Today’s Date: May 7th, 2019 Today’s EQ: None Today’s Page Number :125 The Plague – Part III Today’s Date: May 7th, 2019 Today’s EQ: None Today’s Page Number :125

It is August 1348. In the village of Melton, England, the day’s work has ended. William Carpenter packed up his chisels, compass, ruler, mallet and other tools and headed for home. For the last four months, many of the serfs had been building the Bishop of Winchester’s new manor house. William looked at the evening sky. He was pleased. One more week he will finish the cabinets in the bishop’s home. Then he will begin building a better cottage for his family.

William walked slowly down the dusty track which leads to the village William walked slowly down the dusty track which leads to the village. He passed the dismal house of Mad Matilda, the lonely old woman some people say is a witch. The door was open, a fire burned in the fireplace, but the house was empty. As William entered the village he saw a small group of people standing in front of the church. They were listening to Hugh Mason, Melton stonemason. Their faces were troubled. Hugh was back from Winchester where he was helping to build the new cathedral. He had just returned with strange and worrying news.

Winchester was full of rumors of a terrible plague which had been sweeping through Europe. People said the plague started in the east when frogs, snakes and scorpions fell from the sky. Others said it was spread by the wind. No one could escape. In the towns and villages of Europe, bodies laid sick and dying in the streets. There was no one to bury the dead. The smell of rotting corpses was everywhere. People avoided each other. Parents ran away from their children.

William listened but did not believe William listened but did not believe. Hugh Mason was always returning from Winchester with wild stories. No wonder it is taking so long to build the cathedral! By the time William reached his cottage he had forgotten the stories. It was almost dark now. Above the fire the evening meal simmered in the pot. His wife, Mary, was spinning wool by the fire. His three children slept soundly on a pile of straw in the corner. William sat down to eat with his wife…

Now you finish the story Now you finish the story! 1) Tell 3 things you know about the Black Death, either the sickness or the time period 2) Draw the symptoms on Will 3) Finish the story – including information about the symptoms, how each family member got sick and died, and depth. This includes description, emotions, rising action, climax, falling action, character development, all that good stuff! A minimum of 6 complete sentences!