The Diary of a Gladiator

12/05/58

Dear Diary,

Today was possibly the worst day in my entire life. I shall start from the beginning. When I woke up I felt an uncontrollable need for freedom. I had the bad feeling in the bottom of my stomach and I couldn't get rid of it. I felt terrified, captured. I sneaked out of the house and ran. I ran from myself, from the thoughts in my head. I needed to clear my mind. It felt like a huge and terribly real nightmare. An endless nightmare. I ran and prayed for all of this to be over.

But suddenly I woke up from the loud scream. It took me a moment to realise that all of this was just a dream. But the scream didn't stop neither did my own horror. I ran out of the house to see what's going on. What I saw was something that I shall never forget.

Villa Borghese gladiator mosaic Español: (obitus)...

The Ludus magnus in Rome: barracks for gladiators ...

Ludus magnus in Rome.

Houses on fire, women and children crying out for help and men weak and terrified are being captured by Romans. It all happened so quickly I couldn't move or do anything. I just stared at all those people and felt like it was still a nightmare. But it didn't stop. The screams continued until I realised I couldn't help them. It was too late…

That day my village was burnt down and I was captured and forced into slavery. I felt miserable and I couldn't believe it was real. But it was. And I couldn't do anything about it. We were slowly moving towards Italy.

28/05/58

Dear Diary,

Home. The one place I cannot stop thinking of and the one place I cannot, and will not, return to. I volunteered to be a gladiator. It's better than to be a slave.