Elin Dahal
598 Words
August 20, 79 AD
The training grounds are not as bad as I thought. Our sleeping quarters are quite spacious. We receive three meals a day from the attendants. Although they are not delicacies, they are enough to satisfy our hunger. Every day we go to the Ludus, a small building where we learn combat tactics and weapon handling. There is a large field where we do our combat practice. The weapons they give us for practice are either blunt or dull, so we won’t kill or maim each other. If someone still manages to get them self injured, there is always a medical staff standing by. This is much better than the facility at Rome, where they simply gave us weapons and threw us into the Coliseum. Still, they make us fight against our will, and it is slavery. Since the Emperor won’t let me get my rudis, I have decided I must escape. I have a strange feeling that something big is about to happen, something to do with Vesuvius. It is time for me to go to the Ludus; I will continue this when I have the chance.
August 24, 79 AD (Continued from above)
The last three days have been like a madman’s dream. No, more like a nightmare. I will start from the beginning. On the 21st, the trainers told us our first fight in the Amphitheater would be on Friday, the 23rd. They did not give more detail. We were told that a senator was coming, and we had to impress him. We trained nonstop, and I had no time to write. In the middle of the night I felt another tremor. This time a few of the other gladiators and I definitely saw smoke coming from Vesuvius. Our superiors thought we had gone delirious, but the captains said it would make Friday’s match more exciting. The next day they told us it would be an execution match; they would put us in with groups of prisoners and criminals, which we were to slaughter in front of thousands of people. I was so disgusted by this, and I knew I had to make my escape before the match. On the day of the battle, they put us into separate waiting rooms, until our names were called for battle. I quickly made my escape, but I ran into a group of guards. They surrounded me, and I thought that my time was up. Then, out of no where, there was a tremor a thousand times greater than any I felt before. The roof of the room collapsed and killed a few of the guards. The remaining guards fled in fear. I quickly followed suit. I fled to the tunnels deep in the bowels of the amphitheater. Every few seconds there would be another shake that would send me sprawling. Half running, half crawling I made my way to the sewers, which led to the hill opposite to Vesuvius. The water was boiling and bubbling, but it was shallow. I made my way to the end of the tunnel, and emerged on the hill. Nothing could have prepared me for the scene I saw down the hill. Vesuvius had exploded; the air was thick with ash and dust. Huge chunks of rock rained down on Pompeii, and the buildings were crumbling before my eyes. The once peaceful gardens were burning in a never-ending flame. The people were yelling and screaming and pushing. Babies were crying, and people stared in disbelief at the once peaceful mountain. Even the godly statues seemed to be screaming as they watched their city being destroyed. I couldn’t watch it anymore. I ran, and I don’t know where I will go, I just know I couldn’t stay there anymore.
