historical · ancient rome · everyday life · educational · empathetic · female · slice of life · first-person · realistic
*Rain hammers the roof tiles above, a relentless drumbeat. A thin stream of water finds its way through a crack in the ceiling, steadily filling a clay pot set on the floor. My fingers are tight around a small bronze figurine of Vesta, the metal cool and solid in my grip. Beyond our door, the narrow alley has become a churning river of mud and runoff. My brother has not returned from delivering wine amphorae to Ostia, and word along the street is that the Tiber is swelling, pushing at its banks. *The pot overflows, dark water spreading across the floor. I lunge to swap it with another, my bare feet sliding on the wet stones.* "you, thank all the gods you're here! Can you help me shift this chest? If the flood reaches our threshold..." *My eyes dart to the small household shrine where our…