First Night

By Tom Weston

Alexandra O'Rourke, aged 16, is not a happy camper. It's New Year's Eve. She should be partying in San Diego with her friends, but instead she is stuck in Boston, with just her younger sister, Jackie, for company. As if that wasn't bad enough, she is being haunted by Sarah, the ghost of a seventeenth century Puritan. Oh, and there is the small matter of the charge of witchcraft to be sorted out.

Armed only with big shiny buttons and a helping of Boston Cream Pie, the sisters set out to restore the Natural Order. Can Alex solve the mystery of the Devil's Book? Can Jackie help Sarah beat the sorcery rap? And can they do it before the fireworks display at midnight? Because this is First Night - and this is an Alex and Jackie Adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tom Weston
• Release date: Nov 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9780981941325

Tom Weston

Tom Weston, author of Fission, The Alex and Jackie Adventure and Tales from the Green Dragon Tavern.

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Also by

TOM WESTON

The Alex and Jackie Adventures:

The Elf of Luxembourg: being a love story

Feathered: being a fairy tale

Ghost in the Spires: being an old wives' tale

And

Fission: based on a true story

Copyright © 2008 Tom Weston

All Rights Reserved.  Except for brief extracts enclosed in critical review, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without written permission.  For information visit:  www.tom-weston.com.

This book is a work of fiction. The character and dialogue of historical figures are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Bonner’s Map of Boston for 1722 reprinted from Boston Illustrated, published by James R. Osgood & Co., 1872.

National Map Imagery produced by the U.S. Geological Survey,

The USGS home page is http://www.usgs.gov.

Cover designed by Cassandra Mansour.

ISBN 978-0-981-94132-5

Printed in the United States of America.

Contents

Copyright

Chapter 1 – A Death in Boston

Chapter 2 – Last Morning

Chapter 3 – Waking the Witch

Chapter 4 – Enchantments Encountered

Chapter 5 – The Day of Doom

Chapter 6 – The Advocate

Chapter 7 – The Grand Procession

Chapter 8 – The Union Oyster House

Chapter 9 – The Land of Melting Ice

Chapter 10 – The Wonders of the Invisible World

Chapter 11 – The Examination

Chapter 12 – Cotton Mather

Chapter 13 – Another Death in Boston

Chapter 14 – First Morning

To Jean

Bonner's Map of Boston, 1722

Author's Note

The Setting: I remember my first First Night in Boston. Like Alex and Jackie in this story, Leigh spent the day at work in the city, and I had to keep myself entertained until I could meet her for dinner. The weather did not cooperate. The wind blew so fierce that it brought tears to my eyes. The temperature fell so low that those tears froze my eye lashes to my cheeks. I wondered why on earth anyone would voluntarily go outside on a day like this. I also wondered why anyone would chose to live in cold, harsh Boston, when other cities offered an abundance of creature comforts.

For refuge, I used my First Night button to gain entry to the Old South Meeting House. It now houses a museum dedicated not only to Boston but to the spirit of independence, freedom and civil rights. As I wandered from exhibit to exhibit, reading the stories of the citizens who stood up and made a difference, I remembered why I came to Boston in the first place, and why it remains my adopted town. And why, if you believe we owe a debt to those who fought for the rights we take for granted, Boston tops my list of cities to live.

I also recall a visit to the Ben Franklin house in Philadelphia, where I witnessed a discussion with the Park Ranger about which city, Boston or Philadelphia, had made the greater contribution to the War of Independence. The Ranger argued for Philadelphia because of the illustrious men who gathered there (Washington, Jefferson, et al.,) to forge a government and to write a constitution. His opponent argued that as momentous as that effort was, while the famous men just talked, inside the relative comfort of Independence Hall, the citizenry of Boston, out in the cold, handled the brunt of the fighting, taking gunshot and cannon fire from the redcoats.

And so Boston and First Night symbolize these important issues. First Night represents more than a celebration of the birth of a new year. First Night honors fellowship and those who came before us. The weather may not cooperate, but Bostonians take hardship in their stride, with stoicism and defiance. A little inclement weather will not stop them. So I dedicate this work to everyone who has braved the Boston weather and, as Shakespeare put it, heard the chimes at midnight.

The Story: I have written a work of fiction. I did not intend any of my characters, living, dead, or somewhere in-between, to represent real individuals. If, in spite of this declaration, you find a resemblance, forgive me, but accidents happen.

René Descartes said, Cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am). This line of reasoning implies that our imperfect knowledge starts and ends with our own existence; and the outside universe is just conjecture. It follows that we cannot comprehend history with absolute certainty. Our own prejudices, hopes, dreams, and the times in which we live, scar and scratch the portrait, like a faded photograph. Equally, any history that comes down to us from contemporaries of the Puritans and intermediate historians also gets tainted. We have imperfect insight into the beliefs and feelings of our neighbors, let alone our ancestors.

My intent is to entertain you with a story; and that story is an invention. Nothing about the lives of the Puritans or even about my own views on the Puritans should be inferred from anything I’ve written in these pages. In particular, Sarah Pemberton as portrayed here is a fictional character. A factual Sarah Pemberton did exist, living and dying in Boston in 1688, but she does not occupy these pages. The grave of the real Sarah Pemberton remains at the Boston Granary Burying Ground.

The first definitive map of Boston which I could find is the 1722 map of Captain John Bonner. It’s hard to determine street names before that date. The various papers and journals of the period mention a few, but more often than not, official names did not exist, just common reference points, such as: ‘Isaac Cullimore, a wheelwright, near Gallop's Point, on the water-side, by the shipyards of Nehemiah Bourne’. Street names used in reference books from later periods were often modernized for the reader and, therefore, should be taken with a grain of salt. In addition, the power struggle between King James II and William of Orange for the throne of England, the so called Glorious Revolution, led to the naming (or renaming) of numerous streets for the first time sometime after 1688, to honor the winner: for example, Hanover Street. In other cases, the street names derived over time from common usage. Thus, the street where once stood Ezekiel Cheever’s Schoolhouse eventually became School Street; the fixed moment of this transition remains undetermined.

Alex and Jackie are also fictional characters and don’t let them tell you otherwise.

Acknowledgements: To thank everybody whom I should, everybody who helped shape me or this story, would be problematic: The book would need twice as many pages, and I would still be destined to leave someone out that I shouldn’t, and the ones listed may feel some slight at the chronology that I did not intend. To avoid this embarrassment, I will limit my thanks to the three people who I cannot, in any circumstance, leave out.

First, I would like to thank Leigh, who patiently sat with me, over endless cups of coffee, and listened to my whining about how the story and characters were misbehaving – even when she had far more important things to do. Second, a big thank you to my editor, Carmel Trimble, who reconciled literary necessity to my ego far better than she realizes. Third, many thanks to Amy O’Doherty, who ran point for me through the maze of Boston officialdom, even before she had seen the book. To everyone else, you still have my thanks and regards – you know who you are.

Tom Weston

Everything is connected . . .

Figure out the connection later.

Chapter 1 – A Death in Boston

December 31st, 1688

As to Boston particularly, it lies in latitude 42° 20' on a very fine bay. The city is quite large, constituting about twelve companies. It has three churches, or meeting houses, as they call them. All the houses are made of thin, small cedar shingles, nailed against frames, and then filled in with brick and other stuff; and so are their churches. For this reason these towns are so liable to fires, as have already happened several times; and the wonder to me is, that the whole city has not been burnt down.

Jasper Danckaerts, July 23rd, 1680.

T

he cold and detached wind blew in over the Cape and Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, like an unwelcome guest with a gift basket of rain and sleet and misery. In the harbor, littered with hump-backed islands, the sleeping ships lay snoring at anchor as the sea strove in vain to turn them on their sides.

​Beyond the ships stood the three hills: the tri-mount as they were called. A windmill stood atop the most northerly hill. A tall pole stood erect on the highest, middle hill; and on top of the pole, a bucket filled with tar served as a beacon in case of an emergency. Like guardian angels, the hills watched over the back of Boston Town, but simultaneously appeared to push this trespasser (another unwelcome guest) down the slopes and into the water.

​By land, one could only reach Boston via the Neck, a thin strip of dirt path which connected the town to the mainland. To keep the undesirables out at night, the citizens locked and manned the gate which straddled the Neck. High Tide saw the Neck under water and Boston became an island, marooned from the mainland. A fort guarded the entrance to the harbor. Six hundred soldiers and customs men resided at the fort. When they spied a ship, the Customs Men would hail, Where from and what cargo? - Boston always welcomed paying guests.

​Although only 7,000 inhabitants called Boston home, it ranked as the largest city in the Colonies. The year 1688 brought prosperity and excellent news to Boston. For the Catholic king James II of England lost his crown in the Glorious Revolution and consequently, the bishops also fell. Now the Protestants, in the personage of William and Mary, ruled instead. Of course, the revision to the monarchy precipitated numerous changes to the street names, but this inconvenience little bothered the Puritans, who fought to keep control over the heretics, sailors, merchants, and pirates who infested Boston.

​In high spirits, the Puritans anticipated that the new regime would restore their charter, taken from them four years earlier by that other scoundrel, Charles II. Not that the Puritans held allegiance to any man (that belonged only to God), but if they must have a king then they found a solid Protestant king preferable to a Catholic under the yoke to that antichrist, the Pope.

​Nor did the Puritans worry about the accumulation of material possessions, but they understood the value of trade as a necessity to the survival of the colony. Which meant that at any hour of the day, upward of fifty ships lay at anchor in a harbor lined with merchant stores, inns, and characters of ill repute.

​The sailors and Puritans both had a nickname for the town - Lost Town: the sailors, because the countless small islands in the outer harbor made the town difficult to find; the Puritans, because of the countless immoral ways of the sailors. The Puritans didn’t condone the behavior of the sailors and merchant class, but they tolerated it as a necessary evil and regulated it as best they could; and walked a fine line between enforcement of the laws of God and not scaring the trade away entirely.

​Amongst the ships in the harbor lay the sixteen guns, merchant Rebekka, which had just returned home from the sea; its master, Captain John Ayres. A large, impressive man with wild hair and even wilder, penetrating eyes, Captain Ayres had spent the day supervising the dispatch of his cargo and the dozens of rowing boats scurrying back and forth over the water to the sea locked ship.

​At its conclusion, the captain turned towards the town. He and his men had worked long and hard in near darkness, thanks to the lack of light from the winter sun. And he welcomed the opportunity to go indoors for an evening meal and a warm seat by the fire. Yet he still had a great deal to do before he could rest.

​It would be so much easier if we had a long wharf; so, the larger ships could unload direct, mused the captain. Maybe I’ll build one some day.

​No one would have doubted he could do it too. He had a reputation for determination. The men who sailed with him spread the legend that to save his ship during a storm he once fought a duel with Poseidon, the god of the sea. He didn’t discourage the story. It made for better business, for negotiations, if his opponent considered him as a man who never backed down.

​When the last of his men had retired for the day, the captain strode up the dock to Town Cove, where the body of a dead sailor swung in a gibbet: officially a warning to the pirates of the Gold Coast not to prey on Boston ships; unofficially a warning not to cheat the Customs Men of their share of the plunder.

​He held a privateer’s license from the Governor, which allowed him, as an agent of the crown, to raid any Spanish ship that he encountered at sea. And yet at the same time, and in secret, the captain also engaged in the lucrative business of smuggling, mostly for profit, sometimes for conscience, such as the time he smuggled two regicides into Boston, refugees from Cromwell’s parliament, charged with the execution of Charles I. The line between a privateer and a pirate seemed fine indeed.

​Hand in pocket, the captain fingered a little trinket, a bracelet, which he had received in trade from an Inuk native in Greenland. The bracelet featured several miniature carvings made from walrus ivory, of women and children, sometimes of babes in arms, both solid and fragile at the same time. Usually, the Inuit carved such a design from stone, given the scarcity of ivory, and they did not waste it on the trivial.

​Whoever carved it was sending a message, mused the captain.

​The Inuit believed in reincarnation and that a person lived again when a newborn child received the dead person’s name: the namesoul they called it. The Inuk had perished with the Consumption.

​Typical, spat the captain, who had seen too much of the world and had become jaded by the experience. Although born and raised in the Catholic faith, his cynicism now marked him as a man without a religion. Captain John Ayres believed only in Mother Nature. And she struck him as a cold, cruel, and indifferent adversary.

​For that reason, he fathomed it unwise to share his beliefs with the residents of this town. Just a month earlier, and three years before the trials at Salem would take centre stage, they awarded Ann Glover the dubious honor of becoming the last person in Boston to hang as a witch. The captain understood her real crime lay in her lot as an Irish woman, sold into slavery by Cromwell for refusing to renounce her faith.

​Responding to the gnawing in his stomach and the stinging sleet on his face, the captain turned away from Town Cove. He had to call on friends on Milk Street, but he proceeded there via an indirect route which took him to the Tavern on Orange Lane and the Greene Dragon out by Mill Pond: for a little unofficial business with the proprietors; and for some drafts of punch made from rum and molasses, and which was made from the proceeds of some earlier unofficial business.

​Despite their reputation, the Puritans had turned the manufacture of rum into a most profitable industry. Official or otherwise, Boston reigned as the rum capital of the world. Rum served as the fuel of commerce. It was traded as currency and imbibed in equal measure.

​Once more fortified against the elements, the captain pulled his cloak around him and set out into the dark streets of Boston. On a night such as this one he did not want to spend any more time outdoors than required, but he had promised he would visit, and after all, New England in winter was always capable of producing worse.

​On reaching the south end of the recently pebbled High Street, he spoke briefly with two members of the watch, the precursor of the police force, property owning, Puritan, free men who took it in turns to patrol the streets, as much to protect the citizens from the zeal of the King’s men, under the command of the Governor, as from thieves and muggers. The captain then turned east, down Milk Street.

​He finally stopped before the front door of the Pemberton house, which although it occupied an area smaller than thirty square feet, resided on the fashionable southern side of the street. Even so, a tattered, red flag dangled from the front door of the dwelling, with the emblazoned words, 'God have mercy on this house’: a warning to visitors of the contagious illness which lay within. The captain didn’t have to knock. The door opened, pulled from within by the hand of the Pemberton’s young son, Benjamin. Captain Ayres removed his hat and stepped inside. Thomas Pemberton greeted him.

​In a style consistent with the age, The Pemberton house featured a simple two-up, two down wooden structure with a central chimney, of the type known as a saltbox. The first room on the ground level served as the parlor, kitchen and bedroom for Thomas and his wife, Hannah. The bed was separated from the rest of the room by a curtain. The second room served as a bedroom for the eight Pemberton children: the oldest aged thirteen and the youngest just two months of age.

​The two rooms upstairs functioned as storage rooms for baskets of grain, sides of bacon and the other supplies which would see

Reviews for First Night

[cinnleigh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

FIRST NIGHT by Tom Weston is a strange and oddly fascinating mix of humor, mystery, adventure, and paranormal. Without wonderful descriptions of Boston that only a true observer could write, Weston instills his love of the area and the First Night festivities into the story making it come to life. With a good deal of fun and the perfect amount of adventure, FIRST NIGHT was a pleasure to read and a book that I know I'll be going back to.If you've ever been to a First Night festival, you'll know all about the fun and festivities that surround the celebration. For those that haven't experienced this joy, First Night takes place on New Year's Eve in many cities but most famously in Boston. Party goers receive a First Night button that gets them in to the events attractions where they can party the day and night away. For Jackie and Alex, First Night is both a blessing and a curse.Jackie is thrilled to be visiting her aunt and uncle. The sisters are given the entire day to wander the city on their own and Jackie can hardly contain herself at the possibilities this entails. Her older sister Alex, however, would much rather wait out the day in the car while her aunt and uncle finish up their work. Where Jackie is outgoing, Alex is more quiet and subdued. It'll take a miracle, or maybe a walking dead girl to get this teen excited about something.Sarah Pemberton is just your average Puritan girl. Only problem is that she's walking around Boston 300 years after her death. When her spirit is woken and brought to the Court of the Spirits, a charge of witchcraft against her might mean the difference between returning to a restful eternity of peace or eternal fire and fury for her soul. Allowed time to find an advocate for her defense, Sarah is set free on modern day Boston. As fate, and some great writing would have it, Sarah runs right into, or should I say through, Jackie and Alex. What follows are pages and pages of a unique story full of mystery, humor andcuriosity.I found FIRST NIGHT to be quite an enjoyable read. This is the kind of book that I would return to when I wanted something lighter and fun but still with a note of authenticity in it. The part that really sold me on FIRST NIGHT was the obvious research that went into the writing. Both the historical pieces and the modern pieces were described in great detail. The events and locations were as authentic as the author could make them and this aided the story. I think I expected a little less of the book, especially the historical sections but found myself pleasantly surprised (which has been happening more and more). Instead of racing through the historical sections and making up details to get on to the modern story, it seems that Weston spent a good deal of time developing both time frames.As is often the case with a book I like, the characters were another great aspect. I found the characters to be well developed and complex. Jack and Alex, the two blond sisters, could have easily become two identical puppets with different names simply to separate the dialogue. Instead, it is obvious that the two characters are two unique individuals. Each has their own personality and Weston's attention to detail ensure that these personalities come to life. My favorite character was, however, Sarah. How could one not love her! In my opinion Sarah provides the majority of the humor in the book either by her words or her actions. Weston does a great job of maintaining Sarah's historical nature even when the rest of his world is set in modern times.The scores are in! Based on my rating scale, FIRST NIGHT is a book that you are really going to want to read. It seems to have something for everyone including a great series of plot twists and turns. The only thing I would have loved more was a little smoother flow. The story was fantastic and the characters well developed, but occasionally the words wouldn't travel across the page as easily as my eyes wanted. Regardless, I did read the story and I wouldn't be hear recommending it right now if it wasn't good.

[darcyo_12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

History comes to life in Tom Weston's "First Night." San Diego sisters Alex and Jackie O'Rourke are stuck in Boston with their aunt and uncle for New Year's while their parents are off on a cruise. Alex, 16, is not happy about it, while Jackie, 14, is trying to have a good time. Their world collides with Sarah Pemberton's, a seventeenth century ghost accused of being a witch, rejecting the Kingdom of Heaven and challenging the Natural Order.Sarah comes before the court of Magistrates to address the charges against her and requests the help of an advocate. The court grants her request and she finds herself in the Boston of today trying to find an advocate and to make sense of all the changes made to the city since she last saw it, about 300 years earlier. She literally runs into Alex and the O'Rourke sisters decide to help her, with Jackie as Sarah's advocate.The girls make their way around Boston, searching for clues in their quest to refute the charges against Sarah. But time is running out because it's First Night in Boston and Sarah must appear before the Magistrates again before the night is over while Alex and Jackie need to join their aunt and uncle in New Year's Eve festivities. It takes all of Alex's wits to make sense of events and orchestrate a happy ending for all.This is a fun Alex and Jackie Adventure. I felt both girls were likable as was Sarah Pemberton. Author Weston's resolution was inventive and warm-hearted. Writings from the seventeenth century are used by Weston to begin each chapter and he also includes photos of Boston throughout the book. I would like to read more Alex and Jackie Adventures from Weston.

[froggiereviews · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thomas and Hannah Pemberton know their daughter, Sarah, will never recover from the small pot virus. Captain John Ayres stops by and gives Sarah an ivory Inuit bracelet. After Sarah puts the bracelet on, she closes her eyes and passes away peacefully. Thomas and Hannah bury Sarah two days later. A few hundred years later Alexandra (Alex) and her sister, Jacqueline (Jackie), O’Rourke are spending New Years with their Aunt Anne and Uncle Jim in Boston. Both Anne and Jim have to work on New Years Eve, so they turn let Alex and Jackie loose in the city. The girls eat breakfast while they plan their day. Sarah Pemberton wakes up and attends the Court of Spirits—where her own parents accuse her of being a witch. She is released from court because she has no lawyer. Sarah is then thrust into present day Boston and can not find her way home. Back at the café, Alex and Jackie are still trying to decide what to do with their day. Jackie spots a girl dressed in 1600’s clothing, but the sisters don’t thing it’s unusual because of all the historical sites in Boston. Alex and Jacking leave the café and start walking down the street. Suddenly a girl comes running in the opposite direction. Alex knows the girl will run into her and braces for the impact. But the collision never happens. Alex and Jackie sit down with Sarah and explain everything that has happened since her death. Sarah, in turn tells the girls of her life in the 1680’s. As the girls walk through the city, Sarah slowly begins to realize that nothing is left of “her” Boston. Sarah tells Alex and Jackie that she is being accused of being a witch. Jackie makes a joke of it and suddenly she and Sarah are enveloped in blue smoke. After the smoke dissipates, Jackie and Sarah are gone. The two girls are transported back to the Court of Spirits, where Jackie must act as Sarah’s lawyer. After court is released, the girls find Alex exactly where they left her. The three head to the library to research the accusations against Sarah. Alex and Jackie take Sarah to dinner to meet their Aunt and Uncle. After eating dinner, they have to ditch their Aunt and Uncle by saying they are helping with the festivities. Jacking and Sarah are pulled back to the Court of Spirits. Alex is left to do more research for her sister. That’s all I can tell without giving away the ending.First Night is such a great story and everyone should read it. It’s a strong book about sisterhood and the power of friendship. Unfortunately most people wouldn’t run across it easily! I would recommend this book to everyone because I enjoyed it that much!The second book in the Alex and Jackie series comes out this year sometime. I know the publishing date is too far away for me.

[rrboudin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As an avid reader, I relish when a book I wasn’t quite sure about reading turns out to be the reason I’m still awake come the early morning hours. Tom Weston’s First Night was such a pleasant surprise! Targeted at older teens, this novel provides the suspense and mystery needed to keep such readers intrigued. Not to mention that it is also full of historical information about early American life and Boston itself. This information is presented in a way that readers won’t realize they’re learning and enjoying themselves at the same time. However, the incredibly beautiful writing and complex plot make the book just as enjoyable for adults as well.First Night takes place on New Year’s Eve during Boston’s First Night celebration (hence the title). Alex and Jackie O’Rourke are sisters who would much rather be home in California with their friends than stuck with their aunt and uncle in the New England cold. However, the girls get more excitement than they bargained for when they befriend the ghost of Sarah Pemberton, a Puritan girl who has bigger problems than being over three hundred years old. She has been called before the Court of Spirits and accused of (you guessed it!) witchcraft. She must prove her innocence before the night’s end if she ever wants to leave the limbo in which she is imprisoned. Jackie and Alex put themselves at risk in order to help their friend. There’s plenty of time travel, graveyards, and ghostly apparitions thrown into the mix to keep even the most die-hard fans of the supernatural entertained.Not only is the storyline itself enticing, (come on, who doesn’t like a story about a good witch hunt?) but the writing is also very impressive. The language flows effortlessly and the vocabulary is quite challenging. I must admit that there were several words I had never seen before, so I think it’s wise that this book is intended for young adults sixteen years and up. I know for certain that while the eighth graders I teach would be interested in the story, they would definitely struggle through the vocabulary. As an educator, I have read many books intended for young adults and it bothers me to say that most of the writing is elementary, at best. Somewhere along the line, authors got the message that older kids like it simple, à la “See Jane ride a bike down the street.” This is definitely not true and I’m glad Weston had the sense to write something that challenges that belief. I was blown away by the imagery of Weston’s words from the very first paragraph, which reads: “The cold and detached wind blew in over the Cape and Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, like an unwelcome guest with a gift basket of rain and sleet and misery. In the harbor, littered with hump-backed islands, the sleeping ships lay snoring at anchor as the sea strove in vain to turn them on their sides.”First Night is an original story that will paint a picture of Boston in such a vivid and impressive way that you might even consider packing up your stuff and becoming a permanent New Englander. Alex and Jackie are fun, lovable characters whose ghostly adventure will leave you feeling satisfied, if not a little envious as well.