‘She hit her head when she fell. Made a big thump. Blood trickled out of her ear. I saw it.’
‘She’ll recover. Your mam is strong. It’ll take more than a bump on the head to finish her off,’ I insisted, taking her hand.
Despite my reassuring words, I began to wonder if the girl’s mother might actually be dead. I didn’t like what she’d said about blood trickling out of her ear. Back in Pendle I’d once watched a boy climb a big tree, cheered on by his friends. He’d climbed too high, onto a thin branch that wouldn’t bear his weight. It had snapped and he’d plunged to the ground and hit his head on a rock. He’d bled from both ears and never woke up. They carried him home and I heard he’d died soon afterwards.
‘But what if Mam’s hurt and can’t walk? She might die of thirst without help. She might be dying now!’
With that, the little girl tore her hand free of mine and ran towards the door. I managed to catch her before she reached the top of the steps. Good thing I did, or there’d have been hell to pay. I carried her kicking and screaming back to her cage, locked her inside and was forced to feed her through the bars.
‘What’s your name?’ I asked when she’d finally calmed down.
‘Emily. My name’s Emily Jenks,’ she replied with a sniff.
‘Well, Emily, there’s no need to worry. Your mam will be fine.’
‘Will I ever see her again?’
‘Of course you will.’
‘Maybe it’d be better if Mam was dead,’ Emily said softly.
‘Why do you say that?’ I asked.
‘Because then I will see her again. We’ll be together again when we’re both dead.’
‘Don’t be silly, you’re just a child. It’ll be a long time before you die,’ I lied.
‘That isn’t what the fat lady said. She said we’d be given to those horrible things!’ Emily cried, pointing through the bars towards the nearest skelt cage; the occupant was staring at us with evident interest. ‘She said it would stick its long sharp snout into us and suck up our blood until our hearts stopped beating.’
Some of the nearer children heard that and started crying. I was appalled. The children were scared enough as it was. Why make it worse by telling them they were going to die in such a horrible way?
What kind of a monster was Betsy Gammon? In some ways she was far worse than the witches she kept. Without her, the killing would be random and less frequent. She organized the water witches and made the slaying of innocents happen on a bigger scale. Of course, this time Lizzie had started it, seeking the power of that egg.
‘Look – that’s not going to happen,’ I said, hoping one of the cackling hags from upstairs didn’t suddenly decide to pay the children a visit. ‘She’s just trying to scare you.’
‘Then why did you steal me from my mam and bring me here? And why are those creatures in the cages staring at us all the time. Are they hungry? Do they want our blood?’ Emily cried.
I was just as guilty as Lizzie. ‘Don’t worry, they ain’t going to get your blood,’ I said.
‘But the fat lady said they would.’
‘It ain’t true. I won’t let that happen.’
‘You’re only a girl. What can you do? The witches are fierce, with big teeth and claws, and there’s lots and lots of ’em!’
I thought for a moment before answering. Up until now I’d just tried to be cheerful and optimistic; to give the child some hope. Then words just flowed from my mouth as if my answer had come from somebody else.
‘I’m Alice, and I won’t let them hurt you: I can stop them. I can and I will!’
I must have said it with real conviction because the girl’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in astonishment. For the first time she seemed calm.
My business in the cellar finished, I walked back up the steps to ground level. I heard Lizzie and Betsy still chatting and laughing together upstairs. I couldn’t bear the sight of either of them, so I walked out into the yard and stared at the pond for a while, thinking things through.
How foolish I’d been to claim that I could prevent the child from being hurt. What could I actually do? I wondered.
Nothing! Nothing at all!
No . . . that wasn’t quite true. Within hours those children would all be dead, but I could do something for myself. I could run away from this terrible place so that when they died I would no longer be here. I wouldn’t be a murderer, then.
Not only that – I could escape from Lizzie. That way I wouldn’t have to become a witch.
But how badly would she want me back? Last time she’d known I was staying with Agnes Sowerbutts. And Agnes hadn’t been strong enough to protect me from such a strong malevolent witch. But this time I could flee far from Pendle, and Lizzie wouldn’t know where. Even if she managed to scry my whereabouts, she’d be too busy wielding the power from that leather egg to bother her head about me.
So why waste time? Better to go now, this very minute.
WITHOUT A BACKWARD glance, I left the yard and walked east, back in the direction of the canal. I intended to follow it south, but I wouldn’t be heading towards Pendle. I’d keep going until I was far beyond the County. They said the weather was warmer down south and that it didn’t rain as much. It would be good to get a bit more sun on my face. I hated this damp blustery County climate.
The light was beginning to fail, so the sun must be very close to the horizon. Not that there was much chance of seeing it. Low grey clouds were rushing in from the west. Soon it would rain.
I felt no lifting of my spirits, no happiness at the thought that I was leaving my old life for ever. In my chest, where my heart should have been, was a lump of cold lead that made it difficult to breathe. I kept seeing the hungry skelts and those frightened children in their cages. Seven of them would be sacrificed in order to release the power of the egg; the remainder would be given to those bloodthirsty creatures.
The further I walked, the worse I felt. Even if I were many miles away when they killed those children, I’d still be guilty, wouldn’t I?
I’d kept watch while Lizzie snatched the child and hurt – maybe even killed – the mother. There was more than one type of guilt: you might do something horrible that you later regretted. But you could also feel guilty for something that you’d not done! If I didn’t help the children in some way, that guilt would stay with me for the rest of my life.