“Felicia, he needs the rag, now!” my good friend, Christiana cried.

I hurried over to a wooden desk and began to rummage through it. All I was looking for was a rag, yet too many items were placed on this desk. The longer it took me to find it, the louder Christiana’s voice grew. When I finally found the rag, I rushed it over to Christiana. Hopefully this will stop the pain that he was going through. I observed Christiana’s quick actions as she wet the rag and began to cleanse the black bumps that covered the patients limp body. Alas, another innocent soul experiencing the Black Death.
I had then observed the patient. He had hands and feet that were as black as the night sky itself. Many bumps also covered the body, and around his head was a pool of vomit. I, too, felt the need to vomit after seeing the sight. Eventually, Christiana stopped cleansing the patient, something that she rarely did. I looked at the body once more, and I soon realized that he was dead. I sat down and began to wipe away the sweat that was upon my forehead. Soon this man would be just another body on the streets of York, England.
“His name was Arthur.” She spoke in a soft voice as she sat down next to me.
“How long has he had this… disease?” I inquired. I tried to sound as casual as possible despite the fact that a dead man was a few feet away from Christiana and my feet.
“Seven days.” Christiana’s answer was simple.
I decided to leave the conversation there. Christiana had been helping patients for a long time. She had seen horrible things. When she first started helping when the pandemic broke out, she would be crying at my doorstep at the horrid things she saw. Now, this is perfectly normal for her. I, on the other hand, had just started helping Christiana recently.
“How is your husband, William, doing?” I inquired trying to move on from the subject.
“Oh,” she responded, “he’s doing very well. He had the opportunity tot talk to Knight Henry yesterday…”
“Really now? Why would Knight Henry wish to speak to William at a time period like this? After all, the king himself hasn’t done a thing to help his own people.”
Christiana hesitated, but she eventually answered, “Knight Henry is organizing funerals.”
I laughed, “Is this true?”
“Very so! William said—“
“I don’t think you understand how feudalism works, Christiana, “I snapped back, “Knight Henry can’t decide if he wants to arrange funerals or not. He rents land from the Nobles! The lords themselves! Even the Roman Catholic Church said that they are not having funerals! Knight Henry can’t just decide to have funerals and burry people on land that he doesn’t even fully own.”
Christiana stood quietly for a moment, but she eventually sighed and agreed. Silence fell in the room for a moment, and I said my good-byes to leave. I opened the wooden door of her household, and walked out. Even though people used to do this all the time, it was almost alien to be doing it now. People didn’t walk out the streets of York. People didn’t walk the streets of anywhere anymore. People were afraid of getting the pandemic from the dead bodies all over the ground. I just stepped the dozens of bodies that were on the ground casually. It saddened me that I was used to it. I thought of Christiana. She was probably helping another poor soul right now. It could be a man, a woman, or even an innocent child. The thought sent shivers down my spine.
When I finally opened the door to my own household, I quickly entered and locked the door. I sat down on the floor and closed my eyes to rest for a little bit.
Just in that moment, I felt something like a body sit next to my left, and the same happened to my right side.
“Peter, Isabel. It is very late. You two should be in bed right now.” I stated in a soothing voice.
“But mother,” Peter began to complain, “Isabel said to go to bed when you came back home!”
My eyes darted toward Isabel. I noticed her light brown hair up to her back along with her crisp, blue eyes. “Well, we missed you dearly, and Peter and I really wanted to see you again before went to bed.”
I couldn’t help but smile to their longing to see me again, “Alright. Well, here I am! Now, off to bed.”
“Mother?” Peter began. I looked at him and observed his facial expressions. Dirty blonde hair with crisp, blue eyes and chubby cheeks: just like his father.
“Yes Peter?” I answered.
“Is the scary disease that killed father going to get me too?”
“What?” my heart began to race fast at the words spilling out of his mouth.
“The scary disease that killed father. It killed grandfather, too… Is it going to get me as well?” I began to see tears swell into Peter’s eyes.
I wrapped my arms around both Peter and Isabel, “Don’t worry… I won’t let this disease get to either of you. It will be over right before you know it… Just have hope. Even if it’s your last bit of hope or you don’t have any left… sometimes you just have to let things happen.”
The children sighed knowing I was only trying to make things easier for them. After one last hug, they crawled to their rooms and into bed.
The words that Peter had said began to worry me. It saddened me how young children had full comprehension on what was going on in this time period. I thought of the neighbors. How they used to play with the children, as the adults would farm. Now they are locked up in their house, but that was the same with everyone. Everyone is in panic now. This horrid pandemic was said to be Revelation. It was said to be the end of the world, and he God was taking His wrath out on the people of earth. If it really is, though, how can we puny people possible survive through this? I sighed and lied down to rest.
Maybe if I closed my eyes, this horrible Black Death would disappear underneath my nose.