of his self-abuse while viewing young girls back in the village.

The Reverend�s expression said he did not understand that to which Miskoe referred.  �Witches in this town shall not go unpunished, since the judge will not be so easily misled by thy Devil�s tongue.  I know Judge Scott well, and he will surely hang every last witch we unmask.�

Miskoe knew the reputation of Ebenezer Scott, and was troubled to hear that he would preside over the fate of Miss Prentiss.  Samuel scoffed at the Reverend�s taunt and walked away.  He had an idea, perhaps the only thing that may keep Martha from the noose.  In his office, he hastily scribbled a note on parchment, and after affixing his seal, sought out a messenger to deliver the urgent dispatch. �This must be given to Mister Peter Smythe immediately.  It is of the highest importance, perhaps even a matter of life and death,� he told the rider.

 The following day, Martha Prentiss was brought to the gaol, and Miskoe went to visit her.  Nicolas Ralphs was true to his word; her gaol cell was clean, and she had been given good food to eat.  Hannah brought the prearranged clothing to the gaol so Martha would be presentable in court.  They spoke of the expected ordeal of damning charges and testimony.  Miskoe did not say anything about his plan, since he was quite unsure that the invited witness would appear.

The day of Martha�s trial came quickly.  Richard Fish testified first.  Much as he did during Hannah�s trial, Miskoe solicited some ridicule for the farmer from the court�s gallery.  He called many witnesses to testify to the farmer�s exceptionally poor livestock skills, which nicely negated the outrageous claims made by witnesses favorable to Mister Fish.  At that point, Miskoe knew he only had Reverend Grout, and by that fact, Judge Scott to worry about.  It remained a great worry.

When Samuel espied Peter Smythe enter the courtroom alone, his spirits fell.  Apparently, his plea had been refused.  Miskoe asked for a brief recess before Reverend Grout�s testimony so he could speak with Peter.

�Hello, Peter.  I am pleased to see thee, while saddened that thou hast come all this way alone.  Was she too afraid?�

�Thou art looking well, Sir, but do not be disheartened, for she is here.�  When Miskoe�s face brightened, Peter added, �I did not want her to be seen by the Reverend, lest she panic and flee.�

�I cannot thank thee enough.  Thou art an astute young man, Peter, and one day following studies thee will be a fine solicitor.�

A beaming Peter led Miskoe from the courtroom to see Margaret Grimm.  Though she had blossomed into shapely womanhood, he still saw remnants of the bosomy young girl who had physically loved the late Abigail Whitehead in his presence.  They spoke for a few minutes, Samuel assuring her (and perhaps himself) that she would be safe in testifying.  Now that Margaret was here, so all he could do was hope and pray his plan worked.

The Reverend�s testimony did not surprise Samuel Miskoe.  A serpent indeed; Grout spewed his typical venom, among other things claiming God had spoken with him, singling out Martha Prentiss as a witch.

When it was his turn to question the witness, Miskoe asked, �Reverend, did God speak to thee before or after the first time that thou met Mister Fish?�

Grout sputtered, �Of what importance be that?�

�I do not presume God to be influenced by a man, but another man may be.�

�God spoke to me after I met Richard, and I was not influenced by him.�

�Did thou personally witness Miss Prentiss place a spell on Mister Fish�s livestock as she hath been accused?�

�Ah, no, yet the voice of God told me so.�

�Did thou hear His voice while at the tavern?  I believe I have heard His voice there on many occasions.�

The gallery laughed heartily at Miskoe�s humor until the slam of the angry judge�s gavel. �I will not allow blasphemous conduct in this courtroom,� the judge bellowed.

�I am sorry, honorable Sir.  I will confine the remainder of my questions to Biblical themes.�  Miskoe turned back to face the witness.  �Good Reverend, against which one of the Lord�s Commandments, in thy belief, did Miss Prentiss sin?�

�God�s very First Commandment.  She hath worshipped false gods other than the One True God.�

�And thou hast witnessed this?  How?�

�God is my witness.�

�I do not dispute this, for God is everyone�s witness. Even the lesser among us.  What I ask is whether thou, thyself hadst witnessed any such activity.�  Grout sputtered a reply, but Miskoe continued unabated.  �I shall bring forth many witnesses that Miss Prentiss is a Christian woman who attends services of worship.  I have visited her, and I saw no graven images or unholy idols, only the Crucifix of Our Lord.�

�Thou cannot bear witness since thou art the Devil�s mouthpiece.�

�I am not the accused in these proceedings, though I have no images except the Holy Crucifix in my humble home as well.�

�Thou art an adulterer, sinning against the flesh,� Grout shouted.

�Ah, the Sixth Commandment, I do believe.  Once more, I must say that I am not the accused.  However, as the present witness here in this Court, I assume thou hast never �sinned against the flesh.��

�No, for I am a man of the cloth.�

�Doest thou remember John�s Gospel, Chapter 8?�

�Aye, I do.� Reverend Grout began reciting the verses, until he came to verse 11 when he stopped, realizing what Miskoe was up to.

Miskoe said, �Art thou without sin?  Thou art casting a stone, yes, Reverend?�  Grout sputtered again, as Miskoe continued, �What of the Eighth Commandment?  Art thou bearing false witness?�

�She is a witch, and thou art an adulterer!  I may cast stones at will!�

Miskoe turned to the judge.  �I would like to call a witness to repudiate what we have just heard.�  When the judge reluctantly said yes, and Reverend Grout stepped from the witness box, Margaret walked into the courtroom to much admiration from the gallery, since she was a beautiful and bountiful young lady.  After she testified to how she came to be there.  Miskoe asked her, �Please tell the court, Miss, exactly what thou told me the first time we met.�

In a mild yet forthright manner, Margaret testified to how she and her �friend� Abigail had exposed themselves and performed �acts of the flesh� in front of Reverend Grout on many occasions as he �abused� himself.

Reverend Grout shouted, �Behold, she admits to being a sinner!�

Miskoe turned to face the gallery, and the Reverend.  �That may be, yet she was only a child, and thou did not jump up and declare that she is giving false testimony.  Quite telling, indeed.�  The judge was forced to strike his gavel many times to silence the crowd.

Margaret spoke in a hushed voice, �I am a sinner, but my false witness was against my dearest friend, Abigail.  She did not deserve to hang.�

�I am sorry in advance to ask thee, but Miss Whitehead was hanged as a witch, yes?�

�Aye, she was,� she answered, though barely above a whisper.

�And is the person responsible for such a miscarriage of justice here today?�  Margaret said nothing, simply pointing to the still-standing Reverend.  After a long pause, Margaret said, �She was no witch, in fact she was the purest of God�s creatures, and I can only pray to be reunited with her someday in God�s Heaven.�  Miskoe turned to stare Grout as if daring him to speak.  He did not.

As Margaret left the box, the judge asked whether Martha would testify on her own behalf. 

�I call no more witnesses, Honorable Judge, Sir.  There are no witches here, and what can Miss Prentiss say in her defense that hath not already been said by others?  Should I call Mrs. Fish to testify against her husband once more?  I beg for thy indulgence in these matters, though I do not beg for fairness, lest thou think I believe thee to be anything but a fair and honest man.�

Without flourish or bombast, a dour-faced Judge Scott simply said �Not Guilty,� banged his gavel, and the trial was over.

With a cold and heartless look, Reverend Grout left the courthouse.  Miskoe said a silent prayer that he may never see the man again.  Martha quietly thanked him for his service.  Mercy walked up behind the Solicitor and whispered, �Thou hast earned thy payment well, Sir.  Perhaps another payment from a grateful sister would be welcome?�

Miskoe may have answered bawdily if his Emily had not approached at that very moment.  �Thou art as eloquent with thy speech as thou art with other�ahem�gifts,� Emily said with a smile.  �Doest thou feel as an adulterer?�

He chuckled and said, �No, yet I will get onto my knees and pray for forgiveness anyway, between thy parted thighs.�

Martha and Mercy invited Samuel and his friends to their home for a celebratory gathering.  When Mercy asked Peter Smythe if he wished to swim on such a hot day, he commented on the absence of bathing attire.  Mercy grinned and said, �We did not come into this world in �attire.�  We can swim as naturally as we wish.�  It was obvious to Miskoe that the two were smitten with each other, both quite handsome, and both quite aroused.

Peter had come to town in a wagon.  Martha, Mercy, Samuel, Emily, and Margaret, along with Sarah and baby Samuel who had joined them, climbed into the wagon, which Peter drove to the Prentiss homestead.  The Prentiss ladies fixed a fine meal of breads and fresh meats.  While they ate their fill, Mercy and Peter left them.

Sarah said, �We should all go to the pond.  Samuel would enjoy bathing.�

Emily poked her man in the ribs.  �She refers to the young one.�

�Yes, but I too would enjoy some unfettered wading on this hot day,� Miskoe said.

�Unfettered may be the word for thee at all times,� Emily said, and Miskoe couldn�t help but grow stiff, thinking of Sarah, Margaret and Emily naked in the pond as Martha had been on that earlier day.

The small group walked below the trees to the pond.  Loud grunts and exclamations met them as they arrived.  To the side of the pond in tall grass, Peter was between Mercy�s legs, and thrusting in earnest.  Sarah chuckled and said, �Let this be our lesson as to what is natural and what is not,� as she removed first young Samuel�s clothing and then her own.

Sarah was first in the water, holding baby Samuel in her arms.  Martha laughed and while saying �I shall celebrate life once again,� pulled off her garments and joined Sarah.  Margaret was shy, but when she saw the two naked women, she displayed arousal and disrobed to join them.  Emily stood with Samuel and watched.  �I see that Margaret remains interested in women before men, though she is quite comely, and quite endowed in her bosom.�

Her large breasts were very appealing to Miskoe.  He said to Emily, �Art thou as interested in fondling them as I?�

�I doubt that, my love.  I would much rather have thy manhood firmly entering me as young Peter is so valiantly doing with Miss Mercy.�  Viewing the young, enthusiastic and agile duo�s coupling proved too much for Samuel and Emily.  As Mercy and Peter reached vociferous climax, Miskoe was on his back, with Emily fully impaled upon his swollen member.  As if a contagious plague swept over the group, soon Margaret and Sarah were entwined with probing tongues, and Martha joined Emily and Miskoe in a blissful threesome.  Young Samuel sat in the tall grass, relieved himself happily, and watched the array of writhing bodies with amusement.

Miskoe was surprised by the ease in which Emily shared him with Martha, but he should not have been, for Emily would always know that her man�s desires could not be harnessed by one woman, even as she harnessed his heart. After Miskoe pleased Emily, he brought the elder Miss Prentiss to a quick and loud climax.  Her cries were loud enough to solicit a cheer from her sister before she proceeded to repeat sexual congress with the willing and able (bless the ardor of youth!) Mr. Smythe.

When the group was tired and spent, they summoned the energy to wade into the pond.  Cooling off in the clear water, the women teased Miskoe with their proximity and a touch here and there.  He did not disappoint them, for he grew hard and upright quickly.  Martha, Margaret and Sarah playfully pretended to wager for the opportunity to enjoy his manhood.  Emily stood by and allowed the teasing to go on.

�I have not thanked thee appropriately, Margaret,� Miskoe said to the young lady, his cock pointing toward her breasts as a divining rod may point to a water source.  �Thou took a chance coming here, and both I and Miss Prentiss thank thee.�

�Since thy eyes cannot leave my bosom for a single moment, I believe I may give thee something else to be thankful for.�  She knelt down in shallow water and cupped his cock between her wet, ample breasts.  He leaned over her and thrust rapidly between the held-together firm mounds until, with a shout he spewed all over her chest and neck.

They lounged to dry in the grass and talked of tribulations old and new.  Somberly, Margaret told of new hangings in the village.  �Will there ever be a time when the cry of �she�s a witch� is no longer heard?�

Miskoe said, �Diligence is required as long as ignorance and superstitions exist.�  Especially when ignorance is cloaked in the shape of a supposed learned man, such as Dr. Poole, he thought.  He was trapped between annoyance and delight as Emily and Sarah absently played with his manhood, which true to his nature was responding regardless of its recent use.

Margaret spoke of staying in town, living with Sarah.

Peter spoke of staying in town and living with the Prentiss sisters.

Miskoe�s cock had risen to its lengthy and rigid proportions.  Emily languidly stroked it, while he said, �Aye, we are but creatures seduced by the flesh, yet that is not a thing to be feared or denied.�

Emily smiled and said, �Perhaps we women are witches after all, since we seem to be adept at casting such spells,� indicating Samuel�s amazingly resilient manhood.

Miskoe smiled also.  �And I for one shall always be ready to defend thee�witch!�

�Witches are we all!� bellowed a laughing Sarah, as the other naked and alluring women laughed with her.

Miskoe wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.  Was smiling baby Samuel�s small cock rigid and swollen as he was being held by young Melody, close to her bosom?  Like him, could he be bewitched at that young age?  He could only shake his head and speculate.

 

The End

 

 

Donna M.

© 2012

 

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