She turned around to see a black snake looking back at her. She screamed and jumped off the bench, stumbling backwards to trip over a step and crash next to the reverend's podium. The entire church erupted into laughter, except for Reverend Crane, who glared down at her. "What is the meaning of this?" he said.
"I saw a snake," Samantha said. "A black one. It touched me on the neck."
"A serpent? How could a serpent get into God's house?"
"I don't know. Someone must have brought it in."
"Indeed." The reverend looked over the other children as Samantha staggered back to her bench. Prudence continued looking down at the floor as she had for the entire service, but her leg tapped against Samantha's as a sign of support. "One of you children has sinned in the Lord's house. Out with it now. Which one of you has transported the demonic beast into God's sanctuary?" When no one answered, he turned to Miss Brigham. "I want everyone to empty his or her pockets. We will find the culprit and dole out appropriate punishment."
"Yes, Reverend Crane," Miss Brigham said. She commanded the boys to line up against one wall and the girls against another. One at a time she searched each child's pockets, looking for the snake. Samantha studied the faces around her, seeing a satisfied grin on Helena's face. Among the boys, a dark-haired boy received congratulatory punches from some of his friends. They must be working together, Samantha thought.
The search of the dark-haired boy turned up nothing, nor was the snake in Helena's pockets. Miss Brigham completed the search and then shrugged at the reverend in bewilderment. The reverend called Samantha to stand in front of his podium as though she were receiving a judge's sentence. "What is your name, child?"
"Samantha Young."
"Samantha, you have disrupted this congregation and have falsely accused your fellows. How do you answer for this?"
"I didn't mean to disrupt anything and I didn't lie. I saw the snake."
Miss Brigham rushed to her side and put a hand to her forehead. "She was suffering from a terrible fever. Perhaps she's still a little under the weather," Miss Brigham said.
"Be that as it may, I cannot let this sinful behavior pass without due punishment. Since you have befouled the Lord's house with your lies, you will clean it after our service is completed. For now, remain standing as you are and contemplate the wrongness of your actions. The rest of you come forward to receive communion."
"But, this isn't fair! I didn't-"
"Be still, young lady. You're in enough trouble without raising your voice to the reverend," Miss Brigham said.