Johnson took another sip of the malt beverage in his hands.  He had heard the entire thing as he sat in the stables easing his head against the wooden trough.  The beer going down like water.  His heart pounding and his stomach was turning flips.  The stage was set.  All he needed now was to wait.  The creature had promised he’d be in the clear.  All it cost him was 3 pieces of gold.  And Johnson knew he had it all covered.  They would blame the witch for the death of the boy’s father.  He had been scared when he first set eyes on the creature.  But he mentioned so in so’s name and the creature dropped to its knees like the cloaked stranger had assured him that it would.  He nearly pissed his pants after the monster left to do “HIS” bidding.<br/><br/>With the conversation going over again in his mind he vomited under the trough, thus spilling the remaining of the beverage in the hay.  He needed a bathe and he needed to sober up.  But right now, he needed to lay low.<br/>