Elizabeth – Chapter One
‘The mother had been dealt with, so, by order of the City Fathers, at dawn of that cold, December day, they now came for the daughter, Lizl. She had also been identified by the servant girl, Anja. Lizl was stripped naked and the witch’s mark searched for. When it was not found about her body, a special instrument with small, sharp, claw-like hooks on its end was dragged across her bare side. This did not draw blood but left a reddened impression on the skin, which was immediately confirmed as being the Devil’s Mark. She was asked if she wanted to confess but, although petrified, Lizl refused.
Lizl was then hung by her wrists in iron handcuffs, her feet some inches from the ground. She screamed and begged for mercy in her extreme pain, which became so unbearable, she passed out. Not to be robbed of their chance to extract a confession, Lizl’s torturers took her down and removed the manacles.
Now she would be taken to the village pond and be put through the ordeal of dunking. Lizl was tied to a chair that was elevated by ropes and a frame above the pond. She was lowered into the freezing water until she was completely submerged.
Her torturers watched her struggling for breath below the surface, and just before she was about to be rendered unconscious, they raised the chair. Barely able to speak, Lizl was asked if she now wanted to confess. She refused and was instantly put back into the water for longer. Hardly alive, Lizl was lifted out of the pond again.
This time, the young, innocent girl, once she regained some life, admitted to being a witch. She confessed to having committed incest and sex with demons at the witches’ Sabbath. She also confessed to having stolen men’s penises.
Later that day, along with her mother, Marie, Lizl was burned at the stake.’
“We’ll be comin’ up ti stop before Bridgeford,” the driver called back along the bus to Elizabeth.
“Oh, thank you,” she replied, closing the book and putting it into her shoulder bag.