Night had fallen and with it the demons that had so possessed Sarah earlier that day. A black cauldron bubbled at the side of a stoked fire within their quaint cottage. Sarah stirred the cabbage and potato soup while staring, mesmerized into the flames. Her head hurt. She remembered very little of her day, and wondered where it had gone. She barely recalled picking up the children from school or returning to the cottage.
"Matthew, bring me the dishes," she said.
Her son retrieved six wooden bowls from a cabinet on the opposite end of the room. Sarah added a ladle full of broth to each bowl, except for the last; only a spoonful or two remained.
Sarah watched her kids eat before she sipped at her soup. The cabbage added a little texture and the potato a little substance, but the rabbit bones added no noticeable flavor. The Goodmans had eaten the marrow from them several nights earlier.
After dinner, the children situated themselves on a rug by the fireplace. Sara opened a tattered bible and read several verses from the Acts of the Prophets. She sang a gentle hymn, soothing the children asleep. Then covered them, kissing them one by one, before cleaning up dinner.
A light tap sounded from outside as was the ritual. Sarah opened the door, inviting a brisk air into the cottage.
"Hullo my dear." Mr. Peters kissed her cheek.
He wore a suit, though the light was too dark to accurately detect its color; Sarah guessed it was blue. In one hand he held a cane and the other a small pale.
"Spreading your goodness around Salem?" she asked. "At this late hour?"
"No ma'am, I've saved all of my goodness for you my love." Mr. Peters brushed pass Sara, removing his coat and laid it with his hat on the table.
"Is that so?" Sara asked. The memory of Mr. Peters' wife in the square today, caught Sara by surprise. "Isn't your wife jealous? Or doesn't she know?"
"Mrs. Peters knows of my passion to help widows and orphans." He sat on the bed and began to unbutton his shirt.
"There was a time when you helped."
Mr. Peters stood and embraced her, though she turned away.
"Come now, Sarah. Have I not been good to you?"
She relaxed in his arms, but her headache persisted. "Yes, you have been good. And I have been grateful. But see that we are out of food, and I haven't two pence so that I might obtain more."
"God has asked me to serve my fellows that are less fortunate than I." Mr. Peters pulled several coins from his, from which he selected two pennies and placed them on the table.
As he continued with the routine, Sarah thought of the rabbit hindquarter and potatoes she would purchase in the morning.
