Jenni’s Completely Downloadable JABB 194 Playlist
 
“I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
~ Psalm 23 v. 4, King James translation of the Bible
 
Hello everyone!

I’d just like to say a few brief words about this issue. They have to be brief cause I’m kinda swamped right now. I actually wrote the contents of this issue weeks back when I had time. Anyhow…

This is sooo not your typical JABB. I decided to give myself leave to be serious on occasion. So I wrote a 30+ page story about Andrew and 17th century New England witch trials. Yeah… But I wrote it like a JABB issue, complete with Dyelanders. (They listen to his story.  It’s not some goofy thing where they get transported back in time or anything like that.)  So I hope you enjoy it. Here’s a synopsis:
 
It's 1652 and Andrew finds himself in the tiny hamlet of Shiloh, Massachusetts.  As Dr. Andrew Godman, he's consulted by the village doctor regarding the strange illness that has stricken some of the villagers.  Rumors begin to circulate that there are witches in Shiloh and the Devil is using them to assault the "afflicted."  But is it really the work of Satan?  Or has greed and lust for land turned some of the people of Shiloh into liars who will stop at nothing to get what they want?

As Shiloh is turned upside down, Andrew finds solace in the home of Josiah Lewis and his nineteen-year-old daughter, Hope.  Andrew, the Lewises, and a preacher staying with them form a close-knit community.  But when the fervor in Shiloh becomes fatal, Andrew may lose more than he ever thought possible.

Read it here:
“For Thou Art With Me”
 
For my own future interest and for clarification purposes I also wrote a commentary that includes my thoughts about writing the story and the sources I used when doing research. That’s available here:
 
Jenni’s Comments on “For Thou Art With Me”
 
If you do read the story, I’d love to hear what you think.  Between research and writing, I’ve spent over two months on this. I hope it shows.
 
Oh and this story does allude to stories told in previous JABB issues. So if you’re new or just confused, feel free to email me for clarification. Or if you’d like to talk about witch hunts. I’m no expert but do find the phenomena fascinating.
 
God bless,
Jenni


JABB 195
JABB TOC


(Photo Credits: The background photograph was taken by Jenni.)