In Philadelphia in 1793, numerous people are struggling to survive, fleeing, and families are breaking apart because of the deadly fever. I wonder through the streets and I see homeless children crying because they are left without parents and clueless of what to do. The smell of rotting coffee fills my nose and I start to gag. I have no family left and my future does not look so bright. I go into the coffee house to see if someone will be willing to help me with my crisis. As I open the door, I see a young teenage girl who greets me with a smile. I smile back at her trying to hide my pain, but she can clearly see my misery and she grabs me by the elbow into the kitchen. The magnificent smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the air and reminds me of my father. The smell of pancakes reminds me of happiness and family. As I start to tear up, Mattie and I sit on the barstool and she asks me what is wrong. I tell her that I have lost all of my family, my money, my house, and that I don’t have a job. She smiles as her face brightens and she tells…show more content… The fever was spreading more and more. Memories of deaths in my family filled my head. I wake up to see Mattie and if she was doing any better. Her mother and Grandfather were sobbing and couldn’t stop, they told me that Mattie has passed away and she was being carted to the grave. I drop to my knees and start to cry. Tears falling down my face and I’m trying to understand why yellow fever even exists and why it killed my mother, father, sister, and now Mattie. Time seems like it has paused and it also seems like the world is ending. I walk over to the coffeehouse and put my apron on. As I am taking customer’s orders, I remember what Mattie had told me, she said to show a smile everyday. I miss her even more. Some of the money from the coffeehouse was being donated to the gravediggers and churches for their hard work over the past few
