Memoirs of old writing days

Yellow Fever (Matilda ❤️ Nathaniel)

Hey, wassup? So, this story is in the diary perspective of Matilda and Nathaniel in the book Yellow Fever. I wrote this in 7th grade - finally- and this was a school assignment. So... tell me what you think. 💛🤒 📚
9-29-1793
Matilda
Dear Diary,
I saw Nathaniel today! I wonder how such a cruel day could turn into a magnificent one. Yesterday started out awful. I first awoke to the smell of Nell because she had wet herself. I was too weary to wake up past midnight to bring Nell to the chamber pot. A mistake on my behalf. It was the same story with William and Robert. After I finished scrubbing William, Robert, and Nell and the blankets were hung up drying, Eliza had left to care for the Yellow Fever victims and Mother Smith was watching over all of us. The first thing she did when she saw me was order me to wash and rewash the dishes when I did a terrible job the first time. I swept, I cleaned, I stitched, I even combed Nell's hair all wrong. I can only thank the heavens that my mother and Mother Smith never met. They would be slaving me from dawn to dusk and try to out-scrub each other in a contest. Tis was a horrible day. As Mother Smith prepared to leave, she warned me to stop loving Nell. At first I was outraged. Mother Smith didn't even know us! We were complete strangers to her. But then I realized that the old lady was right. I was being selfish. I was loving Nell and she showed obvious affection for me. I mustn't become too attached to her, or else leaving her at the orphanage would be so much more harder. When I went to sleep, I got absolutely no amount of rest. I knew what I had to do. In the next day morning, I told Eliza that I needed to take Nell to the orphanage, before I became too attached. Eliza agreed. On the walk to the house, I could feel Eliza's eyes burning through my skirts, but she kept her thoughts to herself. When I opened the door a woman had 3 wailing children with her and was looking completely flustered. My throat felt tight as I offered Nell to the woman. Thankfully, she declined the offer, saying that the orphan house was too full. I wanted to dance. After that event the afternoon seemed lovely. Eliza and I had a good laugh when I learned what happened with the Ogilvies. When Nell, Eliza, and I were walking back to the house, a daisy flew down and landed on the sidewalk. Then, 3 more of the flowers floated downwards. Nell had put her hands up and spun around, laughing. Eliza and I had looked up at as 2nd-story window. The shutters were open a crack, and an unseen hand was tossing flowers, one by one on the sidewalk. At first, I was in shock. Who was sending me flowers? Did they need help? Then I realized that the house that was sending me flowers was the painter's, Mr. Peale. I looked up at the window and the shutters opened wider. Something fell and crashed inside the house, then the shutters closed quickly. My heart tripped over itself when I saw a tall, lean shadow move behind an unshuttered downstairs curtain. Nathaniel Benson.
9-29-1793
Nathaniel
Dear Diary,
Today was awful. Since most of the food was scarce because of the lack of farmers, Master Peale, his family, and I have been forced to eat his antiques of animals before they were arsenic and stuffed for his natural museum. For breakfast, we ate possum that was disgusting. Did Indians really eat these specimen? 'Tis was only Master Peale's good humor that kept us going. Some days, it felt like we were trapped in a nightmare. God bless us that none of us got the Yellow Fever. I could only hope that Matilda can say the same thing. I remembered her telling me that she was safely in the country. After that horrible breakfast, Master Peale sent me off to paint landscapes, while his daughters watched me with stupid cow eyes. After I was done, I had time to myself. I would usually go to the market and sneak up on Mattie, but she was gone. I went up in the tower and sat myself by a basket of daisies, ready to throw them at every passing lady. Then I recognized a certain voice. Mattie! I wanted to jump out the window when I saw her walking with Eliza and a little girl. I thought she was safe in the country! I eagerly grabbed a handful of flowers and tossed them out the window. Mattie had stopped and looked up, a slow smile lighting her face. I leaned forward and Mr. Peale's vase fell down with a loud crash. I quickly closed the shutters and ran downstairs. As I passed a downstairs curtain, I saw a glimpse of Matilda Cook. My heart skipped a beat.