Chapter 8

Ya'll know the tales of Pesta? They used her as plague maiden in the Witcher. Well, here's the original Pesta. The Black Death ravaged humankind in the 14th century. In Norway, the pandemic came like a firestorm in the year 1349. Folklore and old folk tales often depicted the plague in the shape as a creepy old woman.

Pesta is the Norwegian word for pandemic itself. She dressed in a red skirt and brought horror to all who saw her. Creepy lady travelled from community to community, with a broomstick and a rake. If you came upon Pesta with her rake, then you knew she would spare some people. But did she sweep with her broomstick, then there was no point in running. No one would survive.

Pesta wiped out entire communities. People died in their beds–or on the paths through the landscape. Children orphaned and alone. The tale says it took no longer than three days to die. The disease worked with such speed that people dies within three days. Without food and care, the animals succumbed to thirst and hunger. Years passed. Nature reclaimed the buildings and the fields; the warm shelter and the livelihood. All gone.

So Crazy D gave me an assignment to kill her. The crazy old lady, Pesta. Man, I still get nightmares of her. I told my mom and dad that I have an assignment, but I never told who I had it on. Dad gave me whistle thingy, and my mom she gave me food. Thanks mom.

Speaking of my parents, they are making another baby up there, and they have disowned me. They should name the baby if a girl: Ceres and if a boy: Arrow. Then kick me out. That'll be nice. On with my flashback. Our royal scouts saw her near some small town in Norway. My best guess was she would be somewhere near the same place.

I was wearing whatever the locals wore. For a tall girl, I disguised as a man. Here's when realise a mistake in the assignment, there would always be a column or a row saying how it's killed. The place was blank. Now I had no money I already gave to the boat guy. the boat guy! Once a boat man, let Pesta into his boat not knowing who she was. When he realised she was the pandemic lady, he begged her to spare him. She instead gave him a painless death. Isn't that reassuring?

On, with my quest of killing pandemic grandma! I hate this place.

I walk around the place to see scary grandmas with a rake or a broom, sweeping. And the girls, dang, stop looking at me like im a piece of meat! I'm uncomfortable. Yes, I'm beautiful, but please! If you find out im a girl, ya'll be questioning your sexuality. LOL. So where's creepy grandma?

'Can you please move aside, sir? I have to sweep this place.'

'oh sorry miss.' I step aside, and I see a woman passing me. A woman carrying a broom. Okay, normal. I go back to thinking where Pesta would be. The lady is pretty tho. "Stop checking her out, she ain't for you." my brain said.

They mentioned it was an old lady, so I kept looking for a creepy, ugly lady. Pesta took the form of a grandma. Sigh, I stood there for an hour, thinking where I would be if I was Pesta. Pretty girl did the cleaning. They gave her the money, and she left. I keep walking to another direction.

I pause in my steps, and my eyes widen. Fuck! Red skirt?! Broom?! Sweeping!? Fuck, I didn't realise! I go to the direction where I stopped and go the direction where that creepy but pretty lady went. I catch her walking into the woods. She had a broom. I guess I'm going to die, wait I'm immortal. I keep following her.

This was the part where I didn't realise something she affected witches too. I was going to die too.