The Purple Swamp Hen

This character is the narrator of the story titled “The Purple Swamp Hen.” He used to live in the Roman garden of Quintus Pompeius but he now lives in a swamp with several other birds of his kind. He lived in Quintus's garden until the city of Pompeii was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. He did not like his life in the garden and observed many terrible and gluttonous actions by the humans who spent time in the garden. The children, in particular, tortured any animal they could capture.

One day, the narrator was captured by the children but was saved by a slave named Servilia. The purple swamp hen felt thankful for Servilia's help and believed they understood one another. A few days later, the swamp hen felt small earthquakes in the city. He knew something bad was coming, so he told Servilia to...