THE DAY THE WORLD WENT BLACK

A story by Ellexis Laurelanne D'Onofrio

It was a sunny morning in Pompeii when Josepina went out to collect some water from the street well. She spotted some of her friends, Poppea and Delma, and she wandered over to say hello. The baker was busy making bread in his pistrinum for the day and it smelled delicious. Josepina's stomach rumbled and she waved goodbye to her friends and ran back home for breakfast. Little did she know that today was going to change her life forever. It was the 24th of August in the year 79AD.

After breakfast, Josepina got ready to go to school. She was excited because her teacher, Sema, was taking the class on an excursion down to the bay for a boat ride. She kissed her mother goodbye and set off for Apollo's Temple.

Josepina headed off down Via Dell 'Abbondanza waving to the doctor, who was just opening up for his first patient. She waved to Lucius, one of her classmates, and they continued down the street together. They chattered about the excursion and how much fun it was going to be.

They arrived in the piazza and joined all their fellow classmates. Suddenly there was a rumble and the rocks started to bounce. Josepina, Lucius and all the other classmates huddled together, frightened by the noise and falling rocks from the buildings around them. Sema, shouted over the noise, "Follow me. Head down to the bay and stay together."

The children ran through the streets avoiding the falling rocks and made it safely to the bay. Josepina spotted the boat and said, "Let's hop on board the boat. We will be safe on the water."

One by one the children clambered aboard. As they climbed on board, Sema counted heads to make sure everyone was there. There was Crassus, Gina, Carlo, Stephanus, Poppea, Delma, Asellina, Livia, Narissah, Cestilia, Lucius and of course Josepina. Everyone made it on board.

Sema ordered the captain to start rowing and the boat slowly made its way into the middle of the bay. There was a massive explosion and Mount Vesuvius erupted shooting ash and rocks high into the sky.

Josepina and the children watched in horror as a huge cloud of ash filled the sky turning it dark as the night. Sema said to them, "Don't worry, don't worry. We will be safe out here." The boat continued to cross the Bay of Naples heading towards Misenum on the other side.

The children sat together, watching Mount Vesuvius pour more and more ash and rock out of its vent. Josepina sat silently with Delma, Poppea and Lucius worried about her family back in Pompeii and hoping that they would get out safe. The wind was hot and the fumes caused everyone to wheeze and gasp trying to fill their lungs with fresh air.

It took several hours before they made it to the other side of the bay. The people of Misenum gathered the children up and took them in providing them with food and water. Josepina, Lucius, Delma, Poppea and their teacher Sema, sat on the terrace of the villa throughout the night watching black and horrible clouds, broken only by shapes of flaming wind and rocks as Mount Vesuvius continued to erupt.

About 6:30 a.m. the next morning, Josepina watched in despair as a glowing cloud of volcanic gas and debris rolled down Vesuvius' slopes and covered the city of Pompeii. The dust poured across the land like a flood and she knew that her mum and dad were lost to her. Tears fell silently down her face.

Josepina was safe but so many of her family and friends had not made it out of Pompeii. Such was the fury of Mount Vesuvius on that dreaded day.