The House on the Hill

"Where are the boys?" Samantha asked.

"They're coming back from the fields."

The doors opened and the boys filed in, marching in two columns like soldiers. They lined up at their respective tables and sat down as one. Behind them came Miss Brigham, who gasped and hurried over to Samantha's table. "Oh dear, what happened to you?" she asked loud enough that everyone in the dining room turned to stare.

"A little accident," Samantha whispered. She looked down at the table, but still felt everyone staring at her. "It's nothing serious, really."

"We should see the reverend about this immediately." Miss Brigham clucked her tongue and shook her head in Prudence's direction. "I would have expected you to use better judgment, young lady. I'm very disappointed in you."

"It's not her fault-"

"Come now, dear and we'll get you healed." Miss Brigham raised her voice for the other children to hear. "I expect all of you to behave yourselves in my absence."

Samantha continued to protest as Miss Brigham dragged her from the dining room by the sleeve. "It's nothing. I just need some rest."

"Nonsense. We can't have those getting infected." Miss Brigham led Samantha down a path leading away from town. The farther they went, the more the forest thinned, replaced by clusters of granite like that used to build the church. Samantha looked down at her shoes to keep from tripping over the stray rocks strewn about the path.