It was a bad time to be in the Empire – a time of decline and fall. The glory days were over. The Huns had been bad enough. No one could stand the Huns. Now it was the Visigoths. What were the defenders of Rome to do? Marius, head of a group of defenders, addressed his men.
– The Visigoths are coming, men.
– My God. They’re worse than the Huns, aren’t they, Marious?
– Lucius, the Huns were a piece of cake, compared to the Visigoths.
Dejection reigned. It was a depressing spectacle, made all the worse by overcast weather. The defenders looked for guidance to their leader.
– Should we run away, Marius?
– Cowards run away, Claudius.
– Should we fight them, Marius?
– Are you kidding, Antony?
Some of the men ran away, nonetheless. Some made plans to fight. And Marius? For the next week, the defenders couldn’t find him. Under a secluded aqueduct, Marius, in his faux Visigoth cap and faux Visigoth cloak, practiced his Visigoth impersonation.
David Sydney is a physician.