Because it is Written

Two very different short stories about revenge and redemption: Because it is Written is set in seventeenth century England. The discovery of a runaway horse leads to an opportunity for Wayland, a village blacksmith, to take a full revenge on the man who hanged his wife. Over a hundred people are said to have been hanged for witchcraft in the county of Essex in that period, often after being tortured into confessions. The witchfinders devised methods of torture which left no marks. They drew on texts from the Bible to justify their actions – “Because it is written.” Hoodies is set in the present-day, on an inner-city estate and tells the story of a drug-dealer’s death from the perspective of his one-time girlfriend. Further reading and some films are suggested around both subjects and some original images from original seventeenth century documents are included.