Short Stories

It Wasn't a Dream, It Was a Nightmare

Author's Note:

Hey, so I wrote this for school after we had done a little research on Pompeii. It is fiction and is not historically accurate, so if you are a history nerd, beware (Please focus on the story and the not historical accuracy). After I reread this, I realized that several things were off, sorry... I also incorporated a little Italian into it which is, once again, historically inaccurate. The people of Pompeii actually spoke Latin, but I was learning a little bit of Italian at the time so I thought it would be cool to add some. Lastly, my friend did a corresponding POV and maybe I can ask her permission to post it. We have to see how it goes. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! (I get it if you cry, I totally did)

'I had always wished that something interesting would happen. That for once it wasn't just a dream. I wished that I would have a story to tell to my kids. Our kids. Now I wish that this one day in my life had never occurred. Things would be fine if it hadn't happened, I would have gotten married, we could have been happy, but because of this one day it will never happen.' -Albinus

Athena

I woke up early as always. The house was quiet because there were only five of us. My mamma had only been able to have one boy and three girls before she got ill. The oldest, my sorella, Pamella. Then me, Athena. I always felt that I was never in harmony with the people because of my name. Many thought my mother and I had betrayed Minerva, but I eventually got used to the shame. Next my fratello, Felix, and my youngest sorella, Francine. My padre got mad after she got better because she couldn't have any more children. My padre and mamma constantly fought, until one day my padre never came home. We were later told he had drunk himself to death. After that we only had one bambino in the house, it was hard for him and my mamma because they could not do all the work by themselves. So, I had come up with an idea to wake up every morning and fetch the dell'acqua for breakfast. At first, it was a struggle, but then I met a l'uomo (he fetched the dell'acqua for his family too). He was brilliant! A few days after I had met him I finally had realized I did not know his name. When I asked, he replied in an unexpected way.

"I have no name, for my family thought not to give me one, but I do have a nickname, Michy."

I was shocked. I thought everyone had to at least have a name. Feeling bad for him I said, "I love that name!" Michy, I thought. It sounded so beautiful just like the day had started out like.

That day at 6:00 a.m., we were out fetching water when he asked me what I was supposed to do when I was of the age to get married.

I answered, "I am told I will marry Albinus, I mean he is nice and awfully handsome, but I don't think that my heart could ever love him, but do I even have a choice?"

"No, I think you do not, but if you could who would you love?" Michy whispered.

His beautiful blue, green eyes locked my gaze. I couldn't help but glance up at his brown hair blowing in the soft breeze.

"I, I haven't thought about that," I stuttered.

He sighed, "Let us go get our water."

We walked in silence the rest of the way there. The more I thought about the question the more my heart pounded.

He finally spoke, "If I could marry anyone I desired it would be a stubborn girl, with deep, brown hair and hazel eyes."

I stopped midway through collecting water. Had he just described me?

I met his gaze and whispered, "She sounds like a handful."

He laughed, the laugh I loved. "Trust me, she is." Michy breathed.