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“Did you hear what she said?! Spouting such sinful nonsense! She’s Lucky the neighbors didn’t hear she could’ve been stoned or worse!”
“Did you punish her?”
“Swiftly! Beat the devil out of her I did! She’s locked in the wardrobe praying! She won’t come out until she stops shaming gods name!”
Caleb stepped into their tiny living room, tired and dirty from a long days work on the farm. He kicked off his shoes as he listened to his parents yelling.
“Mother? Father? What’s happened?” He ask while walking into the kitchen. The very place his mother and father were screaming about his sinful sister. ”oh Caleb!” His mother spoke in a Fretting manor. “It’s your sister the devils got her again! She thinks she’s a boy now!”
Caleb‘s eyes narrowed in confusion. “A what? A boy? but why? She’s a girl.”
“We don’t know Caleb.” His mother said with a worried… or perhaps it was disappointed, shake of her head. “But we gave her the proper punishment. She’s now locked away in the wardrobe and She won’t come out until she’s pure again.”
Caleb gave a small nod and began heading up the stairs to their shared bedroom.
“You better not speak with her young man!” His father shouted harshly. “Leave her be! We don’t want to encourage this sin! Pretend she’s not even there!”
Caleb looked back at his father once he was at the top of the staircase and gave a respectful smile. “I wouldn’t even entertain the thought father.”
He reassured and headed into his room.
The room was dark and quiet. The only sounds to be heard were the crickets and frogs outside. As well as the soft whimpers and whispers coming from the large wardrobe in the far right corner of the room.
Caleb flicked on an Oil lamp that sat on the nightstand between their 2 beds. “Charity?” He called softly, wanting his sister to know he was there. It was silent for a time before she called back just as softly if not more. “Caleb?” Her voice sounded choked with tears.
The eldest Wittebane sibling quietly walked over to the wardrobe and unlocked it. He was fearful of his parents even hearing his footsteps less they come up and punish him as well. He knew better than to interfere with his sister’s punishments but he had never seen his parents so angry and he was worried.
Rightfully so for when he opened the wardrobe door he saw his little sister. She was on her knees as any good woman should be while praying. Her tiny bruised and bleeding hands clasped tightly before her face. Her fingertips were turning white from how strongly they pressed against the tops of her hands.
Her wrist were bruised, swollen and bleeding from how many lashings she had received from the belt. It was likely her back or bum was injured as well but Caleb couldn’t see that through her brown dress. The white apron which covered her knees was covered in blood stains. She’ll likely get punished for that too.
“Charity.” he spoke softly it was only then that she looked up at him. Caleb did his best to keep the worry out of his face, not wanting to alarm his sister. He knew he shouldn’t question his parents they were only following God’s will but This seemed so cruel. She was just a little girl! Only 8! She probably didn’t even know what she was talking about when saying she was a boy, or wanted to be a boy.
He stared down into those big blue eyes of hers, red and puffy from crying. “W-what are you doing?” She asked softly, voice hoarse from hours of soft crying and whispered prayers.
Caleb let out a soft sigh and motion with his head for charity to scoot over. She did and Caleb sat down next to her. He let out another sigh as he rested his hands on his knees. The 2 sat there for awhile, listening to the chirps of the crickets and the softening whimpers of charity herself.
Caleb didn’t even know what to say and he was sure charity wouldn’t be breaking the silence anytime soon. finally after a short while of thinking Caleb spoke up.
“How about… next time we play together… we play a new game..”
Charity sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand as she glanced over at her brother. “A-a new game?” She asked, confused that he would bring up playing at a time like this.
“Yeah!” He smiled excitedly. “Why don’t we play witch hunters!”
“But only men can be witch hunters.” Charity pointed out sadly.
“I know!” Caleb continued his smile never leaving. “We can play witch hunters and you can play pretend as a boy! You can even be a witch hunter General! Only the best and strongest men are Generals!” He excitedly clenched his fist.
“If you play pretend as a boy maybe that’ll get this sin out of your head! And you’ll see that it’s not very fun being a boy and you’ll realize you like being a girl!” Caleb wanted to help his sister but he wasn’t sure how. He knew he didn’t want to hurt her, like their parents did, and he knew prayer didn’t always work (as sinful as it was to think that.) So, maybe they could cure the sin this way!
Charity seemed doubtful, maybe even a little fearful of the idea but she trusted her brother and was willing to do anything if it meant her soul could be free of this sin.
She nodded. “Okay, w-we can try that…”
Caleb smiled and the room fell into a soft silence again. Until he broke it once again.
“Hmmm.” He hummed, placing a finger to his bottom lip in thought. “We’ll have to think of a boy name for you. For when we play.”
He glanced over at Charity who now had her knees pulled up to her chest, hugging them. He smiled. “What about Belos?”
She smiled a little and gave him a soft punch on the arm. “That’s just a fancy way of saying beautiful.”
“Well you are!” He chuckled and rubbed his arm.
Charity leaned back against the wardrobe, looking up in thought. “What if we used uncle‘s name?” She questioned softly.
“You mean uncle Philip?” Caleb asked a little surprised by the choice.
Charity gave a tiny nod. “Yes. I’ve always liked that name.” She turned her head to look at her older brother, almost like she was asking for his approval.
Caleb hummed. “Witch hunter General Phillip. I like it. Has a nice ring to it!”
Charity smiled, her tear stained eyes lighting up.
There’s that light and joy Caleb always loved to see. He would do anything to keep that little light shining.
“Then it’s settled once you’re all better we’ll play witch hunters! Okay?”
**************************************
“Philip!!” Caleb screamed as he looked back at his brother who was vigorously writing in his journal just a few feet behind Him; as the two ran from a ginormous bird demon.
The game of witch hunters had not made the sin go away. If anything it made it worse. But it made Philip so happy and Caleb never wanted to hurt his brother, Never wanted to see him so broken again so, he kept changing the game as the years went by.
Any time Philip would panic that he was living in sin Caleb would reassure him. “It’s just pretend, remember. You can go back to being a girl any time you want! Besides! We’re doing god’s will! What better disguise to fool witches to their own death then a pretty man with a comforting voice.”
So Caleb would keep telling him that and Philip would tell himself that as well. He’s just disguised as a man, not really one, the perfect trap for witches!
Besides in Caleb‘s eyes if god really hated something that made his brother so happy maybe god wasn’t worth following. Maybe god wasn’t that loving. But he’d never tell his beloved little brother that.