Journal Entry by a Mother During the Time of the Black Plague
More travelers came today. They clawed at our gates and pleaded for food, but we could not sacrifice our own , nor could we risk exposing ourselves to their wretched disease. If we will ever be able to venture outside these walls, we do not know. It is said that the sickness has afflicted most of the village, so we dare not leave nor let anyone in. The thought of my own children suffering the same hideous fate that has befallen the others is intolerable. This is why, though it may not seem in accordance with my Christian upbringing, I will continue to turn away and ignore the cries of my neighbors. I believe that it is the Lord's Will that we escape this black death. I thank Him each day that in this time of devastation and bereavement, when so much has been taken from so many, my greatest troubles are the fleas in the hair of my children.
written when I was Maryann Sekulski
The thing that made this little piece interesting was the fact, we now know, that Bubonic Plague was spread by the fleas of infected rats. No one living in close proximity to any animal or human was safe from the scourge of lice and fleas.
