Hello Readers! This is a collection of 3 short stories I wrote about the lockdowns/curfews that were implemented within my country in 2018, 2019, and 2020/2021. This is the third story of the collection. You can use the following links to read the rest.
* * *
“This is bad”, Maya told her best friend, Taniya, over the phone. “I never thought that this will get so bad that they’ll have to put a curfew. For two days!”
“Well, apparently, it’s worse in other countries. So I guess we can consider ourselves lucky”, replied Taniya.
“You’re right, I guess. But what if it gets worse?”
“Well... we’ll see about that if the risk gets higher. For now, let’s try to enjoy the present.”
“I simply cannot enjoy anything... I’m so bored. I miss EVERYTHING about school.”
“Me too Maya, me too.”
“Okay, then I’ll talk to you later. My mother is calling me. Bye”
“Bye...”
Maya kept her phone on the table and sighed. Today was the first of many curfews, but this time disunity was not seen anywhere. The fight was not between groups of humans, it was between humans and the world they had created. It was between humans and what they had turned nature into. This fight was harder to win.
The fight was with Coronavirus. A virus that had consumed thousands of lives so far and was continuing to consume more. The death toll was increasing so fast. The wealthiest countries, as well as the poorest, were affected. Celebrities, royals, as well as the homeless, were killed.
It all started in January when a rumor about a deadly virus in China started spreading all over the country. People didn’t think much and went on with their day-to-day lives until one day, a Sri Lankan was diagnosed with the virus. Everyone panicked. Maya's tests were canceled, schools closed down. At first, there was a simple curfew. But after a few days, the whole country was under lockdown.
For the first few weeks, no more patients were found. But then, people slowly started getting infected. Hence, the lockdown became longer.
“Wow…. I never thought I’d experience something like this. This is like a Zombie Apocalypse!” Maya thought as she played scrabble with herself. At first, she had a hard time fighting the boredom. But she found ways to entertain herself while polishing her skills. About two months after the lockdown started, her school decided to conduct online classes. It was such a strange experience for her. She missed going to school and sitting with her friends but chatting with her friends through video calls had its own uniqueness. They talked at least once a week and even managed to make a video together, virtually. These memories were completely different from what they expected to make on their last year together, but they were indeed unique and better than nothing.
April rolled over, and she couldn’t celebrate her birthday for the 3rd time in a row. She didn’t mind it much, since her parents offered to teach her how to drive as a birthday present. Since the roads were deserted because of the lockdown, she managed to practice driving a lot. It was one of the highlights of the lockdown for her.
This was completely different from what she expected to experience in 2020, a new decade and hence a new beginning, as everyone called it during the new year celebrations. It felt strange, but not so strange at the same time.
* * *
“This was surprisingly easy to get used to,” Maya told Taniya one day when they were talking through a video call, about 4 months after the lockdown started. The number of patients had steadily increased and now it was slowly decreasing. Luckily, Sri Lanka wasn’t affected as much as other countries. The lockdown had been on and off, but Maya and Taniya hadn’t seen each other in months. They still managed to call each other often.
“I know! But I still miss school so much. I feel like I can’t focus well when I’m at home all day.”
“Me too! By the way, do you know what will happen to our exam?”
“My mom says they might get postponed. But she’s not sure.”
“Well, we’ll know when we go to school next month. By the way, are you planning to come?”
“Only if my parents allow me.”
“Ah, I see…”
“Anyway, I have to go now. I have a class in 5 minutes.”
“Okay. Bye!”
Her exams were approaching. But no one knew if they are going to be held as scheduled. This uncertainty made Maya anxious, and she was worried constantly. She felt like she wasn’t ready. But she also wanted to finish it as soon as possible. This made her mood worse. The lockdown didn’t seem as nice as it used to.
A few weeks later, schools reopened, and a couple of weeks after that, Maya started going to school regularly. It felt so different. The safety precautions that were implemented last year were nowhere to be seen. No one checked her bag when she entered the school. Instead, they checked her temperature. Everyone wore masks to school. They couldn’t share food anymore. It was strange, but the fact that they got used to this lifestyle very quickly was stranger. It was sad but unavoidable. Everyone was used to staying at home all day, not talking, not sharing, minding their own business, and being with themselves. Society has changed so much and adapted to the situation. The usual liveliness was nowhere to be seen.
* * *
October arrived, and the situation became worse. The second wave of Covid hit, and the country went into lockdown again. A few weeks later, the government announced that Maya’s exam was postponed to 2021.
“WHAT?” she exclaimed. “So we have to study these for five more months?”
She and all her friends were tired of studying the same things over and over again. After the second lockdown started, her daily life seemed so repetitive. She couldn’t be as carefree as she used to be as her exams were approaching, but she was also tired of studying the same thing over and over again. Their school suddenly decided to have a term test, and she hadn’t fared well in it. This made her more nervous.
She was surprised at how fast we went from being carefree and worry less to being constantly worried. She couldn’t even tell if it’s because of the lockdown or because her exams were getting closer. Even her friends had become distant because of their busy schedules. It felt strange. But right now, she had to focus on her studies. But it was becoming harder and harder. Her mind wandered off to different things: life before the pandemic, what life will be like after the pandemic, and so on.
After about an hour of studying, she got so frustrated and called Taniya.
“Can’t focus?” Taniya asked as soon as she picked up.
“I’m just so frustrated...”
“Yeah... I understand. How about we take a break for a few days and start again? I don’t think we will get anything done like this.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. After all, we have five more months”, Maya said bitterly. “I mean, I understand the situation. But why couldn’t they teach us properly online? After all, we had to wake up at 5 for classes.”
“But Maya, I don’t think everyone has it the same. I think the exam was postponed mainly because of students without these facilities.”
“Hmm, that makes sense. I guess we will just have to make the most use of our time.”
“Yeah….”
“Okay then, I’ll call you later. I’m going to sleep.”
“Okay... Bye”
* * *
Seven months went by, and now it was April of 2021. She had her exams in March, and she had done well. But she recalled almost nothing that happened before that. She had spent most of her time studying and went to school for two weeks in February. The months in between felt like a dream. She had started her advanced classes a few weeks after the exams, and it had felt strange going to a class physically after son long. But this feeling lasted only for a few weeks. By the end of April, the country went into another lockdown. Maya had lost count. Today was her 17th birthday, and the 4th she celebrated during a curfew. “Well, I’m used to this now," she thought as she washed her face in the morning. Her parents had managed to buy a gift before the curfew, and they had prepared a cake for her. But she longed to have fun with her friends as well.
Just as she thought things were going to get better, they became worse than ever. 2021 turned out to be worse than 2020. So many people had lost their lives, and even some of her friends were infected with the virus. The effect on the country was very noticeable, as it went downhill socially and economically. By the end of the year, there were signs of a food shortage. By then, the country had reopened, but the number of deaths and patients didn’t change.
“Is it ever going to be the same?” Maya wondered. “Everything is so uncertain now. It got worse when I thought it would get better. People hoped 2021 would be better. But it ended up being terrible…” She stroked Domino’s head. “I wonder what 2022 has for us.”
Written in 2020, 2021
Edited in 2021
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