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"False
Witness"
Brandon, a small New England Town, 1692
DORCAS MILLER (14) is collecting eggs on
her mother, ANNE’s farm. DORCAS’S
friend SARAH KENT (15) comes over to get
eggs for her father’s tavern.
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| Sarah
meets Jess as she walks home |
SARAH
shows DORCAS a trick which she learnt from
her father’s black slave, HEPSIBAH.
SARAH says that it is possible to see your
future husband by staring into egg whites.
She shows DORCAS how it is done.
DORCAS gets very upset and screams when
she believes she sees a skull in the white
of the egg.
ANNE
hears her daughter’s screams and runs
to see what the matter is. ANNE tells SARAH
off for introducing DORCAS to a "devil’s
game." After her scolding by ANNE,
SARAH moodily walks home along a track and
slips in the mud. JESS, a traveller, walks
up and gives her a hand. SARAH is impressed
by JESS and he stays at her father’s
tavern that night.
SARAH
introduces JESS to her father, GEORGE KENT,
at his tavern. HEPSIBAH fetches JESS a cider.
She, too, is very impressed by JESS. SARAH
likes to think that she conjured JESS up
using witch craft. She tells this privately
to HEPSIBAH.
REVEREND
JUDD introduces himself to JESS in the street
and arranges him a job and lodgings on ANNE
MILLER’s farm. He says that JESS should
leave KENT’s tavern as soon as possible,
implying that the KENTS are less desirable
than the MILLERS.
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| Anne
is put on trial for witchcraft |
KENT
is annoyed that JUDD arranged for JESS to
leave. SARAH and KENT both question whether
JESS going to live with two young women
may lead to trouble. JESS assures them that
he will be sleeping in the barn.
ANNE and DORCAS both instantly get on with
JESS and he fits in well. He does a number
of labouring type jobs around the farm.
One
day DORCAS sees ANNE removing a splinter
from JESS’ hand and overhears ANNE
suggesting that JESS start sleeping in the
house instead of the barn. She wonders if
something is going on between JESS and ANNE.
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| A
trial is held but Anne is found not
guilty |
A
few days later DORCAS, entering the house,
sees JESS with his arms around ANNE. She
runs off, distraught and believes her worst
fears have been realised. She tells SARAH
that she saw ANNE and JESS "making
love," although JESS was only holding
her fully clothed in the kitchen.
That night in the tavern SARAH has a violent
fit, shaking and frothing at the mouth.
HEPSIBAH tells KENT that she believes SARAH
is being possessed. KENT calls in JUDD who
attempts to exorcise the witchcraft from
SARAH. He appears to succeed temporarily
until she has a vision that night. In the
vision she claims to see ANNE as a spectre.
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| All
the ladies are impressed by Jess |
ANNE
is put on trial for witchcraft. DORCAS has
her doubts about going through with the
trial but SARAH persuades her by saying
she owes it to her father.
ANNE denies all of the accusations put to
her. JESS enters and also says that the
accusations are false. JESS is accused of
being ANNE’s evil creature.
DORCAS claims she saw JESS with his arms
tight around ANNE. JESS explains saying
he was simply comforting ANNE, who was missing
her dead husband and deeply distressed.
The WITCH FINDER passes verdict that ANNE
is not guilty and is free to go. DORCAS
and ANNE put things right and start again.
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