"The Rosies Have Thorns" Hannelore's Account of the Black Death

Reader, this is a story from a five year old girl's point of view. She has a big imagination, and she doesn't understand that everyone around her is dead. They are from the Bubonic Plague era. Many words are in German, like the Bubonic Plague was known as Black Death, which in German is schwarzer Tod. Google everything you don't know. This is an interesting time, I hope you enjoy Hannelore's account of it. (Mutter is Mother.)

Mutter? She is not here.

I am alone except for the strange men, coming in and out of her room. What are they doing? The men have strange masks on. The masks look like crows' beaks. How funny. I lay under my soft chair and remain hidden. How fun it is to be sneaky. I hear different sounds coming from Mutter's room. I am listening carefully for my mutter's voice, but I hear a man's voice say a word Mutter said I should never say. He cries out, "Ficken!"  I cover my mouth as if I had said it, and stifle a giggle. Another man lets out a sob. Why are they so upset? Are they mad at Mutter? What did she do? A masked man comes out of the room, a hand on his head. He sighs. Another man strolls out, "Wo ist das Kind?"

Oh! They are looking for me! How exciting it is to be naughty sometimes! I hope Mutter does not find this out. I will not get abendessen tonight. The first man says he is not sure, he has not seen me.

"Müssen wir sehen, ob sie Herrn Kaplan infiziert ist!"

I am not sick. The only thing I ever catch are the lovely summer fireflies, but then I let them go. But the men with the funny masks peer around our small haus, not seeing under the chair.

After a while of peeking around, they retreat to the room again. I hear sounds of sheets ruffling and I almost come to see, but I don't. All of the sudden, all of the strange masked men exit her room, holding a big bundle of sheets. When they are not looking, I take a look into Mutter's room. She is not there anymore.

They have her! They are not allowed to steal my Mutter! That is very naughty! I rush from my hiding place and scream. All of the men turn their heads. I shout in my best shouting voice, even though Mutter doesn't like that.

"meine Mutter runter!"

But the men do not let her down. I scream more and try to grab one man's pant leg. They cannot have my Mutter! The men let out a yell and run for the door. I scream as loud as I can. But another man grabs me, too!

I keep screaming and screaming. No one looks up. After a long time of screaming, the man can take no more.

"shut up du kleine Ratte!" He says. The man lifts me higher, pulls out a big sack from his belt and stuffs me into it. I try to keep screaming, but after a minute or two, I almost cannot breathe. I start to cry. Wo ist Mutter gehen? I cry myself out for a very long time, until the steady rhythm of his walking puts me to sleep.

**************************************************************************************************************

I wake in a very dark room. I look around for anybody.

"Hallo? Gibt es jemanden hier heute?"

I sit until a person in a dark coat and another strange crow-beak mask walks in. They don't say a word, just walks up and looks at my arms, legs, and tum. I do not know why. Only mother does that when I am krank. He touches the tiny sore on my ankle. It hurts.

"Was machst du da?"

The person doesn't answer me. After a few more moments of looking at me. The masked person looks out of the door and lets in light. He says to whoever is outside.

"Das Kind hat eine rosige auf ihrem Knöchel."

What are they saying about rosies? My mother grows beautiful ones in her garden They are strange, strange people. I must find Mutter. I get off of the table in the dark room and shout for her.

"Mutter! Mutter!" The masked people grab me again and set me down. I begin to cry.

"Ich möchte, dass meine Mutter!" I sob. But before I can scream, another man shoves me into a sack and he begins walking again. To where? I do not know. Maybe it is to Mutter! Comforted, I drift to sleep.

************************************************************************************************

clarification so far: Hannelore was hiding under a chair while doctors cam to try to treat her mother from the Plague. The men were upset because they could not save her. The want to see if Hannelore was infected. She has a rosie, which is a diseased sore, on her ankle. Hannelore believes they are stealing her mother. They want to burn her dead body. They are now taking Hannelore somewhere...

*************************************************************************************************

I sleepily open my eyes and find myself poured out of the sack, onto a dirt ground. I am surrounded by woodland. Where am I?

Before long I spot a man with the mask on. He kneels and grabs my shoulders in tears. Why is he crying? I ask him what is wrong, but before he answers he shakes my shoulders and pleads.

"laufen! laufen weit weg! niemand kann dich hier zu sehen! gehen! bitte!"

Why must I run? There is nowhere to run. I just want my Mutter! I stand for a moment, blankly staring at the masked man. I can feel tears in my eyes. I give him a sad face. But he still shouts.

"jetzt gehen!"

Scared, I run from the man. As far away from him as possible. I sob and cry. I am alone in the woods. Without Mutter.

I tear my skirt on a low branch. I sob more. This was my favorite. I keep running, but end up having to rip my sash off, because I kept tripping up. I keep going until I can no longer run. I sit on the dirty grass to rest.

I remember all of the märchen Mutter told me. All of the biests live in the woodland. Imagining all of the frightful things I might encounter makes me run faster. I don't know where. Just somewhere.

Stopping for rest once more, I look up into the trees. A creature scampers along the branches. It is like flying. I wish I could do that. Standing, I put my foot on the lowest branch.