*Lila*
The indigenous women melt back into the trees behind us, and a hollow shiver runs through me. For a moment, I had felt some measure of safety in their quiet kindness, but now I’m in Salem, a place where people are hanged, and the weight of history presses down on me, making my heart race as I realize how truly out of place, and out of time, I am.
Rebecca Nurse leans closer to me, her voice low. “Are you hurt? You must be frozen solid.”
“Maiden,” one of the women says, taking my wet dress from my hands. “What is your name?”
“Lila,” is all I can muster.
A calm voice replies, “I’m Sarah.” She glances at the others behind her. “This is Mary, Susannah, and Rebecca. We’ll take you to Rebecca’s house. It’s not far from here.”
Rebecca Nurse walks at the center, her back crooked and
