Let me start by introducing myself; my name is Variola. It is a
latin name, so most people just call me “Smallpox”. I’m not
going to lie to you, I am a horrible friend. I tend to keep you
all to myself during our time together. I am highly contagious
and only like to hang around with humans, as other mammals scare
me. I can attack you in 2 forms: Variola major and Variola
minor.
Variola
major owns my more devilish qualities. In this form i tend to
kill about 35% of those i get tied up with. Now, if me and you
are to become friends, you should probably request that i give
you my brighter side, Variola minor. This way, you only have a
1% chance of our friendship ending in death - to you. In the
20th century, I was responsible for up to 500 million fatalities.
If, after my wrath, you survive, i make sure that i have left my
mark. You’ll be very lucky to forget about our little fling, as
in most cases i leave you with scars known as “potmarks”. And
i’m merciless when it comes to that. i dont mind leaving them
anywhere and everywhere on your body, including your face. If
you are even luckier, I will simply leave you blind so that you
do not have to look at your scarred body in the mirror everyday.
I do this through “corneal ulcerations”, which is not in the
least bit enjoyable for you.
After telling you this story my message should be clear; STAY
AWAY! If you see me coming, pretend as if you didn’t notice, and
walk slowly in the other direction.
Yours truly,
Variola
