Epilogue (Abigail)

You see Abigail pacing in a small, dark room, with Mercy Lewis sleeping soundly on the floor. Abigail seems to be packing and looks to be distraught.

Abigail: Get up Mercy! We have to leave.

Mercy: Leave? Why? Are we going back to Salem?

Abigail: No, what did I tell you about going back so Salem? We can never go back. We stole all that money from my uncle.

Mercy: But why do we have to leave Boston?

Abigail: I have a feeling that they know that we are here. That they’re going to come, and take us back to Salem, and put us on trial.

Mercy: That would not happen, Abby.

Abigail: We don’t know that, do we? Now just get your but up, and help me pack.

Mercy: John Proctor was hung.

Abigail: What?

Mercy: With Goody Nurse, and Goody Corey.

Abigail: Why would I care about those heathens back in Salem?

Mercy: Well, it just seemed as if you and John Proctor had…

Abigail (Slightly raising her voice): Had what, Mercy? Tell me, Mercy, tell me. What did it seem like we had?

Mercy: I don’t know, Abby. It seemed like you had a sort of, connection.

Abigail (speaking more to herself and less to Mercy): A connection. How silly. John meant nothing to me. He chose his wife, left me to fight for myself. He would have been better off with me. Wouldn’t have been dead now, I can tell you that. He would be happy.

Mercy: Elizabeth also had a baby.

Abigail (clearly distraught, but trying to hide it): A baby? Well then, good luck to her. Having to raise four kids all on her own, and run a farm. I bet she runs the farm to the ground, and ruins the Proctor’s good name. Or, I guess, ruin it more, seeing as John hanged for witchcraft.

Mercy: I don’t know, Abby. From what I hear, she seems to be doing very well.

Abigail: And how do you hear all this, Mercy? You seem to have a lot of information that you couldn’t have just gotten through the grape vine.

Mercy (in a meek, submissive tone): Mary Warren told me.

Abigail: And how did Mary Warren tell you? This all happened after we were clear out of Salem.

Mercy: She’s been writing me letters. She tells me all about what is happening in Salem and the other towns. Like how Reverend Hale left, and hasn’t helped another town since Salem. How you uncle is still reverend of the town, but that towns people are not pleased. She tells me all about Elizabeth, because she is still helping out there. And the other girls they…

Abigail (tired of hearing Mercy speak): How did you get these letters, Mercy? Did you tell Mary Warren where we were? Did you give us away?

Mercy: No, Abby. Of course not. I know how important it is for you to stay hidden, with stealing your uncle’s money and such.

Abigail: Then where did she send these letters. They couldn’t of just magically gotten here. They had to have been sent somewhere.

Mercy: They were sent to that church, in the middle of the city. They’re real nice people there, Abby. They take Mary’s letters, and give them to me, and they send out mine, back to her.

Abigail (her voice raised): You sent letters back?!

Mercy (turning meek and submissive again): Yes. I had to. I had to let Mary Warren know that I had gotten her letters. And to tell her that we were okay.

Abigail: And what do you think would happen to us, Mercy, if someone were to find those letters. Come here, because I am sure you told Mary Warren that we were here in Boston, and take us back to Salem.

Mercy: I don’t know, Abby.

Abigail: They would take us back to Salem, and put us on trial. God only knows what they would do to us. We are thieves, Mercy.

Mercy: Well, technically, only you are. It was your idea to run, and take the money.

Abigail: But you went along with the plan. So you are just as guilty as I am.

Mercy: Oh

Abigail: Now will you please, stop with all this talk about Salem, and help me finish packing so we can leave.

Mercy: Fine, but do we really have to go?

Abigail: Yes, of course we do.

Mercy (talking to herself, not Abigail): I was finally starting to like it here.

Abigail: What did you say?

Mercy: I was just wondering where we would go from here.

Abigail: Philadelphia.

Mercy: Philadelphia?

Abigail: Yes, Mercy, Philadelphia, are you hard of hearing?

Mercy: No, no, of course not. Why are we going there?

Abigail: It’s a big city. They would have trouble finding use there if they came looking.

Mercy: Oh.

Abigail: And when we get there, no more letters to Mary Warren. There is nothing back in Salem that is good. Everything good went out of it a long time ago. You hear me, Mercy? (Mercy does not respond, angering Abigail). I said, you hear me, Mercy? No more letters?

Mercy: Yes, I hear you Abby. No more letters.

Abigail: Good. Now just help me pack. We have got to get going to Philadelphia.

Mercy: Okay, Abby.

The light fades out as we see Mercy begrudgingly start to help Abigail pack.