The hat
finished making its way to all the students. Alex pocketed the remainder of the
slips of folded paper, replacing the peasant hat on his head.
The class
had assembled on the campus quad, though a number of other students gathered to
the side to see what was going on. Alex had an assortment of medieval-style
tools and unlit torches. The rest of the set up was on the other side of the
quad, marked by a wooden pole.
Students
read the papers, some of them coming over to take up torches or tools, as
indicated by their papers.
“Anyone with
a red circle on their paper, raise your hands,” Alex said.
A few raised their hands.
“Witches
among us!” said one student with a hoe.
“Consorters
with the devil!” shouted another.
“Burn
them!” came from too many people to count as hands seized those who had
identified themselves. The entire throng began moving towards the stake Alex
had planted at the other end of the quad.
“Purify the
unbelievers with fire!” Alex said.
The mob,
which was what they had readily become, lifted up those identified as witches
and moved them towards the stake.
I wonder if I should have cleared this
particular outing with campus security. Alex wondered as he saw some of the
students who watched on quickly pull out their phones.