The Masque of the Red Death

The CampfireThe openingFree

A plague had been sweeping the country for months. They called it the Red Death. Nothing so terrible had ever been seen.

It came on fast. Sharp pains. Sudden dizziness. And then blood, pouring from the skin. Scarlet stains on the body, and especially the face, that marked you, so that no one would help you or come near you. From the first sign to the end took half an hour.

Half the people of the country were dead.

But Prince Prospero was happy, and brave, and clever. When half his people had died, he gathered a thousand of his healthiest, richest friends, and took them to a huge castle out in the country, in the middle of the woods.

And then he welded the gates shut.

The castle was full of food and wine. There were musicians, dancers, clowns, actors. There was beauty. There was everything, inside.

Outside was the Red Death.

"The outside world could take care of itself," the prince said. And inside, they partied. For five months. While everyone outside died.