I hear the screaming cries of my Mama, mourning my little brother Eric, and the gurgling sounds coming from my fathers bed, as he slowly dies from lack of air. I look around our house with all the wheat and flour my Father uses to bake bread. Before I have time to regret it, I start to run. I don't know where I am going. All I know is that I am getting out of this hellish place. Everywhere I look, I see women mourning for their children and sombre wooden crosses, hanging off doors, showing that the plague has invaded that house. I run to the edge of my village, I stop and look back through it to my house, with its small tower at the top. I turn to face ahead, and take a small step to assure myself that everything is fine. And then I run...
I run across the moors, my hair streaming behind. I nimbly dodge the pits of dead and rotting people. I know the moors well so I look up, whilst I run, to the skies. I start singing 'Ring a Ring, a Rosie'. I feel all my sadness flow out of my mouth as I sing. I remember the day when the tradesmen came to our city and brought the plague. When people in my village died Mama told us to sing to make us happy again, so I do. I am singing the last line when I see something in the distance coming towards me. As it comes closer, I can see its someone pushing a cart of dead bodies. I consider running, until I see Father on top. Tears blind me as I run forwards, towards the cart. My feet know where to run. I trample the plants around me as I race towards my Father. Tears are streaming down my face as I approach the cart, I hear Julanjo yell out, telling me not to take another step. I hear a tone in his voice, unlike any other, a mixture of fear, love and anger. I stop, but only for a second, to look at Julanjo and then I run for the cart. I get no more than a step before I feel myself falling...
I fall for what seems like forever, my arms and legs flailing in the air. As I hit the bottom, I realise that it's not actually the bottom. I have landed on a pile of bodies. Some of the bodies have lumps in their underarms, others have blood poring out of their bodies and others just look pale, but I know that they have died from their lungs being turned into a liquid. I try to stand but I collapse from a shooting pain in my ankle. I hear Julanjo calling down to me, the light above is nothing but a small square above. I yell back but all I hear are echoes in the pit. I watch as light slowly fades from the sky. I keep on calling for help, but I hear nothing. I slowly drift off to sleep, waking every few hours. I wonder what the time is??? I look above and can see light creeping across the sky, dawn, my favourite time of day. The sky goes peach coloured, a mix of lilac, pink, orange, gold, and blue. I watch the sky as the sun rises, my heart beating in excitement. I notice that along the pit, the pile of bodies has gotten bigger. I start singing, just different verses from different hymns, when I hear something. I look around and see a man with pale, sunken eyes looking at me. His mouth trying to form words but his tongue not responding, I notice that he is breathing shallowly, he hasn't got long. I crawl towards him and he says in a raspy voice "You have... A...Beau...tiful... Voice...". I cry as I realise he just died...
I hear a voice, it's faint, but still a voice. I yell back. A booming echo greets my ears. I see a rope snaking down the pits wall, it reaches the bottom, I crawl forward, and then remember that I can't climb. I yell for help, it takes a while, but then I see Julanjo's legs coming down towards me. He looks down at me checking for any injuries "My ankle" I tell him, he smiles and nods. I crawl over and hop onto his back, letting him slowly pull me up to the top of the pit. As we make it over the edge, I see my Mama, and older sister, Seraphina. My Mama runs towards me crying "Luella, my poor baby" over and over again. As I walk home, or I should say hobble, I hear the prayer of many, praying to Yahweh, our God. I look around me, to my fellow people and my family realise that no matter how bad things get, I am still loved by many...
