Our pillows in our tiny bedroom were the place of telling secrets, secrets that stayed with us and our pillows. I viewed my cousin and braced myself to ask her for a favour.

‘Please ask Tituba to make magic for us so we can tye the men we want. She will listen to you. You’re her favourite.’

Betty, who didn’t even raise an eyebrow, simply looked through me.

I realised that my need was not Betty’s . She showed no interest in boys.

But l was more than two years older, now fifteen, and admired my growing shapeliness in the mirror.

‘I know how you feel and I agree with you. There’s not much for us in this village. Did you know that there are about three of us girls and women to one male here?’

I had raised my voice, sounding stern. Softening my tone, I said, ‘Do you have any idea what it is like for a woman who is a spinster or a widow in this village? Such a woman is nothing! We have to find strong men who will live as long as us. We have to look after them so they will. We have to be strong, and we might have to find our men outside this village.’ I paused in frustration.

‘Well, you certainly have, haven’t you?’ said Betty.

‘Don’t you dare breathe a word of that or …’ My voice was biting.

‘You know me; you know I would never betray anyone.’

‘But I am not just anyone.’ I stared at her hard.

Her face crumbled. I moved over and patted her on the shoulder. ‘I am grateful to be here with you in this comfortable house; I really am. But I want to escape from this drab village. I want excitement and I want to marry a wealthy man, not one of the dreary men in this village. I need a broader horizon. It’s dull here.’

‘Wasn’t it dull in the other places you were in or were you so busy working, you didn’t notice?’

‘Yes, it was. But I am older now. I’ve had enough of dullness, drabness and disappointment.’

‘It’s a woman’s lot.’

‘Not this woman, Betty, not this woman.’

I held my head high and stared at her.

Catching my breath, I said, ‘Oh, it will be fun to go into the woods and build a fire and tell tales and do some magic. The woods will look beautiful at night and we‘ll see and hear the animals. It will be fun.’

I saw no anticipation in Betty’s face. Damn, I’ll have to ask Tituba myself.