Messin A Short Story

Settling into my armchair, I glance out the window, taking in my surroundings. It’s another warm October day in Messina as the Celeste sky manages to peek through the clouds. Exhausted from a long day of tending to patients, I feel myself starting to drift off, escaping the chaos of being the town’s leading medici et phisici, a healer and person learned in science. All of a sudden, the front door slams, jolting me awake. The rapidly approaching footsteps cause me to sit up in apprehension. Out of the corner of my eye, I recognize my two sons. “Papa!” cries my eldest son Andrea, with tears in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, noticing my youngest Francesco, clutching his leg.
Hysterical, Andrea manages to speak in between sobs, “It was awful! On the way back from school, we stopped at the port to see the big ships come in. When we went to welcome the sailors with everyone else, they…they…”
“They what?” I questioned, an eerie feeling had come over me. “They were dead!” he bawled. …show more content…
Out of my four years studying medicine at the University of Bologna, I had never heard of anything like this. Even with all of the knowledge taught to me by Mundinus, an expert lecturer of anatomy , this was inconceivable. After I completed my education, I wanted a fresh start and moved to the quiet town of Messina. Considering physicians were in demand there, it allowed for me to establish myself. Moreover, Mezzogiorno was renowned for its medical innovations, serving as the forerunner of medical theory with the Schola Medica Salernitana. Shortly after I settled, the name Giovanni Marino (yours truly) became a household name. Despite the hectic schedule, by no means have patient cases been anything out of the ordinary. Thus far, I’ve led a rudimentary, routine lifestyle in both my practice and at home; that was until