The Plague Doctor

The Plague Doctor of course, the wonderful master, he came to me in the dream, he was testing me all along, with illness and doubt. In the dream, the one's I've been having the man in the mask and robe appeared to me, I didn't wake up when the tapping came closer. I felt a cold clammy hand on my shoulder, firm like a protectors, he came round to my field of vision, and sits in his throne.

He sits there he looks..... formidable, powerful, he points a finger at me, I rise up, not in pain but not in complete comfort either. 'Do you want me to serve you?' I asked, quivering with both fear and excitement as everything came together, whee everything made sense. He just looked at me not disapproving but curious, 'Do you..... want to kill me?', again silence from the figure on the throne, his hands perched on top of his cane. I stepped forwards a pace, 'Can you make it so that I will never have to fear disease... or pain?', a few moments passed but he raised his cane and tapped it against the soft ground the squelch was followed by a hollow click, like bone against wood. He raised one hand and I walked towards him, I brought my shirt up to reveal my chest, he put his hand over my heart My skin burnt and peeled, I endured a pain I had never known, it felt like I was being eaten from the inside out, I thought my heart was going to fail..... that I was going to die. I had to endure the pain, to be free of death you must endure a lifetimes worth of pain.

I collapsed at his feet and waited keeping consciousness, I was on the brink of passing out when.... it stopped. I looked down and saw the stick and serpent, I guess burnt into my skin, though I would say it looks more like rotted flesh, but it doesn't smell so I wouldn't be too worried, I'm probably wrong. I looked at my new lord and understood my purpose I rose up, shaking, he looked at me approvingly, and I woke up.

I found the mark on my chest, it doesn't smell but it is sore, I now know why my friends died.

There only one way to fight disease, and that is with disease.