Ray sat on the first row in front of his father as always. He fought to keep his eyes open and suppress the yawns, if his father caught him falling asleep in church he would surly kill him. As the priest finished the last prayer of the boring Sunday everyone left feeling moved and happy about waking up early and going to church, all except Ray. He was brought up as a Catholic just like everyone else in the small village of Swindon. The children made their way to Sunday school just next to the church, Ray dreamed of going to school with all the other normal children, but since he was to carry on the family business he was to remain in doors and study the bible. He sighed flicking through the thin pages, he'd spent his whole life living inside, he'd never even talked to another person. He heard loud chanting from outside and ran towards the window, he saw a young woman stripped of her clothes and being pulled towards the wooden pier. She screamed as the constable tied her blood covered body to the wooden pole, tears ran down her cheeks as she begged be to released but he had already began to burn her. Ray sighed and shut his bedroom window before returning to the book of lies that had ruined his childhood.
“Your missing the show son.” Ray's father, Godfrey, said.
“I'm studying father.” Ray said softly. Godfrey smiled at his son and walked towards the window watching the young girl burn. “I don't understand father, if the Lord is so forgiving then why do we burn people alive or torture them in such horrid ways? It doesn't seem right.” Ray said.
“Your will learn one day son. The Lord works in mysterious ways.” Godfrey smiled leaving the bedroom. Ray sighed and slammed the heavy book shut. He peered through the window staring at the dead girl, he shook his head and pulled the thin fabric across the window blocking out the sunlight. He fell onto his bed staring up at the ceiling. He hated his life. Every since his mother died when he was a young child his life had gone from bad to worse. Ray didn't believe in God. He didn't believe an old man with a long beard was in charge of how people lived their lives. If God was so forgiving then why did he let innocent people suffer the way they did? Ray asked himself that same question every day but he still had no answer. If God was really real then why did he let his poor mother die for no reason? She was a good, honest woman, a loving mother and devoted Catholic, Ray lost his faith the night she died. But if his father was ever to find out, the punishment would be more than unpleasant.
Mikey sat watching the day go by from his bedroom window, while he was stuck at home all day his older brother, Gerard, was at school. His family had very little money and could only afford to let one child get an education. He watched as the men took away the burnt body of the young girl. He hated the smell of a burnt body, the sound of the screams of the innocent girls that were burned alive for a slight misunderstanding. It was a no win case, if you were suspected of being a witch, that's it, there’s no way out of it. He saw a young boy with shoulder length jet black hair running across the cobbled street. Mikey's face lit up when he saw his older brother returning home. He ran down the stairs to greet his brother.
“Hi Gee.” He smiled.
“Mikey please, not tonight I'm exhausted.” Gerard said throwing his bag on the floor. “I'll teach you tomorrow.” Mikey gasped as he saw a red mark on his brother's arm.
“Gerard what-?” He asked pointing at the red mark.
“Don't ask.” He interrupted covering the mark with the sleeve of his jumper. “Where's mum and dad?”
“Mum's delivering the last load of yarn and dad's... you know...” Mikey mumbled. Gerard sighed, no matter how hard their father tried to cover up what he did, they knew what he was doing. The boy's father, Don, was a poacher. A man who illegally killed animals, whether they were on someone's land or from the woods, it was food for the family. Their mother earned very little for her work and since their father lost his job at the blacksmiths a few months back, it was getting more and more difficult to feed them, let alone keep the older brother in school. Gerard had to pay extra attention in school as he had to teach Mikey the same thing the moment he got back home. He felt terrible for leaving Mikey behind everyday but at the same time relieved that he didn't have to go through what went on at his school.
