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Viewing single post of blog Furiously Mad: 300 Year of Legal Insanity

FOLLY STORIES

RANULPHUS’S STORY

Ranulphus Brown

1439 – 27 years old

Plough man

Shortly before my 25th birthday, while ploughing the fields, I had visions of some children from the village, lying dead in the fresh furrows. All of these children had recently died after the recent epidemic. One afternoon the plough got caught on something in the ground, and when I looked back I saw the body of Robert Smithy lying in the furrow – who hadn’t died. I felt cold come over me, but carried on working.The next morning, my wife told me that Robert had died during the night. That day I saw another child from the village lying dead from the chisel of my plough. And again this child died that night. I was overcome by the second death, sure that my plough had caused their deaths. I was unable to work, despairing of the deaths I had caused and would continue to cause. Even though I wasn’t at work I would see visions of more children, and was scared stiff more would die. So I stayed still, did nothing that could cause any deaths. I then refused to talk to anyone, sure that somehow the talk would set their deaths in motion – my wife thought I quite mad. My father was sure that I was, but I felt I knew the truth and I knew what would happen. He arranged for my folly stone removal, and after that I never saw another child but I never returned to those fields.


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