Mr. Collins saw her goin’ over Ingersoll’s barn, and come down light as bird, he says!
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 1. Rumors are already circulating in Salem about the supernatural powers of flight children like Betty Parris have. Mrs. Putnam repeats the lie that the child was witnessed flying like a bird, contributing to the witchcraft hysteria sweeping the town. Using animal imagery and simile, she tells how Betty landed "light as bird" after soaring over the barn.