As The Raven Flies

On the way back to Salem from the docks, the aunt and two misfits walked the dirt trail peacefully under the canopies of autumn trees, which made Evelyn and Dorothy bubble with curiosity.

Evelyn being the oldest has seen countrysides, but she was completely whiplashed in this new world while her shaking boots were digging in the soft soil whenever she'd walk slow only to look around.

Evelyn had it convinced that was in heaven.

"Are we there yet, Lydia? We've been walking for an hour now." Evelyn asked her aunt with only addressing her by her real name, still looking around.

Lydia nodded to her, "Yes, dear."

"Good, because I'm getting tired.." Little Dorothy complained from behind because she was too small and tired to catch up with the other speed.

Aunt Lydia smiled back at Dorothy before stopping then picking up her niece into her arms, "I'm not as rich as I was in London, so I couldn't hire a wagon driver for us. I'm sorry, little dear."

Evelyn rolled her dark eyes as she continued to walk by herself now without even waiting for her relatives; soon, Evelyn was so far ahead that they both looked like ants in the very far distance she managed to walk in such a very short time.

"It's so pretty here.." Evelyn said to herself, then out of nowhere a rotten stench flowed into her nose which made her cough in disgust, "What could that nasty stench be?" She looked around for any signs of where it could have come from until she saw something.

"Evelyn!" Aunt Lydia called up to her, slowly catching up now since Dorothy was actually somewhat heavy despite her short size, "What are you doing so far up there, my dear? Come back here to us, please."

Slowly, Evelyn backed away from the sign she saw to only turn back then run towards her aunt and little sister, "Does anyone live out here in these woods?" She asked cautiously.

The youthful maid shook her head, "No, only the witches do."

Evelyn nodded hesitantly at her aunt because she herself was hoping what she saw wasn't real.

Aunt Lydia held Dorothy slightly tighter against herself for the girl had fallen asleep from being so tired like she mentioned before, "Why do you ask?"

Considering in only the hour and a half the family has been enjoyed Evelyn was often very opinionated, and so this concerned her aunt.

 "No reason," Evelyn lied, "I was just wondering because if this is free woodland, then maybe Dorothy and I can take walks around and explore-"

"The woods are not safe here, Evelyn!" Aunt Lydia abruptly warned her without reason.

Evelyn looked down lightly at her sister without care because all she wanted to do was leave.

Lydia sighed to her niece, "Come along now, we are very close...just around the bend or so then we'll be in the gates of Salem."

The eldest nodded with her head low to stare at her hands that were holding each other as they trembled slightly.

Still, they kept walking, and Evelyn kept looking back up at the sky; in the sky, was a cloud of gray haze that spiraled up to the sky like a beacon.

With that haze, Evelyn knew the woods were inhabited because she knew that cloud was smoke from a fire somewhere beyond the trees where she couldn't tread.

Nonetheless, she decided to believe in her aunt she hasn't seen in eight years because she didn't want to think the worst of this place so soon.

Only what Evelyn could think to be twenty minutes later, she found herself inside what she hoped to be Salem since she was so tired of walking for that long without rest; unless she included stopping to talk to her aunt concerning the haze she saw yonder of the treetops that she just remembered was out there in the unknown.

For the first time in a long while of being on a ship for three months with herself, her shadow and her sister then maybe the dockman, she was starting to think the ways she did before of being a curious child.

Maybe, being in Salem was all she needed.

"Why did you stop, dear? We're here." Lydia told her with her usual soft tone.

Now breaking her beliefs and turmoils, Evelyn looked to her booted feet that she didn't even know had ceased when her mind started to go.

But even so with everything she was thinking over, she still decided to stay quiet of the smoke she saw, thus resulting her to pause being a curious child since she was incapable to ask questions that she couldn't.

"I apologize, Lydia, my head was in the clouds," Evelyn confessed childly with a small smile on her face after mentioning her aunt's name again without a care.

Aunt Lydia scrunched up her nose wanting so desperately to release an absolute tirade at Evelyn about how a lady should be and act.

Except, she sighed to control her rage after all repaying her backstabbing brother was on the line, so she controlled her anger with a sigh and lightly brushing Dorothy's sleepy head.

Unamused, eldest Evelyn looked around behind her aunt to spot an odd rounded shape that looked to be slowly escalating their awkward stepping with an oddly shaped cane, "Lydia, who is that there behind you?" She asked with her hand pointed out over her aunt's shoulder which made her aunt turn around.

Lydia turned around to see the bell-shaped man that she only saw hours ago, "Minister Acros, we were just heading towards the judge's court so then I may introduce my little nieces, and to hopefully see you there as well!"

Minister Acros wheezed in his sleeve after making his final stop near Lydia, he eventually coughed while trying to speak, "Yes, I saw you three outside my church window up there.."

Evelyn's eyes rounded at the stout man to get a better look at him now that he wasn't so far away; she noticed closely salt stained armpits, a flood of sweat trickling down his forehead, and skin as red of a lobster.

Without even an ounce of hardship, this made Evelyn smile to see such a sight like this of a man that was so short that he was even shorter than her only reaching her neck.

"Minister, follow me to my cabin and I'll fetch you a drink of water." Lydia offered to him with concern that Evelyn obviously lacked, "Which reminds me, Evelyn I'll also be showing you where I live too so then perhaps later you can look around if you're up to that?"

"Why not," Evelyn said with a scold towards her Aunt.

Lydia continued to brush Dorothy's head now that she found a way to relieve stress that Evelyn was giving her, "Very well, the two of you follow me then." She bit back with her teeth clenched once she began to lead them around the other cabins towards her own.

The short trip around made Evelyn notice another thing about her new home now that it was her Aunt's own household, she found out that the cabin had no windows.

Aunt Lydia opened the door with one hand to let Minister Acros and Evelyn walk in before her so then she could look more polite in front of her caretaker in church.

Eventually, Lydia walked in after them to then rest Dorothy in her bedroom for free hands to get Minister Acros what she promised him, "Evelyn while I'm getting the minister his drink of water, why don't you talk to him for a while, please?"

Before Evelyn could muster up a snarky remark, Lydia stepped outside with a bucket and a mug in order to get a drink from the well that they passed was in the courtyard of town.

Now, it was Evelyn and the bell-shaped man.

Minister Acros looked around the cabin more curiously instead of Evelyn, which made her theorize he's never been in here either..but, why he was so curious unsettled her slightly.

"So.." Minister Acros coughed in his sleeve awkwardly, "How long are you to be staying in Salem? Awhile? Months?" He asked, prodding the question almost desperate for a response.

"Forever." She responded with her arms folded.

Acros nodded, making his way past her towards Lydia's bedroom, "You'll be attending Mr. Bailey's school then?"

Evelyn followed him, "Mr. Bailey?"

The minister craned his head around as if he were looking for something, but rather it would be without assistance since the person he was with knew nothing.

"Lydia warned me that I'd be attending the school here, but she never told me anything about there being a Mr. Bailey." She said quickly for the distracted man to click.

Acros coughed in his sleeve to focus again, "Your aunt knows right..especially after what went on a fortnight ago.." He trailed off, then coughing again with quick feet to carry him out of Lydia's bedroom then back to the room they were in before.

Evelyn stalled awhile to look down at her sister who was still sleeping peacefully, a small smile stretched on her face before pulling a blanket over her, "What happened?" She asked, heading off into the room he was at now.

Again, Acros coughed on his words, but he had no reply except for dark eyes lingering over her without a way to explain something so horrific to a child.

"So sorry that it took too long." Lydia sighed in exhaustion, "I nearly dropped the bucket of water back in the well.."

"That's all right, Lydia!-I was about to go anyway, so you may have my water since you're so tired." He offered to Lydia with a squeak in his tone, his gaze drifting over Evelyn with curiosity because he didn't know how much little information he gave her.

Either way, the bellman wobbled to the door as he tried to fit his gut behind Lydia to eventually exit outside the doorway, "Your niece is an absolute delight, Lydia, I hope to see her in church soon and being mentioned in good class reports from her teacher Mr. Bailey!" He hiccuped clumsily for mentioning that name again.

"Yes, goodbye-" Lydia paused, seeing Minister Acros tumble away from the cabin.

Evelyn walked over to Lydia's side to also watch the rounded man disappear beyond the other cabin's until they saw him vanish completely inside the church.

The two stayed there for only a few more minutes until Lydia gave up her thoughts on something not worth her mind since an odd man like Minister Acros was so simple to understand.

"Are we really going to that mad man's church?" Evelyn complained.

"Of course we are," Lydia answered firmly, closing the door behind them.

"Why?" Evelyn sighed annoyed.

Lydia went into her kitchen to set down everything that was used to get Minister Acros's useless drink on her counter, "As the raven flies."

"Raven?" Evelyn chirped at her childishly.

Lydia nodded, "The straight and narrow, something to never be broken off its path until a destination of some sort of privilege."

Finally, Evelyn was curious, "But the raven?"

Aunt Lydia got a dry rag to dry out the drops of water at the bottom of the bucket after dumping it in a dishes bucket, "A bird of hunt that always sets on a plan with ingenious attempts in order to get what they want,"  She smiled at her niece, "So, I have a plan for you and your sister to enjoy Salem and there is nothing stopping me."