As the last rays of the sun hit the sky in front of you, you see, off in the distance, some large storm clouds. Just a glimpse. That is all that you needed to know that it was going to start raining very hard, very soon. You call in your son from his riding lesson and bring your daughter out of her specially made life sized doll house and bring her inside and out of danger. Soon you hear thunder and through the windows of your living room you can see rods of lightening streaking across the sky like cracks in the black glass plate that the sky had become. Suddenly you see a lantern turn around the corner from your driveway and start up toward your house. The lantern is followed by the dull sounds of a dozen men quick marching toward your castle. Before you can react, they have knocked on the door and demand to be let in. Once they are let in, the twelve men stand in your foyer, dripping wet from their travels and breathing harder than normal from the stress that is their job. The one in charge announces to your entire estate, "It has been the decree of the Committee of Public Safety, that your property be taken into the custody of the state and that you be escorted to your new living apartments. You have 15 minutes to pack all that you can carry in one handkerchief. All valuables now belong to France, do not attempt to take them with you." As you slowly react to the situation before you, you realize that your noble status has condemned you. The new government of the Committee of Public Safety, run by Robespierre, has passed a decree to imprison all nobles and people who oppose what they plan for France. After what seems like an eternity, you and your family are ready to leave your home for good, never to set foot there again. You have been the first victims of the Reign of Terror. .
This is what the experience of the Terror was like for the people who were involved. They never knew what to expect, except they knew that they could always count on that uneasy feeling that was everywhere during this time period.
