September 2, 1678
Dear brother,
Everyone is still sick. Those who aren’t sick are slowly withering away from exhaustion. So far, my illness has been at a standstill. I’m still coughing up blood and my mouth still has these bumps all over. So far, no other extremity has shown signs of the decaying matter thing that was on my toe, but you can never be sure here anymore. Mommy and Auntie are in the same position so far. Traders still come and go, but it’s hard to tell when the next thing will strike. Uncle and Dada are still alternating for work, which is harder and easier for both of them since Uncle now works Dada’s job. The town in general is still pretty sick, but it’s hard to tell who is sick and who isn’t anymore because everyone else is just exhausted.
The little girl who Thomas and I saw the other couple days ago is still here. So far, we’ve asked every trader who has come recently so we can see who she belongs to, but this has come to no avail. Every person we ask has noticed a small robe always flowing in the wind, unsure of what that was, and we have safely deduced that it is the girl. However, it seems that she has recently brought a friend. There’s a little boy with this girl, maybe her brother, and he seems to be following in her steps.
When I told Thomas of this little boy, he looked at me very confusedly, wondering what I’m even talking about. I think it’s really obvious, that the girl is standing right there with the younger boy. The two look absolutely lost, but Thomas keeps claiming there’s no boy with th girl. At some point, I ended up drawing the boy so he could finally see that what I’m saying is true. But he kept saying that I’m making this boy up in my mind. That this boy doesn’t exist, that I’m just seeing things.
The boy follows the girl everywhere she goes. Like the girl, who I presume is his sister, he walks with a long flowy robe, always just out of sight. I’ve gone alone without Thomas before, asking other people if they had ever seen this girl before, but I always get the same response as I did with the girl. I keep thinking that some traders left her and her brother behind, forgetting these two children. Thomas keeps claiming there’s only one child, but I’m determined to prove that there are two.
When I returned home after my hunt for the boy and girl, Mommy and Auntie were both feeling a little better. They kept saying they saw ghosts throughout the day, but Dada and Uncle told me not to believe them.
It’s been tough these months. Everyone getting sick, and traders are still coming despite everything that’s been going on. We aren’t sure how long this is going to last, but we know for sure that you should stay away from home for now. Everything here can’t be taken care of easily, and if you come back, you may end up bringing some crazy illness from the Americas that we have never heard of. It’s hard to describe this feeling, that I can never see my big brother again, but it’s for the best. Enclosed, Mommy and Dada have sent some small things from home that they thought you would miss. You’ll hear back soon…
Love,
Chayana
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