The Remains of the Plague: A Pandemic Story, 1350

ANNETTE TELLS TALES: Stories from the Past That Resonate with Now, Retold

In the southern English village of Ashwell, a man sets a ladder against the inside wall of the unfinished church tower, and climbs a few rungs. Work on the new church of Saint Mary the Virgin had stopped suddenly the year before, when the pandemic reached his little community. Today, this man, who is not familiar with Twitter, feels moved to record th…