During the half year, many more women, and men, were convicted of Witchcraft, loses from a paranoia that had started with the single lie and had spread to become an epidemic. The many who confessed to what they did not commit were killed promptly, with gruesome methods. They were hung, burned, stabbed, stoned, and beaten to death.

Isabelle, though safe for a few months, rarely stepped outside. She stayed with Charlie, who had left the Council to work with Thomas as a carpenter, as much as she could. Six months…. She did not know what to do with herself, for six months. Her blindness was debilitating, but not as debilitating as her shortened life. She was lifeless, counting down the days until….

Isabelle’s hands were tied behind her back, and to a long pole; a stake. Her death sentence was to be burnt at the stake. She stood up straight, tall, her eyes closed. At her feet were piles of kindling and hay, crunching under her feet like leaves. Every breath was another second. She only had a few breaths, a few seconds to live….

Henry began his speech before the act commenced. “Here stands Isabelle Camden; she holds a contract with the Devil, and gave her sight to him in exchange for his evil powers. She has no heart, no soul.

“We are warning all of you now; if you are ever to perform such a sinful act, this will be your fate. It is better to die and be with God than to live and be with the Devil.” He turned to Isabelle. “Any last words?” he asked, quietly, as Isabelle struggled against her bonds, attempting to wrench her wrists free.

She suddenly was calm. “Yes; yes, I do.” Charlie’s plan came flowing into her head.

“Well, do not linger long….”

She took a deep breath. She had a few more seconds yet to live….

“My people; my people of Salem Town and Salem Village,” she began. “Your Council… your Councilmen, they are cruel. They are heartless. They have no souls. To convict an innocent woman of such a crime is unspeakable. It is shameful, to say the least. You say I have lost my sight? You say that I am blind? They, the ones who lead us; they are blind. Because of them, I am no more blind than you. If only you could see it. If only you realized how sightless you all are. If only you could realize that I am not just a useless person; that I, too, can think and feel. I am incapable of sight, but maybe you are more handicapped than I; when it comes to matters of the heart.

“If anyone has the Devil with them, it is the four Councilmen who convicted me, an innocent woman, of this fate. So; burn me; see what satisfaction this gives you. The Smallpox will continue; Salem will still squabble; and all you will have proven is that you can find contentment in taking the life of an innocent woman. And not just me; all of the other people’s lives you have ruthlessly taken. How could God accept you into His Kingdom when your life has ended? And what sort of pleasure is that?” she finished. She leaned back against the shaft, face tilted towards the sky. And she prayed. And she breathed. She had survived few seconds longer….

She heard whispering, and scuffing of the wood as the Councilmen stood, standing up from their chairs. They conversed among themselves, wondering. Would they really be able to kill this woman? They knew, of course, she was innocent. But would the Townspeople forgive them once they realized it was all just hysteria? That they had been lying? Would God not accept them because of what they had done? A few more minutes of talking. Isabelle, whose sense of hearing had heightened, heard a few words of their conversation. Finally, they broke apart.

“We have decided… to release her,” sighed Henry. People immediately began to talk rapidly in the crowds. “But further investigations will be conducted up her, to make sure…. If there is any suspicious activity…” he started again. But no one heard him; he was lost in an up rise of joy, from those in the crowd who had lost family to the madness that has surfaced around them. Isabelle’s hands were untied, and she rubbed her wrists, reaching out for someone’s hand to guide her off the podium. Charlie ran towards her, grabbed her hands, and pulled her to him, embracing her. She might have been blind, but she could very well see….