Anne's Plight

• Ava Flynn, Grade 4, Windsor Public School
• Short Story
• 2017

Excellence Award in the 'Write Here Write Now 2017' competition

It was London 1665 and Plague started to spread quickly. More red crosses started to appear on doors and London's population started to drop. "How many this week" called Roselyn from the kitchen "7,165" replied Maurice from the lounge.
Anne was setting the dining table for dinner. It was vegetable stew again. They all sat at the table in silence sipping at their stew. There was a long pause before Anne said in a soft whisper "Mama are we safe from the Plague?"
"Of course we are Anne. Don't you worry about it" replied her Mama.
Once Anne had finished dinner, she went back up to her room and pulled out her diary:
Dear diary,
Plague is spreading fast. I asked Mama if we would be safe. She said of course we are but I'm still worried. I put some herbs next to my bed and shut my windows extra tight. Anne
"Lights out Anne" called her mother from the kitchen. "OK" answered Anne. She blew out the candle and the flickering flame became a puff of smoke.
The next morning Anne stumbled down the stairs expecting to see her Mother cooking breakfast but in surprise only found Bailey their grey tabby cat curled up on an arm chair. "Mother" cried Anne.
She began searching for her mother, a sickening feeling rising in her stomach. As she headed towards her Mothers room she could hear coughing from behind the closed door.
Anne knew better than to go into her mother's room, so she went down to the kitchen to try to make herself useful by making breakfast. Anne was scared, but knew she needed to help her mother. She was clearly sick but maybe if Anne kept busy she would worry less.
Once she had prepared breakfast Anne put it on a tray and made her way to her Mothers room. She stopped for a moment took a deep breath in before slowly opening the door. She found her mother lying in bed looking pale and weak "I made you some breakfast" Anne said in the faintest whisper.
"Thank you Anne dear but don't come to close. I don't want you to get Plague as well" said her mother. Anne started to burst into tears, "But I want to" she wept. "I know dear but it's not safe" replied her mother almost crying as well. Anne turned away and ran out of the room.
Anne was sobbing on the couch with Bailey curled up next to her. "It's not fair Bailey. Why did it have to be Mama?" cried Anne.
Over the next few weeks, as her father worked, Anne did everything she could do to help while Bailey kept a vigil by her mother's bed. Slowly but surely her mother started to get better, as each day passed Anne became less scared as her mother grew stronger. Anne couldn't quite believe how lucky she was that her mother would not be another number in the paper.