Jack’s story occurs in England sometime between the late Middle Ages and the early 18th Century. He is at the death bed of his friend Simon as a plague ravishes the town of Purchester. Jack soothes Simon’s suffering with tales of his travels throughout the world throughout time. He thoughtfully eases Simon on to death, then with much melancholy, burns the town to ashes as he travels through the Green to a nearby place to watch it burn.
