Chapter 3 - A Small Resistance...

Do you know what to do about it? I had heard of the Plague through my travels, but&





This child has the plague&and you&you gave it to him. The doctor was in tears now, and had gotten up from his chair. The day that I arrived, he had looked up to me, as I was taller. But now I felt considerably insignificant.





No. I didnt.





You must have! You came from a village in the distance, and the Plague hadnt stricken our village until you arrived. He began to approach me.





No. I told you, I came from a village to the north. We havent been hit by the Plague there. Its south of here, and it IS moving, but I did not bring it upon you. I stood up taller, standing my ground. He walked right up to me and grabbed me. I tried to get away, and realized that he was holding me and crying, he wasnt attacking me.





Im sorry,  he said between sobs, I know you didnt bring the Plague. My mind is simply blaming you for my lost Christina. The Plague is a horrible thing.





It is. Let me go to the next town and try to figure out what we can do. I had with me things that could help the plague, but I couldnt use these. I had to use what the other villages were using.





Yes, go. Ill take care of the boy.





Mind you, his brother is sick too. They share some of the same symptoms, so treat them both.





Yes. You go to the next town, its about one day to get there and pack. Find the doctor there and tell them that you need to know what to do about the Plague.





I will. I ran to the other room, and got my back. I opened it and looked inside. It was still untouched. The doctor told me where to go, and I set out right away.





I walked for hours, until my legs couldnt carry me any further. I came to a large hill and once I reached the top, I bent over and had to rest to catch my breath. As I lifted my head slowly I finally saw the village. I had made it. I looked along the road and saw a sign between the village and me. I walked to the sign. It read: DO NOT ENTER. QUARANTINED. I dropped to my knees. I had come this far and would not be able to get in. My mind was racing. I know that I already knew things that could be done but I had to follow the plan. My mission was to observe but I still had to be convincing. I stared at the sign and the village with hatred and frustration brewing inside me. I couldnt stop here at this dead end. I turned my back to the village after fuming for a few moments. I walked back up the hill towards the direction I had come in. It was well into the afternoon now, but I had no idea of what the time was exactly.





I walked along the road for a while. I had to keep my mind occupied with other thoughts. I had to keep myself thinking and walking& Ring around a rosie, a pocket full of posies. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down& I sang to myself of the Black Plague. A childs nursery rhyme, and yet, such a dark and disturbing meaning. I kept walking, chanting to myself. After some time, I arrived again at the town. I had been gone for the whole day, and it was now night. Coming upon the village was much different as it had been the last time I had done so. There was almost no bustling, and the dark arrived with the cold. I entered the village and found my way to the doctors house. I opened the door to see Josh and his father and brother inside sitting with the doctor.






Shey, youre back. Anything from the neighboring village? I had to catch my breath as I had lost it upon seeing the state of Jackson and Josh. Jackson had the beginning of what was going to become, by the next day, a large bubo. He looked terrified and I turned to Josh. He looked horribly sick, although I could see no buboes emerging yet. The disease seemed to have been moving through Jackson a bit quicker.






&Yes, I lied, there are a few things we can do with these boys. They must bathe in human urine to help with the swellings. Wash Josh with vinegar and rose water, and have them both eat bread and vegetables; do not feed them foods of bad smells.






The doctor hurried and grabbed bread and apples that he had in his home. I helped him, and we gave them to Josh and Jackson. I pulled the father away to talk to him for a moment. I asked him, What is it that you do for a living? he looked at me puzzled, and didnt answer my question. It might help me figure out how I can help your sons. This of course, was a lie. I just need to know if he was the reason Josh and Jackson were infected.






I&I work in other towns, traveling from village to village selling goods. He was still puzzled as to why I might need this information. Why is that important? I couldnt tell him that he was the reason why they were sick because he would want to know how I knew. But I knew it was because he must have brought infected fleas home with him. Oriental rat fleas were how people got the plague. They would bite an infected black rat, and begin to carry the Yersian pestis bacterium. When they then bit a human, that human would become infected. And people could then get this horrid sickness.






The father had brought home a blanket made by a woman in a town that he had stayed at recently, and the town had no knowledge that the plague was there. He was the reason for his own childrens pain. And yet, he hadnt come down with it.






I brought him back to where the boys were and the doctor was feeding them the suggested food, and finding some vinegar and roses to make special water to bathe the boys in, particularly Josh.






Doctor, let him feed the boys for now, I said to the doctor and he gave the boys father the food. The doctor stood up and walked to towards me. He was going to say something, when there was another knock on his door. He and I both went to answer the knocking. The doctor opened the door and a man stood there. He was short, and he was losing some of his hair. He looked up at the doctor and I, and said Your village has the Plague. He said it so matter-of-factly, that I had nothing to say in return. I turned to the doctor who looked as bewildered as myself.






I am from a town near here, and looking in your windows I noticed that you have some boys in this house that have fallen to the plague.






We do, actually, what can you do about it? this man was not going to be treated very nicely, as he had been peeking in our windows! He glared at me, but said the he knew what to do.






What is that? asked the doctor, pointing to a giant, bird-like mask that the man was carrying with him. He was also carrying a large bag.






It keeps the bad smells away, the doctor looked at him puzzled, and I played along. The plague is caused by bad smells. Im a doctor, and this mask lets me treat my patients without getting myself sick. There are herbs in this bag that I put in the mask and they protect me. He began to put the mask on.






What is your name, doctor? I inquired of the small man.






Wright, he said, walking into the house under my arm that was holding open the door. I turned around and watched him approach the boys. What are you doing to cure them? he asked me.






Were feeding them good foods, and not foods that smell bad. Were going to bathe them in rose and vinegar water and-






Good, good. Those are all good things. This one, he said, pointing to Jackson, were going to need leeches. Jackson looked at his father in utter terror, and his father looked up at the doctor and I with the same look.






Its okay, leeches will help, I told them, Wright knows what hes doing. I was very suspicious of this character, but leeches were something that was used to help the disease. I knew that it wasnt going to help the children, but it was a method that was used to try and cure the Plague. I also knew that Wrights mask wouldnt help him, but I let things go along. I turned to the doctor, you think we should let him help us? He seems to know what hes doing.






Yes, let him help. We need it. He walked up to Wright who was examining the boys and watched him closely. I watched the whole room. The boys were both filled with anxiety and didnt know how to react to this new man, poking and prodding them. Their father looked like he really didnt want to be there.






We can watch the boys if youd like, I told him, if youd like to tell your wife whats going on. I figured that he might want to inform her of the latest news. He nodded, and said to Josh and Jackson, Im going to go and see your mother and Anna. Youll be okay here with the doctor and Shey, hell take care of you. Josh pleaded, but Jackson told Josh things would be okay, and their father turned to me and nodded. He walked out of the house to break the horrid news.






Were going to have to quarantine these boys, Wright said to me.






We cant! Theyre only kids! the doctor exclaimed.






Isnt it too late anyway? I asked, Im sure that others in this town have already caught it, shouldnt we try to help them? Wright looked at me as though I was a madman.






Are you crazy? All those who are sick MUST be quarantined! Do you want to get sick? Do you want your families to get sick?






No, I replied, feeling slightly defeated. I looked down at Josh and knew that I had to do something; I couldnt let these boys be quarantined. They were only children&I knew that I shouldnt be interfering this much, but the site of the two of them made it hard for me to think clearly.






The doctor and I watched as Wright did what he could for the children. He gave them more fruits and bread, and washed them with more rose and vinegar water. The doctor and I tried to help, but I still felt helpless. This wasnt going to anything, and I was more concerned about Jackson. I knew of Joshs fate, but had no idea there had ever been a Jackson. Or an Anna, the boys younger sister.






I think Im going to go and check on their parents and sister, and make sure that theyre doing alright, I told the doctor. I looked at Josh, and got up and walked out the door.






News of the Plague had obviously spread rapidly throughout such a small village. There were no more children playing in the street, and the adults were bustling around, worried and anxious. I found the road to the Cartwrights home and continued down, walking slowly and thinking to myself about how horrible things were for the town, and the plague had only just arrived. Chances were that this sickness was going to take at least half of them, and quarantine was one of the only good ideas that Wright had had, but to quarantine those children? It seemed so utterly cruel. There had to be another solution& I had one, but I knew that it wasnt something that I should do. It was for emergencies only, and even though this seemed like an emergency, I had to let the disease take its toll.






I arrived at the house and knocked carefully on the large door. Joshs mother answered it, and she was holding Anna, who was crying. She had to be only a year at the most. Was she to be struck by this disease too?






Shey! How are Josh and Jackson?






Theyre alright, another doctor from a near by town arrived this morning and is helping take care of the boys&certainly your husband told you that?






Jack? Hes not here. Isnt he with you at the doctors place? I looked at her then at Anna and my mind was racing. Had Jack abandoned his family? How did he know to leave? Was he running from the Plague?






He&he was going to come back here and check on you and Anna. I was coming to make sure you were all okay& She looked at me like I had just slapped her. She adjusted Anna on her hip, who had stopped crying by now. She must have been beyond tears. She was silent for a few moments, then said to me, Hes gone. He left. How sick are the boys?






Theyve both got the Plague. I am so sorry. Wright said-






Wright?






Hes the doctor that arrived this morning. He said that we should quarantine them&because the whole village could get it and-






No! Youre not quarantining my only boys, no! There has to be another way. I looked at her and could tell there wasnt any way we were going to be able to take Josh and Jackson away from her. Of course, the only other idea that I had was impossible. But&she was a mother whose husband had just left and her two sons had just been stricken by the Plague, practically a kiss of death.






This, I decided, was an emergency.






I can do something. But you have to trust me. You have to really, really trust me. She was patting Anna on the back and stopped when I said this. She looked at me as she had when she met me, with as much inquisitiveness as Josh had had when he recognized me. The look was gone from her eyes as quickly as it had appeared, and she said, Yes. I trust you. I could tell that she meant it.






I&, I started, First off, I cant do anything for your sons, but I can help you. The tears finally came to her eyes.






Why can you not help them?






They have already been hit by the Plague, but I have something that I can give you and Anna which will keep you from getting the Plague. You can then stay with them and not have to worry. She took the idea in, her mind spinning.






Okay, she said, I trust you. I reached into my bag and pulled out a small wooden box. It had a syringe in it. As I brought it out of the box, slowly and carefully, Joshs mother squirmed. What is that for? she asked, her voice shaking.






This is going to save you both, I told her, putting the plague vaccine into the syringe with as much precision as I could. She watched me, disturbed.






How? I couldnt blame her for her questioning me; it must have been oddly curious seeing something like a syringe and having no idea what to do.






This is a medicine. Its from where I come from.






Which is? You never told us where it is that youre from.






That doesnt matter. You trust me, right? She took a deep breath.






Yes, I do.






Put Anna on the ground for a moment. And let me see your arm. She put Anna on the floor, and Anna looked puzzled. She grabbed her mothers foot and sat there.






Now what? She extended her arm and I took rubbing alcohol out of the box too, and put some of it on her arm. Her eyes widened when she finally figured that I was going to put this needle into her arm. She jumped when I came near her.






Wait, what are you doing?!






I have to do this, trust me. It might be uncomfortable, but itll be okay. And you cant tell anyone about this, or Ill be taken away. All I want is for your family to be alright. She looked into my eyes and realized that she couldnt deny it anymore.






You look so much like Josh. And Jack.






I know. She looked at me and relaxed her arm, letting me inject the vaccine into her arm, making her now immune. Afterwards, she looked up at me and without saying anything, reached down and picked up Anna. She kissed her cheek and rolled up her small sleeve, exposing her tender, young arm. She held her tight, and let me go about my business. I did to Anna as I had done to her mother, and she began to cry, as children so often do.






I put the empty syringe back into the box and carefully placed it back in my bag. I closed it, and slung it over my shoulder once again.






Joshs mother quieted Anna down and after a moment, she had fallen asleep on her mothers comforting shoulder.






Lets walk back to the doctors and see everyone, I suggested. She nodded and we walked back down the road through the near-dead silent village.

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