I announced Writing Prompt Friday over six weeks ago and then—poof!—it totally disappeared off my radar. Uhmm, sorry?
Did you know that during the 14th and 15th centuries, there were these terrible plagues and people were knocking off all over the place?
Except for one group of people—spice traders. They were “immune” to these plagues. Why? It’s theorized that it was because of a special, secret blend of spices that boosted their immune system and protected them from the germies.
These spice traders became thieves—robbing the dead and dying bodies. Which is kind of gross, but understandable, sort of.
(This history may or may not be true, but it makes a fun idea for a story.)
Your writing prompt for today is to write a short story or just a few paragraphs in this setting—14th or 15th century Europe, during one of the plagues. You can write from the perspective of a spice trader, reluctant thief, one of the dying, or whatever.
If you post your story on your blog, feel free to leave a link in the comments section.
(Why was I researching cures for the plague? Nothing to do with a book and everything to do with why I’ve been absent here lately. Cough. Hack. Sniff.)
Stunned she watched as he pulled a gold locket from the emaciated neck of a woman lying in the alley. A moan escaped her parched and bloodied lips.
"She's still alive papa – you can't take it from her," the girl cried clutching at his muddy cloak.
"Be quiet girl!" he hissed. "Someone will hear you."
Seeing the look of horror in her eyes, his face softened.
"Calm yourself Jacqueline. What you heard was the death moan–the final release of breath from a corpse. She has no need of this locket now, but we do. Hurry we must go now."