The Plague Tales

by Ann Benson

  The sun was setting; everything was autumn gold. She called out to the little girl in the leaves, and a twig-laden head of red curls popped up out of the scattered pile.

  “Sarah Jane Rosow!” Caroline called. “Come here!”

  The child bounded across the lawn, scooted up the porch steps, and climbed up into her mother’s lap.

  Caroline kissed her daughter’s forehead and hugged her, then picked up the book and opened it on her lap. “Mommy wants to tell you a story.…”

  Ann Benson, the mother of two grown daughters, lives in Connecticut with her husband. She is also the author of The Burning Road and Thief of Souls.