Dear Diary,

My name is Thora,

almost a day has gone past,

yet I am soo exhausted

it feels like months have passed away

since I have been taken from my homeland.

I still can’t believe that I survived the raid.

It is a terrible experience;

I have witnessed young kids and other innocent people being slaughtered.

The village is being overrun

by the Vikings

The last couple of days

I have been living in hell.

I have been living on scraps,

the stench is overbearing,

I am treated poorly

and am filthy as the unkempt children whom roam the streets.

The houses and other buildings

I have seen are made of stone.

All the Vikings carry around spears and swords which is very intimidating.

A lot of the Vikings have different names like “Ivar the boneless”,

most of the time the women run the village

because the Viking men are off raiding innocent people’s homeland.

The other day I attended a feast of some sort

and I had to scrub the tables and chairs

until they were sparkling clean.

Vegetables, meat and soups are the main foods on the menu.

Viking society is divided into three groups,

The privileged ‘Jarls’ are the tribal chiefs,

the ‘Karls’ are the merchants, farmers

and the ‘Thralls’ are criminals and prisoners of war,

often made slaves, through what I have seen so far,

I know that this is the path that is now laid out for me by the Vikings.

Some days I am treated better than others,

depending on the Vikings moods.

Since I have been taken away

I have lost a finger

and nearly been killed on a number of occasions.

The last couple of days have been real hard

because I’m missing my family

and the physical labor is exhausting.

Some days I’m locked in a shed if I’m not needed

and get four hours outside for sunshine and fresh air,

I feel like I’m in prison.

For committing an unforgivable crime.

Since I have been here I have built a lot of walls

and gained a lot of muscle during it.

A while ago I tried to escape on a boat with another slave,

we were caught and punished,

I was beaten till I was unconscious,

I know if they had beaten any more

I would have died.

I thought that maybe,

just maybe we could escape the Viking village.

I’m not sure when or how I’m going to get home

but I must stay positive and keep my head up.

Since I have been captured

I have become a much stronger person inside.

Some nights when I’m lonely

I talk to the other servants

because most of them are in my position and understand my situation.

A Nice old woman

who has lived in the Viking village

for a long time

told me that slaves as young as me

are only kept for two years at maximum.

I just hope I can survive the next 24 months ahead of me.

But I must stay strong,

and only hope for freedom.

Thora