The Black Death

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People have died and I am afraid to stay but even more afraid to leave. We have no way of knowing what is actually the cause of this devastating illness. People have started calling it the Black Death since people’s tissues are turning black! They are dying painful deaths. Since Calicut connects both the East and the West we are also not sure where it’s coming from and how to stop it. I am afraid of becoming sick or my family back in China dying; They say that the outbreak is worse in China but I can only stay here for 3 more months. However, ever since the outbreak the value of my spices and cloth have gone up so at least I am profiting. Mixing spices, putting them inside a cloth, and wrapping them up in a small ball called a pomander and smelling it is said to prevent the illness. Doctors keep saying bad smells spread disease and breathing in good smells will prevent disease so I always have my pomander of spices with me.

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