Friday, October 24th, 1347
 

 Today at school they did something that they have never done before. They took us out in the middle of our classes to check us all over our bodies. They said it was for our safety but we knew that there was something else. They took us into an empty room and told us to lie down. Suddenly, they stopped and I heard a man’s voice say, "Bring in the next one".  After we finished, they told us to go home and stay inside until the weekend was over.
 

 Tuesday, October 28th, 1347

 What an awful weekend! There was nothing to do. Who wants to spend an entire weekend with their family?  Today at school we found out what that examination was for. The teacher told us that a deadly disease just broke out in the Ukraine and they want to make sure that it is only in the Ukraine. Why did they waste our school time checking our bodies for a disease? Wouldn’t we know if we were deathly sick? And they made us stay in all weekend also! Maybe it is serious.

Thursday, October 30th, 1347

I am 12 years old today. To celebrate my best friend was supposed to come over for dinner but she said she felt sick and her mom didn’t want her coming. I’m sure it’s just a stomachache or headache but even I am getting scared now. All everyone does now is worry about getting sick. I hope that it isn’t serious. What am I worrying about? I’m sure that it’s nothing.

Monday, November 2nd, 1347

They closed school this week. This is the worst week of my life. My friend’s mother came over to our house to tell us why school was closed. On Thursday when her daughter, Gabriella, was supposed to come over to celebrate with me, she said she was sick. It turns out it was a little more than that. When she woke up in the morning on Saturday, she found a strange bump on her neck that had never been there before. They had medicine men go over to her house to check what it was and all they said to her mother was, "Get out of the house NOW."

Wednesday, November 4th, 1347

Someone came over to our house today to tell us that Gabriella died.
 

Saturday, November 7th, 1347

I’m sorry I have not written for some time. I am still in shock over what happened to Gabriella. I am scared for me and everyone else. The authorities say that now it has hit Venice  and everything is going to be different. They say we should expect and fear the worst. It has killed off so much of Europe already and now it is our turn. School is closed for good until we are sure that all this madness is over.

Monday, November 9th, 1347

Today, the authorities made the final decision about what they were going to do in this situation. They made strict rules on immigration and how to bury the dead. They also demand a 40-day quarantine on arriving ships.

Tuesday, November 17th, 1347

The plague is spreading all over Venice now. No one is allowed out. To think that not long ago I was mocking everyone for worrying. I don’t know what to do. It’s been a week since I’ve been out of the house. I sleep all day and read all night. I am scared.
 

December 14th, 1347

I haven’t slept in 3 days. My mother said she was going out for a bit. She walked out of the house and never came back. Our father died right after my little brother, Lucio, was born so the two of us are all alone. He is only 7 years old so he is scared and doesn’t know where his mother went. I tell him every night not to worry and that everything will be ok. But will it?

January 10th, 1348

Still no sign of my mother. But I peeked outside the other day and I think I know where she could be. Outside, townspeople that I used to see every day are lying on the street, dead. I try not to think about the fact that my mother could be one of them. Lucio is getting a little better. He has almost forgot that our mother ever existed. But I haven’t. I think I am finally realizing what has been going on in the world.

April 26th, 1348

Lucio starts to cough up blood.
 

April 28th, 1348

Lucio is dead. I am all alone. I don’t want to live anymore. What is the point? There is no one to miss me. All the people I knew and loved are dead.

December 12th, 1348

I woke up this morning and thought that I should look out the door. It was time to see what was going on. I was running out of the food that they forced everyone to buy before the plague started to spread. I walked outside. The streets were empty. No people, no sound and the sun was shining in the sky. One by one, people started coming out of their houses. We all gathered in the middle of the street and cried. We were the only ones who survived. I am now 13 and from this, I have grown  into an adult.