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winifred-mylove · 2 years

Text

🔮 — EXULANSIS

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CHARACTERS: evangeline abbott, margaret abbott, richard abbott, philip abbott, reverend traske, mentions of the sanderson sisters.

WARNINGS: public execution/hanging, some swearing

OTHERS: evangeline is 12/13 in this, philip is 9/10.

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SALEM, 1649.

THE wind howled as it blew against the house. the fire made the wood break, splitting apart with a 'crack!' and giving some heat in the small countryside house they had recieved from her mother's father.

philip was seated near the fire while evangeline read her book, occasionally looking up to her brother.

"philip, too close to the fire,"

and

"careful, philip! don't try touching it."

were phrases that were heard from the 12-year-old with her face buried into a book. her brother had whined, "mother! lilibet is being mean!"

"oh, hush. get away from the fire like sister tells ye," their mother called from the stairs. philip sighed as he got up, walking to their loveseat and sitting down.

an almost-deafening roll of thunder shook the house, making evangeline sit up and look around while her brother made an audible gasp.

"it's alright, philip. 'tis just thunder,"

"father says it's because someone's angered god,"

"pft. don't listen to him," she lowered her voice. "he doesn't know what he's talking about. all his talk about god," she told him.

philip laughed a little bit, looking at her. lightening lit up the sky, the sound of rain beginning to hit the windows. their mother came down from upstairs, carrying a candle with her and setting it in the window sill.

"almost thine bedtime," she said to the two, looking to them. margaret walked over to evangeline, running her fingers through her hair.

"thou must get control of this hair," her mother said, bringing out a brush from her apron. evangeline groaned, "my devil hair? 'tis what father calls it." her mother let out a huff, reaching a knot that pulled evangeline's hair back. her mother got softer.

"curse thine father and his white man religion," she muttered. truth be told, margaret hated being the pastor's wife. she hated her children being the pastor's children, but there weren't many ways out. poison, but that was probably too obvious. no one held a grudge against the pastor. she'd be "framed" and her children given to the smiths or the walkers and made into church-loving demons.

"off to bed, both of you." she shooed them up once evangeline's hair was somewhat neat. evangeline and philip raced up the stairs, their giggles dying out as they got further from the main room.

"comb your hair, i'll get your bed ready." she said to him, walking to his bed to get it ready for him.

as she pulled back the sheets, the door towards opened with a slam. at first, they thought it was their father, sharing looks, but there were two...four..six footsteps. all separate. "stay here," eve told her brother, rushing to the stairs to peak. men from the church.

"you wicked, evil woman."

"pardon? what is the meaning of this?"

the men paid no attention to mother's question as one of them opened the door, and the other two grabbed their mother harshly, shoving her out into the door.

"wait—! my children! my children art still inside!" she tried fighting back, but it wasn't much use.

evangeline stood there, a little surprised. "lilibet?" philip looked to her. he didn't say anything as he took in the moment, and then ran down the stairs.

"philip, no!" she yelled, following after.

the wind picked up. the thunder grew louder, and lightening allowed minimum light to help them on their journey. her voice was disappearing in the wind.

philip was some ways ahead of her, and evangeline was trying to keep up. "philip!" she yelled, sheltering her eyes from the pelting rain and hurrying after the boy.

she could hear him yelling for their mother.

they had followed them all the way to the square.

townsfolk held lanterns, lighting enough to see the noose and barrel. the two men had put their mother on the barrel, her hands tied together in front of her.

the other man was holding philip back, restraining him.

"let go! let go 'o him, ye great oaf!" evangeline yelled, almost at what she thought was the top of her lungs, having no control over her adrenaline.

yanking her brother from the man, she pushed him behind her, holding onto a fistful of his shirt.

"my darling evangeline," her mother looked to her. "art thou listening? art thou listening, my star child?"

the reverend stared at the woman. "dost thou have any sins she wishes to repent? to seek our holy lord for forgiveness?" he asked.

"to hell with thine god," she spat venom, laughing as thunder rolled, mixing with her laughter. philip clung to evangeline's dress and eve felt chills down her spine (good chills?).

men and women gasped, young children were crying. older children, about evangeline age, where looking to their parents (all but the sanderson sisters, looking to their father with great excitement).

with a swift motion, the barrel was kicked from beneath her mother's feet. a loud 'snap!' filled the air. her mother's legs flailed, trying to touch the ground anything.

"don't look!" eve hissed to philip, pushing him behind her while the chain that held the noose chimed, her hands flexing.

her mother went limp, head hanging and hands no longer spread out, legs dangling as she slowly spun on the noose.

evangeline was in shock. her heart was hitting her rib cage, holding onto her brother tightly.

she put a hand to her mouth, letting out a wail. her hand shook steadily as she looked to her mother, stepping foward.

her father stepped in, blocking her from stepping any further.

she shrieked, pounding on her father's chest. evangeline shoved him, balling her fists until her nails broke skin.

"she was my mother! OUR MOTHER!" she wailed, shoving him back with a hard hit to the chest, stepping back.

"don't ever ask for forgiveness," she hissed, voice breaking. this was unfair, a cruel punishment. evangeline turned around, turning philip and giving him a little nudge to get him to start walking.

evangeline wept the walk back, but always made sure she was quiet. she kept philip close to her, feeding the fire once they were inside.

she sat philip in front of it, fetching a throw from the attic and then wrapping him up in it, drying off his hair.

"lilibet?"

"hm?"

"was mother—?"

"hush. don't think about her."

their mother was a witch. there had been no doubt of it. which brought another question: would evangeline have the same fate? would the townsfolk think of her like her mother?

"tomorrow i'll take thee out to the horses. 'tis a good skill," she said quietly. he only nodded, staring into the fire.

she didn't know how long had passed, but the night had turned quiet. evangeline had been unable to sleep, but philip had dozed off some minutes ago. eve heard her father's footsteps coming up the porch. she shook philip awake.

"father's home. up to bed,"

"lilibet—"

"up to bed. now."

he reluctantly got up, heading up the stairs. moments later, her father opened the door. evangeline brushed dirt off of her dress. she didn't know how it got there, but she didn't care.

her father's jaw clenched as he looked to her, closing the door behind him.

"i don't feel sorry for what i did. thou must understand that."

"understand what? killing mother? in front of philip?"

she bit back a few words, yelling dying down in her throat. "goodnight," she snapped harshly to him, making her way up the stairs. philip was laying in his bed when she checked on him, and she soon retired to bed.

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she woke up to the sun in her face, and the birds were chirping somewhere in the trees.

evangeline sat up a little bit, stretching and then getting out of bed. she got herself ready, putting her hair up in a bun.

she put her dress on, a casual one. she woke philip up, helping him get around and then headed downstairs to get around for the morning.

when philip came down, she set down a cup of water from the well and some bread down on the plate in front of him.

"'tis not much, i shall make a market run soon. eat up and then meet me at the stables," she told him, reaching over and ruffling his hair before heading out.

she walked down to the stables, petting the horses and then getting them saddled up, taking out a colt and a mare.

she tied the reins to a post, looking to philip as he walked down.

getting up on the horse and starting to ride was easy. it had been easy for philip too, but she could tell that he wasn't that well up on the colt.

birds flew overhead and a single raven flew towards the wood.

"lilibet!"

she looked over (a little rushed) to her brother, a smile appearing when she saw that he had gotten the hang of it. he was doing alright. he had turned the gait to a gallop. clicking her tongue and hitting the sides with her boots, her mare began galloping.

philip laughed, seeming to make this a game of sorts.

"i challenge thee to a race!"

"oh! a race? where to?"

philip looked around and then pointed to the far end of the wood. "over there!" he looked back to her. it couldn't be harmful, could it?

the woods were so beautiful, she couldn't help but stare before looking to her brother.

"i'll give thou a headstart!" she told him.

he laughed, starting on a trot. eve scoffed a little bit, and once his headstart was up, she started to run after him, starting with a canter and then turning into a gallop.

she had ended up slowing her mare to a canter, letting her brother win. he laughed as he ran back to her.

"i won! my colt is faster than your mare."

"oh, hush! she's an old horse."

she gently pet her mare's head, and then turned her back to the stables. "come on, let's head back." it was about noon, judging from the sun.

"i've got to head into the market."

"may i go with?"

"no." eve shook her head. they'd have to go through the square to get to the market, and no doubt her mother's body was still there.

normally, they'd leave the hanged person up for three days. it held a warning to the other witches in salem. philip went to protest, but eve started talking again.

"i'll make a soup before i leave, try and eat it?"

"thou knows i hate soups."

"would ye rather have cold water and bread?"

"nay," he shrugged, side - by - side with her. eve gave him a look.

back at the stables, they unsaddled the horses and put them the stables, heading back home.

eve lit a fire, putting a bowl over it and throwing in broth and some vegetables with some left over chicken meat. she stirred it for a bit before tasting. she put it in a smaller bowl, setting it at the table and calling philip down.

"i'm leaving for the market, i'll see thee soon," she told him, giving him a little poke on the head and then left.

passing the square, her mother's body remained. her mothers eyes had sunken in, her hands were blue and almost looked surreal. she looked stiff. they'd have to take her down soon.

evangeline pushed on to the market. once she arrived, she immediately noticed the looks that she was getting. the townsfolk murmured to each other.

walking to the bread stand, she took two loaves, puttting them into her basket. she went to pay, but the baker turned it down.

getting more vegetables and butchered meat, her basket was full. she had paid for most everything else, and was headed back home.

on her way there, she felt the stares and she heard the mutters.

"dost thou think she'll be like her mother?"

"poor thing, all alone with her brother."

"such a disgrace to the town. once ye are related to a witch, thee will always be one."

she wanted to turn back, to yell at them, but she'd just seem like her mother. sheltering philip from the world, never letting anyone in. it was a neverending cycle.

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SALEM, 1650

time had passed. evangeline had turned 13 (philip was now 10) and she got used to working around the house. they had gotten used to being without their mother, but sometimes evangeline still woke up to philip shaking her up, wanting to be comforted through the night.

normally, it was when it was raining, but sometimes it was of the hanging. it was one of the things she hated most about everything that had happened the past year, but some good things had come with it too.

evangeline had started to spend a lot more time with the sanderson sisters. she spent more time with winifred sanderson. she held winifred dear to her, and could usually be foudn with her whenever philip was with his friends.

although it was a dangerous slope. her father didn't like the sandersons, and he was getting more aggressive at the days went on.

philip had started to get afraid of their father, and it was exhausting to walk on eggshells everyday when their father wasn't in the church.

philip got along well with the other boys in the town, which was something that made evangeline happy. it helped ease her troubles just a little, but it always seemed as though more problems came up.

with it being late summer, almost early fall, eve was starting to realize she was beginning to like girls. she couldn't like girls, right? there would be no way the people of salem would allow that, but she couldn't help but realize she had a crush on winifred sanderson.

it was terrible, evangeline thought about winifred all the time. sometimes while she was cooking, time whenever she was free between caring for philip.

it was a harmless crush, wasn't it? harmless? it wasn't bad, but it did go against the church. although she didn't care much for the church. she sighed a little as she opened up a book, waiting for philip to return home.

the horses neighed from the distance, a cool breeze rustling the leaves and brushing back her hair as the day slowly turned to night. philip ran up to the house, laughing a little bit.

"what 'tis so funny?" she asked, setting the book down and getting up from her chair.

"one of my friends! he was walking and fell right into some mud! 'twas hilarious!"

eve smiled at him, opening the door. "come on, thou hast to get ready for bed," she led him inside, closing the door. he groaned a little bit, earning a look from his sister and going to the table.

dinner went by quick, and before he knew it, evangeline was saying goodnight to him. "if thou needs me, ye know where i am," she told him, ruffling his hair one last time before leaving, humming a little tune as she headed back to bed, one thing on her mind: winifred sanderson.

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uhhh, hope u enjoyed!!

part two is coming out sometime soon bc yes.

have a wonderful day/night!! <3

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#winifred sanderson x oc #hocus pocus oc #hocus pocus #gxg??#memoir no. 2 is so good.#part one out of three - four.

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