One Night in Salem Read online

  One Night

  in Salem

  Selected by Amber Newberry

  Edited By Amber Newberry & Laurie Moran

  Proofread by Bret Valdez & Erin Crocker

  Copyright © 2017 FunDead Publications

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 0989472663

  ISBN-13: 9780989472661

  DEDICATION

  For those who love Halloween above all else.

  1

  The Lost Pages of Governor John Winthrop- Kathleen Halecki

  1

  2

  The Haunting of Lafayette Street- Amber Newberry

  7

  3

  Maiden from the Sea- Charles Reis

  21

  4

  Dust- Ellery D. Margay

  33

  5

  Uploaded Vengeance- Chad McClendon

  44

  6

  My Friend Mary- L.W. Bellin

  54

  7

  The Witch Who Blew in on the Storm- R.C. Mulhare

  62

  8

  Let’s Kill Her- Samantha Lucero

  73

  9

  Seaweed Heads- E.F. Sweetman

  84

  10

  A Spirited Party- Laurie Moran

  93

  11

  What They Did Not Know- Linette Kasper

  100

  12

  The House that Salem Feeds- Benjamin Thomas

  105

  13

  The Grimm Pumpkin- Heddy Johannesen

  111

  14

  Warlock’s Eye- Jim Towns

  119

  15

  Ellylldan- Jonathan D. Nichols

  127

  16

  Panic- Dan LeFever

  131

  17

  Wind Whispers- Erin Crocker

  135

  18

  A Ghostly Tour- Kevin Lewis

  139

  19

  A Woman of Substance- Nancy Brewka-Clark

  146

  20

  The Grieving Trees- Bret Valdez

  154

  21

  Sliding on Concrete- Steve Zisson

  166

  22

  Invoked- Jeremy Megargee

  173

  23

  A Bullet Hole in an Alley Wall on Gedney Street- Patrick Cooper

  176

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  We are eternally thankful to John Andrews for his continued support and Angie Reid for being a committed patron. Special thanks to Elizabeth Frost for giving us a place at The Witch House.

  1630

  The lost pages of governor john winthrop

  Kathleen Halecki

  Anno Domini, 1630, October 31, Monday

  I should not write of that which I have beheld this night, yet I must, for they have been grievous sights, indeed. It may well be that I will consign these pages to secrecy and bury them within the walls of this house, or burn them once the ink has dried, for they are a reminder of the burden I must carry with me to the grave. God willing, that will not be soon, so that I may protect this colony for many years to come. We must keep ourselves in a godly state and hold fast to our commonweal to survive this land upon which we now live. Lest we perish in our endeavors to tame these lands, and our colony disappears as in the example of Roanoke, I shall provide a brief account of this place we now call New England. First, I commend my soul into the hands of God, and I profess that I am of sound mind to write these truths as I have witnessed them with my own eyes.

  There have been English visitors to this soil in the preceding years under the reign of her most gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, but Captain John Smith, of Virginia colony fame, provided a map from his voyage of 1614 to show us the way. He declared it as a most excellent place for health and fertility and a more desired place for an English colony was not to be found of all the lands he had visited, the air being moderate and the lands full of fish and fowl, as well as many fruits growing in great abundance. He wrote of the natural quarries that existed, as well as the timber needed for housing. There was nothing to lead us to believe that our endeavors would not be met with success. The Company rejoiced at the news sent by those who first braved this new world to lay down a colony under Mr. Roger Conant, who left Plimouth for these parts in 1626. Of the many splendors we would find here were described by one of the earliest planters, Mr. John Woodbury, who returned to London with news of the progress made in the settlement. The land was as bountiful and plentiful as promised. In the winter of 1628 the Company received a patent from His Majesty, King Charles, incorporating the members into a body politic, making Mr. John Endecott the Governor and Deputy. Mr. Endecott is a man known to diverse persons of good note, who manifested much willingness to accept of the offer, which gave great encouragement to those who were undecided. He left aboard the Abigail on the twentieth of June, arriving on the sixth of September. A fort was raised and armed at Naumkeag for the purpose of the protection of the settlement.

  I myself boarded the Arabella, a ship of 350 tons, with Captain Peter Milburne as the master on the twenty-ninth of March, 1630. Within my company was a large number of some seven hundred persons with plentiful supplies, and our fleet consisted of eleven vessels, including the Arabella. The ships were the Talbot, Ambrose, Jewell, Charles, Hopewell, Mayflower, Success, Trial, Whale, and the William and Frances. It was a journey of forty days in which we encountered storms tossing us about, and many were sick. The losses we suffered of livestock we took as a matter of course. The ship came into the harbor at Naumkeag at four of the clock on Saturday morning on the twelfth of June. We were met by Mr. Pierce who returned with Mr. Endecott, where we disembarked and we supped on a good venison pastry before returning to the ship. Our arrival to this colony has added to the inhabitants, assuring our survival in this land with so many hands to work to our mutual benefit. I was to replace Mr. Endecott as governor, as laid out by the Company. He seemed relieved when I provided the letters of transfer aboard the Arbella, immediately upon our arrival. I did not know then of that affliction which he carried alone, to which I would soon share. He hinted to me that there was much to discuss.

  Certainly, these early planters wrote of the tribulations they endured so far from England, as would be expected from those having left the safety and familiarity of English shores. I was not aware of the sickness and death I was to encounter here. I was shocked to find sixty already dead, and the rest sick despite the efforts of Dr. Fuller, brought in from Plimouth. Governor Bradford and I decided that a day should be set apart for us to humble ourselves before God to beseech that He remove His wrath, which we did on June 30. I did not know that this was but a harbinger of our misfortunes to come.

  I had been told that the first harvest led to great rejoicing until the wolves began to appear in their midst in the early part of October. The natives here warned that these creatures are unafraid of man or beast and are bold enough that they will attack the bears. The livestock are easy prey and they ravage them no matter how closely they are kept. Several times in the month of October, the sound of howling could be heard from deep within the woods. This would be followed by the snapping of tree limbs and the pitiful screams from the animals as they were torn apart. Those who live further afield were terrified by the scratching at their doors and windows as these creatures attempted to get into the dwellin
gs. After, strange figures were seen crossing the fields, some like a cross betwixt man and beast, others like a black shadow. I experienced this myself but few weeks past and have come to learn that this has been a repeating pattern, but the worst was yet to come as the month drew to a close.

  Unaware of all that transpired prior to my arrival at this colony, I accepted Mr. Endecott’s invitation when he begged my presence at his home for the last night of the month of October, to which I felt both honored and obligated. Having removed myself to live south, I left from the Charles River to be assured to reach Salem long before supper, as he had pressed upon me the urgency of arriving early. Mr. Endecott prepared for me to spend the night, and I was surprised to see Mr. Skelton and his wife were both there believing that we would take supper alone, Mr. Endecott’s wife having died after a brief illness the first year they were here. Our talk was of religion as both Mr. Skelton and Mr. Endecott were determined for the company of believers to be joined together in covenant to bind ourselves to one another in faith. As the evening wore on, I noticed that Mr. Endecott had closed the shutters and a great pile of wood had been brought into the room.

  We had just finished our meal when before long, there was knocking at the door causing all present to jump in their seats. I turned to see Mr. Endecott grow pale, and he rose to put a log upon the fire. I began to feel the heat upon me almost immediately and questioned him about the knock. He put his finger to his lips and shook his head, but soon the knocking became pounding upon the door, until it seemed the wood would split from the violent shaking. There was the sound of long, drawn out breaths from the other side, and I felt a sense of dread come over me. I stood up from my place, but I was told to make no movement. It was clear that something was beyond the door moving outside. Soon, there was noise upon the roof, as if someone was walking across the beams. I moved swiftly to the small window, as if to move the shutters, and was stopped, to which I became confused. I saw the fear in the eyes of those present and heard a low growling above us as Mr. Endecott laid yet another timber upon the hearth. I soon understood that whatever creature was upon the roof was attempting to come down the chimney, being only halted by the insufferable heat.

  It became silent, only to be followed by a roar of wind which came from the northeast as the shutters rattled. The dishes fell as the floor began to shake beneath me. The heavy table rose and fell, causing all to move away as benches flipped back. Mr. Skelton was thrown to the ground and Mrs. Skelton began to weep and pray, her hands covering her mouth to stay as quiet as possible. Upon the opposite wall, I saw shadows flicker and run up the walls, as if made from the smoke. When they turned their heads to look at me, I was seized as though an invisible hand closed around my throat, and I found myself gasping for air. From what little I could see as I struggled to take breath, Mr. Skelton still remained on the floor convulsing, froth coming from his mouth. Mr. Endecott continued to feed the flames as small marks appeared on his hands and face as if he was being bitten. I was soon loosened from my unknown assailant and able to breathe, only to be met with a dark shadow that rose to tower above us. It was clearly the figure of a man, dark and menacing, much like the shadow figures on the wall, who seemed to dance in delight at our distress. I could not see any features on his face, but he raised his hands, and I saw before my eyes the shades of those who passed from this colony. I was gripped with a terror that penetrated deep within me as they filled the room, taunting those who lived. The horror of such a vision was made all the more frightening by the vision of my own dead son, who reached out for me. All that I could do was to shut my eyes and call upon the Almighty to deliver us. I found myself pricked, as with a needle, while I cowered before such images continuing in my prayers. I know not how long we suffered, only that it felt like an eternity. When the room became still, it was made clear to me that some hours had passed. Mr. Skelton lay quietly, reposing his head upon his wife’s lap, and Mr. Endecott looked sorrowful as he told me that he needed me to see for myself against what evil forces are among us.

  I should have known that something was dreadfully wrong. It became apparent why those in Salem shut themselves in before the last lingering light disappeared. My arrival had been met with somber faces and many stopped to offer me the Lord’s protection as I made my way among them. Mr. Endecott’s voice was grave and deeply distressed as he related to me how this happened the year before on precisely the same day. The colony had suffered strange apparitions, sickness, and many unusual deaths, but were determined to keep to their settlement as a people of God, even if it be the Devil’s territory. I immediately thought of my own son, Henry, who perished the day after his arrival aboard the Talbot, aged only twenty-two years. Having gone to the north fields with a group to explore, they spotted a canoe adrift in the water. As he was the only swimmer, he went out to get it, so that they did not have to walk the rest of the distance. He did not return. Those on shore swore they saw hands drag him under. He was a fair and strong swimmer, having spent his youth in the forest and the last of his years in the islands before accompanying me here. At first I believed that those who claim to have seen something drag him beneath the waters were distracted from the heat which caused them to have delusions. Now, I must believe that something is here in the wilderness with us. Of what, I know not.

  There are strange things afoot in this land, but it seems the month of October is damned, in particular. The northeast winds, known to bring bad tidings, begin to blow through New England. Mr. Endecott knows of one here among us, a sailor from Ireland, a Papist, who speaks in hushed tones of the thirty-first of October. Some of the simpler sort in the Irish countryside, call this night by its pagan name, referring to it as a Vigil of Saman. He related to Mr. Endecott that it is their ancient custom that the dead walk among the living this night, and he was warned as a child by his grandmother that the veil between that of the living and the dead is lifted. He has sworn that strange events have often befallen those who dare to venture out, and he himself refuses to stray far from ship or shore on this night. The Irish are known for the want of sufficient ministry and the miseducation of youth, due to their infiltration by priests who have seduced the people by false idols, and are in desperate need of religious reformation. There is little wonder that they believe in such fanciful tales, rather than see that the depths of Satan lie in hidden ways, and who shows his wrath in the place he is most despised.

  Some, such as Captain Smith, have declared it providence that a great plague struck these poor Native souls which raged for three years among them, along the coast. I fear this was just the beginning of the terrors that have befallen this place. Mr. Endecott was told by the sagamore, who once could command a force of thousands and now has less than three hundred men at his disposal, before they were struck with a great mortality, a strange site was beheld in the night sky, to which they took as an evil omen of things to pass. This would have taken place in 1616 and was seen in Europe, as well. The sick among them soon turned sallow, an illness Captain Smith declared to be the yellow fever, but which struck off entire families, mostly the youth of the land and their children. Their powahs, said to possess magical powers but whom our ministers declare do the Devil’s work, beseeched their god and offered to a spirit, whom they fear. I am told they call him Abbamocho or Hobamok, whom can appear in sundry form as a man, a deer, a fawn, an eagle, but most ordinarily a snake. The fear of the dark is caused by this spirit, said to live within the swamps, and they will spend the night in the home of an Englishman, rather than find themselves traveling at night. I cannot help but to think that we have set ourselves upon a broken land, and I do not know if this spirit they fear is what we know to be Satan. It may well be the Devil has taken up residence here.

  Reverend Mr. Higginson, that most worthy man, believed that Satan has been loosed upon this place and railed against him in his sermons before he was struck down. His idea to bless this place and name it Salem was to bring peace to this land. When the Natives heard of this new name
, they told him that no peace was to be found. I am afraid that Satan stalks our shores and is seeking to destroy our New Jerusalem by bringing a great wrath down upon us. As Reverend Mr. Higginson preached, Matthew 11:7: “What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?” We are not reeds to break easily in the wind but are of strong faith. If we do not keep ourselves within a godly state, agree upon religion, respect our ministers, keep to the Commandments, there is no telling what will be unleashed upon us, or our descendants, for generations yet to come. Satan has decided to disturb the godly who now reside in Salem and we must labor against these dark forces. I know not what the future has in store for this place, but we must not fall into that eternal ruin Satan is wont to bring about, but trust in the mysteries of the Eternal Glory of the Lord.

  For those who may read this, be warned and be wary of this night. Be strong in the perils you may face in this land as in Psalm 55:22: Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall nourish thee; He shall not suffer the righteous to be shaken.

  1963

  the haunting of lafayette street

  Amber Newberry

  Barbara stared up at the large Victorian house that stood tall on Lafayette Street, a short walk from her father’s apartment in downtown Salem. She clutched the collar of her olive-green mohair coat as the wind whipped up, pulling little strands of hair from her now-disheveled bouffant. She should’ve covered her fresh coif with one of her stepmother’s bonnets, but she’d politely declined, daggers in her sugared response, “No thanks, Donatella,” the teenage angst apparent in both voice and eye-roll.