"The museum will close in 15 minutes." "Hmm, "washing."" "Foul things." ""ture." "Aura." "Sangloi."" "Sangloi." "Better late than never." "But better never late." "How are you, elizabeth?" "I'm marvelous, mary." "I couldn't be better." "I can hardly believe almost another year has gone by." "And I've thought about you so often." "Well, you look wonderful." "No, I don't." "You look like a million dollars." "I gather it was a good year." "The best ever." "I could do no wrong." "Everything I touched turned to gold." "And every time something terrific happened," "I honestly wanted to see you" "And tell you all about it." "We ought to get together more often." "This is no get-together, elizabeth!" "This is the anniversary!" "Did you bring it?" "Yes, but let me tell you about" "My good fortune first." "I hardly know where to begin." "Let's see." "Well, I took all of my money" "And I invested it in stocks." "They, um, split, or whatever it is" "That stocks do, and I made $500,000." "I got involved in some" "Charity work, and boston magazine wanted" "To make me bay state woman of the year." "Isn't that a stitch?" "One of us- if they only knew." "Well, tell me about your year." "It was dreadful." "One catastrophe after another." "First, my well ran dry." "Then lightning struck the house." "There was a terrible fire, and there were huge damages." "Somehow, I had let my insurance policy lapse," "So the repairs nearly cleaned me out." "And after all that, puss died." "Puss died?" "Oh, god, mary, how awful." "I know the two of you" "Have been together forever." "What was it, old age?" "She was poisoned." "When I get my talisman back" "And find out who did it," "There'll be hell to pay." "Now hand it over." "I'd like to, mary, but it's too early." "Venus will not be in conjunction with mars" "For another two weeks." "you're not trying to tell me" "How to read the stars, are you?" "It certainly sounds as if you'd had a trying time." "A-and I really do see why you're anxious for the transfer." "Elizabeth," "I have had the worst year of my life," "And I have lived" "A long time." "Give me the talisman, elizabeth," "Or, by the devil, you will rue the day" "You trifled with me." "All right." "You're upset." "You're positively ill with desire for what you want." "I know the feeling." "But feelings have very little to do with facts." "The stars and their motions are as indifferent" "To your cravings as they are to mine." "You've got to wait two more weeks." "You skeevy witch!" "You would try to steal the talisman." "Anta..." "Ashtu..." "Antu..." "Mau!" "Mary doyle..." "I can't..." "Anta..." "Ashtu..." "Mary, stop that!" "Mary!" "Anta, ashtu..." "Anu..." "Ana!" "I can't brea..." "This is what I should have done 300 years ago." "Loi, sangloi, sangloi..." "Oh, no, please!" "Please don't close the door!" "Oh, god, let me out!" "It's all lies they've told you about me!" "None of it's true!" "Oh, no!" "Oh, god, the witch hobbes." "Oh, please, don't leave me in here with her!" "What happened, goody eaton?" "Did they find out what you've been letting" "Giles corey do to you in the barn?" "You vile hag," "He was helping me bale the hay." "More like sow the seed, wasn't it?" "Oh, no need to pretend for us." "We know you." "You sit in the front pew in the church" "And lie on your back in the barn." "I've seen you." "I've seen you." "It was you." "You were that toad." "Huh?" "That foul, dirty, croaking old toad." "That was you!" "You've been spying on me!" "You watch your tongue." "I'm as clean as the next one." "Let me out." "Please, please let me out!" "You've got no evidence!" "They're all lies!" "I'm not a witch!" "A witch?" "They're taking you for a witch?" "Oh!" "The ignorant fools!" "What do they think we are?" "They have five magistrates," "Two courts and a brand-new gallows." "And I hear they've even sent for increase mather" "All the way from boston" "To help them sort out their testimonies." "And they have taken you for a witch." "Oh!" "Let all women of massachusetts" "Get in their houses and bar the doors!" "Nobody's safe." "It was that lying mercy warren who accused me." "She says I come to her house by night" "And lie across her body till she can't breathe." "She pretends to take fits." "Her body's all covered in sores." "Every inch of it." "Some terrible disease." "God only knows who gave it to her." "But she's blaming me!" "Ooh, wonderful." "Mercy warren is a mean little creature." "And we've been working ever so long" "On those sores, haven't we?" "Then she wasn't pretending." "You've been tormenting her." "Help me!" "Help me, please!" "It was her!" "It was the witch hobbes!" "Oh, save your breath to cool your porridge." "Don't deny it." "It was a black day for me when you came to essex village." "You killed my cow!" "And you cut down my vines!" "They were growing on my fence." "Your fence is on my property!" "You lie!" "You own the ground" "Your evil-smelling shack stands on" "And not an inch more!" "You are shrill and rude," "And you'd best mind your manners!" "Who invited you to this god-fearing place with your" "Black arts?" "The devil himself, so watch out." "I go where I please and where my master sends me." "Ha!" "If you're so powerful, why are you locked up in here?" "I lost it." "That's the source of my trouble." "He gave it to me, and then I lost it." "I still have my witch's learning," "But, without my talisman, I cannot command my own destiny." "But I'll have it back." "And when I do, you'll know." "You'll be dead by then." "You watch your tongue." "Hung from new gallows, your neck cracked in half." "Birds will peck at your flesh!" "You curse me enough!" "My talisman!" "Ha!" "Away, witch!" "Stand back!" "It works." "You see what I found in my barn?" "That'll teach you to go snooping around" "Where you don't belong, you old hag!" "Machif, halik!" "Machif, halik!" "Atini darli." "Stop that!" "Atini darli!" "Give it to me, my little one." "You don't want to keep the devil's plaything." "It's dangerous." "You could hurt yourself." "No." "I've seen what it can do, and I want to learn more." "Not silly, stupid, dirty old tricks like the ones you play" "Teasing hysterical girls, giving animals the colic." "What good is that?" "You make a few simple people afraid." "They step aside as you walk by." "Of what use is their fear?" "I want to make this bring me every good thing in life" "The biggest house in the village," "The richest man for a husband." "You two-faced whore." "Shut up!" "You mean to keep it." "Chaste lady." "Delicate feelings." "Oh, you show the world such an innocent face," "But your heart is as black as mine." "Now..." "Give it to me!" "Or I will blast you to the devil himself." "It's mine now." "Sangloi, ture..." "Sangloi..." "Ture..." "Aura, sangloi..." "What in the name of all hell?" "I killed you dead." "No, you didn't." "You couldn't." "Not like that." "Not with this." "Diabolic stench." "You have become one of us." "Where were you just now" "While you were dead?" "Don't know." "I traveled." "I didn't see a path, but..." "Suddenly I was there." "Alone?" "No, no, with sarah proctor and abigail williams" "And two women from boston who didn't tell me their names." "Yes, the coven." "And then there was a big man all dressed in black" "With-with-with..." "With a gap between his teeth." "Did he ask after me?" "Oh, no." "He had more important things on his mind." "We-we sat together for a while on a tree stump" "And watched the others." "Sarah had a yellow bird" "That-that-that sucked her right there." "And abigail, she had a..." "A thing with wings" "And two legs and a head like a woman." "It was all hairy." "She set it on her lap and stroked it like a baby." "Yes, what else, what else?" "And then the big man told me that he loved me." "And that he'd give me a creature like sarah's and abigail's" "If I'd be his wife," "And sign my name in blood in a big, black book." "He said that I'd have power over all my enemies," "And that this- this was his present to me" "For all eternity." "The unfaithful cheat." "He has deserted me." "You needn't worry, mary." "I turned him down." "What?" "!" "What do I want with horrid little creatures" "Pawing at me, and spells that do others harm" "And don't help me?" "And I certainly didn't intend to make love with him." "His body is so peculiar, don't you think?" "I'll wager he was very angry when you turned him down." "Hmm, you made the right choice." "He's disloyal" "With the soul of an adulterer." "Yes, I'd tell him that to his face." "Now..." "Give me my talisman, my pretty one," "And I shall have us out of here in no time." "Oh, no, I'm going to keep it." "It was a present." "It's going to bring me every good thing in life." "It's going to bring you death first." "Give it to me." "Oh, didn't I tell you, mary?" "The man taught me a funny little song," "And told me that if I sang it," "It would bound the talisman to me forever." "Do you think I sang it, mary?" "I hope that didn't hurt you too much." "You've ruined me." "You've stolen my treasure away." "I have no more power." "Remember that, when you listen to my proposition." "Now I have the talisman," "But I don't know enough about how to use it." "And I certainly don't want any more commerce" "With you know who." "I'm not an evil person." "I just want a nice life." "Nicer than one I could get all by myself." "I intend to be the first lady of essex," "But I need your help to do it." "Therefore, I'm willing to strike a bargain with you." "If you will show me how to use this thing," "I'll let you have it from time to time." "Never." "Trial and error will show me, if you will not." "That is potent magic." "Mustn't be fooled with." "One year for you, one year for me." "Two for me and one for you." "Oh, demon's breath!" "Will you listen to her?" "Power without knowledge is useless." "You could die an old woman before you learn its secrets." "Or you could be hung first." "But I could show you how to live forever." "Always young, hmm?" "If you will share it with me equally." "All right, agreed." "But you're not going to cheat me." "We'll swear a solemn pact by the old boy himself." "One year for you and one year for me." "What a cunning girl you are." ""by the old boy himself"!" "How quickly she learns." "Do it." "When venus conjoins with mars," "We meet here again and make the exchange." "One year for you, one year for me." "Not one moment more." "Swear it by the old boy himself" "And by the talisman." "I swear, if you do." "I swear." "Utter destruction on the head" "Of she who dares to break this pact!" "That's the second time you've tried to kill me, mary." "Curse my luck." "I never thought the talisman would protect you," "After you tried to break the faith." "Oh, god, you should know me better than that by now, mary." "I would never take a chance like that," "No matter how badly I wanted something." "You see," "I'm quite sure that there are two weeks left" "Before the anniversary." "But go on" "Take it." "Still keeping up appearances, aren't you?" "Always the perfect lady." "Never meaning any harm." "Gets boring after 300 years, elizabeth." "I told you then and I tell you now, you don't fool me." "There is no end to your greed and lust." "But that's all right, I admire that." "What I hate about you is that you will never come clean." "For once in your life, tell the truth." "knock down the pretenses." "You loathe me as much as I loathe you." "You were trying to steal the talisman, weren't you?" "And you were doing it with giles corey in the barn." "I told you there were two weeks left." "Now you've broken the pact, and look what's happened." "I didn't need to burn your house or kill puss" "To get back at you, after all." "Surprised?" "You always did underestimate me, mary." "Just because I like things nice," "I'm..." "I'm a hypocrite." "Inferior, not quite a real witch." "You think magic is all croaking frogs" "And midnight trysts with demon lovers." "Mud and blood and spit and nastiness." "Well, I'm tired of it." "tired of your jabs." "Tired of watching you use the talisman" "For such petty, stupid tasks." "I took you on, mary." "And I won." "And now I get to be a witch forever." "Year in and year out." "If I pick you up..." "Will you scratch me?" "Come along, mary." "I mean..." "Puss." "You're going to like marblehead." "No, no, puss." "You can't have the talisman."