Written in Fire

By Annette Siketa

When the beautiful Jane Ashmore is tried for being a witch, the clergy are determined to convict her - even if they have to manufacture the evidence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Annette Siketa
• Release date: Feb 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393988380

Annette Siketa

For those of you who have not yet made my acquaintance, my name is Annette Siketa, and I am totally blind. Were you aware that most blind and visually impaired people are extraordinarily perceptive? To sighted people, this ability must seem like ESP, and I suppose to a certain extent, it is. (I'm referring to the literal meaning of Extra Sensory Perception, not the spooky interpretation.) To compensate for the lack of vision, the brain and the other four senses become sharper, so that we can discern a smell or the identity of an object. I promise you there's no trickery involved. It's simply a matter of adapting the body to ‘think’ in another way.Being blind is no barrier to creativity. Like most things in this world, life is what you make of it, and after losing my sight due to an eye operation that went terribly wrong, I became a writer, and have now produced a wide variety of books and short stories, primarily of the ghost/supernatural/things that go bump in the night genre.So, how does a blind person write a book? On the practical side, I use a text-to-speech program called ‘Jaws’, which enables me to use and navigate around a computer, including the Internet, with considerable ease. Information on Jaws can be found at www.freedomscientific.comOn the creative side...well, that’s a little more difficult to explain. Try this experiment. Put on your favourite movie and watch it blindfolded. As you already ‘know’ the movie – who does what where & when etc, your mind compensates for the lack of visualisation by filling in the ‘blanks’. Now try it with something you’ve never seen before, even the six o'clock news. Not so easy to fill in the blanks now is it?By this point you’re probably going bonkers with frustration – hee hee, welcome to my world! Do not remove the blindfold. Instead, allow your imagination to compensate for the lack of visualization, and this will give you an idea of how I create my stories. Oh, if only Steven Spielberg could read my mind.

Book preview

I.  The Evidence.

I, WILLIAM TWISSLETON, accredited scribe

and notary in the City of London, declare the following to be a faithful summary of the ecclesial trial of Jane Ashmore, held at Greenwich town hall on 11th December, 1762.  The council, having been duly commissioned to interrogate and judge the defendant and all witnesses, comprised Father Henry Cornhill of the diocese of St. Mary.  Martin Potts, sextant of the said diocese, and Father Jerome Hay, special advisor to the court of His Majesty, King George II.

JAMES WESTON, LICENSED innkeeper of ‘The Green Tree’, stated, "About two years ago, an English gentleman whom I now know to be Sir Eustace Bedford, asked if I would rent him a house owned by me in Orange Lane for a period of one year.  He offered a consideration of £30 in gold. 

"Sir Bedford placed a red-haired woman in my house, but nine days later he was dead.  He was interred in the village cemetery, and yet many of my patrons declare they’ve seen him walking in the grounds at Orange Lane.

Another customer said that there was always one room where a red light shone brightly, and that he heard wild laughter and coarse language as if many people were present.

Question by council: Did your customers make other allegations? 

A: One of Sir Bedford’s servants did.  He said that in the week prior to his death, his master constantly coupled with Miss Ashmore without taking food or drink.  She was very particular about her hair, which Sir Bedford said was furnished with enchanted properties.

Q: Did the servant expand the latter?

A: That it could convey love, lust, and wicked thoughts.  The servant said he feared that no one would believe him, and that he’d be accused of murder.  It was his intention to quit his post and then write to Sir Bedford’s family.  ‘Let them decide what to do with his body’, he said.  ‘I want nothing to do with it’.

Asked what he did next, Weston replied, "After his lordship’s demise, I went to see Miss Ashmore to ascertain if she wished to remain in my house.  I was led to her by a half-naked, gigantic black man, whose eyes were completely white. 

"Miss Ashmore was seated in a room filled with gold ornaments, her slippered feet resting on a thick carpet.  A gentleman was sitting beside her but we were not introduced.  

"Every time I looked into her eyes, my mind was filled with thoughts of wickedness and debauchery.  I departed swiftly, leaving my house to her as long as she