News spreads that Miss Katherine Barlow kissed Sam, the black onion
seller.
Using dialogue
(part of STEAL) describing how things look
The day the town was cursed, started the same as always. Two women, one young,
the other elderly, stood gossiping over their shared fence line. The younger woman
was a redhead, she looked strangely malicious and eager to share her news, ‘Did
you hear about that no good white trash, Miss Kathryn Barlow, kissing that black
onion seller?’.
‘I know, I saw it. That hussy kissed him as bold as brass in the main street of town. I
saw it. I did!’ exclaimed the older woman. Her hair was liberally laced with grey, and
you would think that was a sign, she had learnt some wisdom in her long life. She
hadn’t. If she had, maybe the tragedy that was soon to unfold and bring down a
curse on the town, could have been prevented.
The townspeople, led by Trout Walker, destroy her schoolhouse in anger
Pathetic Fallacy – use to foreshadow the destruction to come
Sensory language –see, hear, feel
Several hours later a mob of townsfolk, led by Trout Walker, made their way down
the main street of town and headed out towards the road where the little
schoolhouse sat. That morning, Kathryn Barlow had been waiting for her students to
attend, however, not one had turned up. At first, Kathryn had thought this was
strange. Then she presumed that maybe parents had kept their children at home
because it looked like a menacing storm was brewing on the horizon. The clouds
had that green tinge that always proceeds a hailstorm. A big one. One that destroys
everything in its path.
Taking the opportunity to clean the schoolhouse ready for tomorrow’s lessons, she
only looked out the window when she caught the flash of a strange light, out of the
corner of her eye. As she peered out, she realised it wasn’t one strange light, but
about twenty or more strange lights bobbing up and down, snaking down the road.
Kathryn wiped the window a little cleaner and looked again. It was a mob of
townspeople, with lit torches marching purposefully towards her schoolhouse! They
were chanting, ‘burn it down, burn it down’. Kathryn’s blood froze. She knew they
meant it. She couldn’t bear to watch them destroy her safe place, her home, the little
school room where she had been happiest teaching the children and falling in love
with Sam. She only had one choice; she had to get to the law. The Sherrif would
surely stop them from doing this.