The Wood

Part 1, Entry 15

Day Five, Second Moon, Hunting Year Five Hundred and Four

Two more children at the school are home with the same fever and I think Aunt Martha may not come in tomorrow. She kept coughing on the front row all day long. I'm glad I'm old enough to sit at the back of the room because it was gross. Mama has been fretting right along, but now Dad keeps his eyebrows furrowed even when he comes in out of the sun, and Grandpa isn't supposed to visit Michael anymore, because he's still not any better, and Dad is worried that the sickness might jump to someone else in the house. Grandpa is too old, and if he gets sick, the wards might not be enough to make him well. Dad says it's because curses can stick between the wrinkles, but I think he's just making that up. Michael's not doing his schoolwork anymore. He sleeps even more and only gets up if I promise to read him a story from the library. There aren't many options that aren't about curses and wards and herbs and farming, but I try anyway because he looks so sad and hollow.

Mama told me to stop going to the blackberry bushes at the edge of the wood. Too many people are getting sick. Even if other people sneak berries from that location, we are the only ones selling them. People might start associating us with the Curse since it's obvious one of us has been going to the edge of the wood, especially because Michael has been sick so long. They may think we cursed him. It all seems so absurd to me. They're just blackberry bushes -- food and medicine. Eating them is helping us. What's so harmful about that?

*****

I'm back after a couple weeks of break over the holidays. I hope the holiday season brought you some good times. And, if not, I hope you found something good to read (or write) to help you get through.