This is a short story I wrote over a year ago about Covid from a young boys eyes and thought I would share it with you all. This is the first of two have been written.
One day, our country got locked down.
I couldn’t go to school and see my friends, and my friends were not allowed to come to my house to play, either.
“This is our bubble now, Peter. You, me and Daddy.”
“But what is this cow owner virus? And is it only cow owners that get it?”
“It is actually called coronavirus, sweet, not cow owner, but I can see where you got that from. It does sound like it, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does.”
“It is a very bad virus and spreads when you cough and sneeze.”
“Like a cold?”
“Yes, like a cold, but it can make some people much sicker. You cannot touch your face, eyes, mouth or nose, so you don’t catch other people’s germs. You also have to cough and sneeze into your elbow, so that other people don’t catch your germs.”
“Is that how it gets in?”
“They are sure that this is how it spreads, yes.”
“Will it hurt me?”
“No, Peter, it won’t hurt you. For most of us it is not dangerous and it will only make you feel poorly for a while.”
“Will Nanny and Grandad be okay?”
“It can be bad for the older people, like Nanny and Grandad.”
“Is that why we cannot visit them now?”
“Yes, sweetie, that’s the safest option for the moment.”
“We can ring them still?”
“We sure can.”
Lockdown was hard. I had to do some schoolwork at home with Mummy and Daddy.
Daddy didn’t go to work, because he wasn’t allowed. There were lots of cars parked at homes, and it was really quiet around. Even the birds seemed to have stopped singing.
We were allowed out to go for a walk and Daddy was allowed out to the shops, but he had to wear a face mask.
I had to keep washing my hands, and when I did go to the shops with Daddy, I had to wear my face mask too. There were big gaps between everyone who was waiting in line outside the supermarket. The line was long sometimes.
“Stay with me whilst I wash down this trolley.”
“Why does it need to be washed down?”
“We need to wipe down the handle and the top edge of the trolley to clean of any possible virus, so that you can hold onto it.”
“Oh! These trolleys will be super clean.”
“Ha-ha. Yes, I guess they will.”
It was really strange in the shop. Some of the shelves were empty, and some had just a few off the things on them. It wasn’t busy like it was before.
When we had finished shopping, Daddy had to unpack the trolley and then pack his own bags at the end.
The lady at the check-out wore gloves and was behind a clear plastic screen.
Daddy waved his card at the machine to pay, so that he didn’t have to use his fingers.
“Why can you wave your card at the machine and others have to put it in the machine?”
“Some cards have the ability to wave, but others may be old cards that do not have it.”
When we got home, Mummy put all the fruit and vegetables into the kitchen sink, which was full up with soapy water.
“Why do we have to wash all our food?”
“Because there have probably been a few people picking them up to look at or to move, so, as with washing your hands, it is to kill the virus.”
We wiped down all the shopping before putting it away in the cupboards and fridge-freezer. The shopping bags were also washed.
I had to go and wash my hands again.
My hands were being washed on a regular basis.
We kept checking on our neighbours by phone and also on Nanny and Grandad.
I checked in with my friends often, on video chats.
This was the thing to do to make sure that everyone was safe,
We watched television every day to find out what was happening in the outside world.
“Why are those people having things pushed up their noses?”
“That is the test they do for coronavirus.”
“Yuk! I hope it doesn’t hurt.”
“I think it may be uncomfortable, but it is better to have a test done if you are feeling unwell.”
“If you do get the virus, do you have to go to the hospital?”
“Not necessarily. Most will come home and stay at home and not go out for a couple of weeks. Staying at home, as you would do if you had a bad cold.”
“Oh okay. So people who go to hospital are really poorly, then?”
“Yes, Peter, they are really poorly. They will get great medical help from the staff at the hospital.”
It was a scary place now. People all around the world were really unwell and sometimes they died.
I was sad, but we kept busy and I even helped Mummy bake some biscuits and cakes.
“We will all get fatter soon.”
“We will limit them to a couple of biscuits every day or so, and we will put the rest in the freezer.”
“I hope this goes away soon, I want to go back to normal.”
“I know. It is hard for all of us, but we will all have to make the best of it, as we don’t know how long it will be around for.”
“Not long, I hope.”
“Fingers crossed.”
Smile and have a great day 🙂
dozytarts life 