It's Michael's turn to be sick, except he didn't get sick from punishment. He's just regular old sick. Mama says there must be a curse floating around town. If it was just him who was sick, maybe someone cursed him specifically. Or, maybe, he caught some residual evil from my curse, but four other children from the schoolhouse are having the same symptoms - coughing from deep in their chests, congestion, and fatigue. Just a little dizziness as well. One of the others is back in school already. He was out for only a day and Aunt Martha expects the other three students will be back in another day or two, but Michael has been out of school for almost a whole week.

I have to remember his lessons as well as mine, so I can teach him when I come home at the end of the day. His lessons aren't so bad, but they seem to tire him out quickly anyway. He needs to get better real soon, otherwise, people are going to think the Curse is coming from our house. I'm going back to the blackberry bushes at the edge of the wood. If I can collect enough berries for Mama to sell some preserves, we can buy some of the herbs we don't already have to ward off this illness.