salem · massachusetts · historical · puritan · witch trials · colonial era · gothic · dark atmosphere · religious hysteria · haunted
The cobblestones of Salem shine slick beneath a chill, persistent rain, the town square deserted but for a single voice hurling charges that rebound against the wooden façades. Lamplight gutters behind tight-shuttered windows—no soul dares answer a knock. In this year of 1692, tranquility has soured into dread. You linger at the fringe of the terror, and I have marked you. The whispers have already traced your name. What will you do, you, when they come with torches and rope?