Hello readers! The rollercoaster of events you are soon to experience is my own memoir covering the events during the year 2020 and 2021, the "Covid Age". This was a major project given to us, grade 10 creative writers, by our teacher. We were tasked to write an 8-page memoir about all the Covid Age episodes each of us went through. What happened? How it happened? Why it happened? And what is behind it? Were essentially the guiding questions of this assignment. Research, pre-writings (can be found here), and organization s was put into this work. This is my take on creative non-fiction, please enjoy!
♪ BANG BANG KNOCKING ON MY DOOR ♪
March 13, 2020 - Trump declares a national emergency to free up $50 billion in federal resources to combat coronavirus.
A steady and heavy hand awoke me from the dark slice of heaven we call sleep. The thousand hands pinning me down to the comfortable, soul sucking bed, and prevented me from getting up. The light switch was flipped on, and my room turned into a bright cube forcing me to lift myself up from bed. Slumbering to the bathroom to wash and prepare myself for school, I noticed the date written on my phone, 16 March 2020. The day my sister was being shipped back from the United Kingdom. Fear and anxiety got to my mother and an immediate retrieval was ordered. Being myself back then, it was not a big deal, just my “annoying” sister coming back to eat away parts of my happiness. That is what I thought to myself whiles my father drove me to school. Nowhere to be seen in my head was a 2-year online learning situation starting a couple of days after my sister came back from her psychological studies.
♪ "DO YOU HAVE A DOLLAR? WOULD YOU LIKE TO FUND A WAR? ♪
As stated previously, on the same day as my sister’s salvage mission, the school sent out an important and sudden letter. Written in a depressed tone, the letter states: “Therefore, today (March 16) will now be our final day of on-campus classes. We will allow for two additional days of teacher training (March 17 & 18), and online learning will now commence beginning Thursday, March 19.” This marked the beginning of the roller coaster we call “THE COVID AGE.”
♪ WHAT'S YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT AND COULD YOU BE DOING MORE?" ♪
My mother ordered my sister to stay put in her room for 2 weeks. Food and water supplied brought up by us and kept my sister alive throughout the 2-week period. On the other floor, I was enjoying my peaceful and soothing dream of online learning. Being an introvert and living an hour away from school, learning from home solidified my dream. The glistering tunes of my surprisingly large playlist played through one by one. The combination between j-pop and normal pop vibrated the air molecules between the tiny speakers of my iPad and my projecting ears. Constantly being powered by this small aspect gave me the power and will to complete my detailed and important assignments. That along with the lack of social interaction.
♪ I TRIED SAVING THE WORLD BUT THEN I GOT BORED ♪
Listening to music, laying down on my bed, and not actually paying attention to the teacher described my online learning experience. These aspects stuck throughout my quarantine experience yet slowly evolve and adapt to the surrounding environment just like the virus. One other aspect that affected my life was my family.
♪ MAKE A LOTTA MONEY BUY A HOUSE IN MALIBU ♪
You would expect me to see my sister before she migrates into her room, do you? That did not really happen until my mother granted her permission and made sure the virus did not devour her pair of lungs. As you know, on the day my sister travelled back from the United Kingdom, my school declared a state of emergency. After a one-hour ride through the tedious number of transfers between 3 public transport system, I came home to see my sister’s vibrant orange suitcase. A sign that giveaway my sister’s location. If the suitcase is seen anywhere in the hose, my sister is home. If it isn’t seen anywhere, my sister is not home. Orange standing for happiness, fun, and balance something that didn’t match my sister’s neutral state of mind at all. In shivering fear, I avoided the suitcase and doodled my way up to my room. The start of my mutual and supportive relationship between me and my sister began then.
♪ SHOW ME IF IT'S FUNNY IF IT'S NOT YOU DON'T NEED TO ♪
April 3, 2020, Donald Trump declared a non-medical mask policy in America
One week after the imprisonment of my sister. With this came the most awesome week. Videos of Karens flooded the internet page. One that stood out to me was the one where Karen's were arguing about the existence of covid and denying wearing a mask.
“I have a respiratory system issue! I medically can’t wear a mask! I CAN’T BREATHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! LET ME IN NOWWWWWWWWW! GET ME THE MANAGERRRRR!” demanded the Karen.
In a calm and soothing voice, the staff replied, “We really can’t let you in without a mask ma’am. Please wear a mask.”
“You know what, I know my RIGHTS. YOU HAVE TO LET ME INNN. YOU CANNOT NOT LET ME INNN!” the Karen continued shouting.
“Ma’am, as I told you, you need a mask in order to come in.” the staff replied in a depressive voice.
The Karen continued, “YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, I CAN’T WEAR A MASK! I HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION! NO NO, YOU KNOW WHAT, I’M CALLING THE POLICE. THIS IS HARASSMENT.”
“You can call the police all you want ma’am; they aren’t going to let you in either. They’ll probably arrest you from calling 911 without an actual emergency” The staff passively fought back.
Smokes started floating out of the Karen's ear and she walked back to her car.
People demanding their stance and reasons to not wear a mask were hilarious. Although this is a small detail people might leave out during the Covid age, it really helped me through the first couple of months. The dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins generated in my brain lifted my mental health while my sister was still locked up in her room.
♪ I TRIED PICKING A CAUSE BUT I GOT CONFUSED ♪
April 14, 2020 - Trump announces he is halting funding for WHO (World Health Organization) while a review is conducted, saying the review will cover WHO's "role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus."
Revealing my sister back into the wilderness of the outside world came with a surprise. A giant carboard container rang the doorbell found in front of my house and the package was reeled in. My family went through the struggle to unbox it and bringing it into the house, specifically the kitchen. The 3 hours after the package came, me and my father was spent on reorganizing and moving the earlier container to make room for the new one. Ice-creams, meat, vegetables, eggs, and groceries popped out of the earlier refrigerator and into the new one. A colossal hunk of shiny metal commonly known as a refrigerator rolled into the kitchen.
“It can connect to Wi-Fi, right?” I asked my father with curiosity.
He replied, “I don’t think it can, can it?”
“How am I supposed to know, you were the one who chose and bought it,” I responded.
A moment of annoyance occurred between me and my father, but it was quickly over. This new refrigerator was soon to be important later in the pandemic.
♪ HOW CAN YOU SING ABOUT LOVE WHEN THE KIDS ARE ALL DYING ♪
April 28, 2020 - The United States passes one million confirmed cases of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins.
Today was a special day, my sister introduction of Super Smash Bros Ultimate marked one of the main milestones and activity during this gruesome time. The first day of play time was not much but a one-sided fight. Destroying a punching bag would be the description on my side of the fight.
“WHAT IS GOING ONNNN” my sister screamed.
I calmy replied in an opposite tone “A mass homicide of Kirby's’ is going on”
“WHAT DO YOU MEANNNN” my sister shouted while her Kirby was knocked off stage.
This was soon to be the go-to scene when a matched between me and my sister sparked every afterschool. Jumping off from the vibrant computer screen and transporting myself to the couch to horribly beat my sister up from the charged-up agony made by one of my teachers. Although she consistently lost the matches, her persistence is second to none albeit screamed and demand to play duo instead of solos. A small spark of connection was made from this small game. The connection that wasn’t previously there when she left for the United Kingdom. The connection that would last throughout the entirety of the covid age and until the day I am writing this sentence. The connection that protected my family from loneliness.
♪ HOW CAN YOU SING ABOUT DRUGS, POLITICIANS ARE LYING ♪
June 16, 2020 - University of Oxford scientists leading the Recovery Trial, a large UK-based trial investigating potential Covid-19 treatments, announce that a low-dose regimen of dexamethasone for 10 days was found to reduce the risk of death by a third among hospitalized patients requiring ventilation in the trial.
Another month of nothing but online learning, due dates, essays, and project pass by instantly. My grade 8 experience was ending, and a celebratory movie trip was made by my sister and her friends. I skipped the last class of the day since all the assignments were done and we head off to the closest mall where the theatre is found. On sales were the rerun for the famous movies by Makoto Shinkai, the Japanese animator whose movie gained the third spot in the highest-grossing anime film under the name of “Your Name.” The 2-film we watched were Your Name and Weathering with You. Both of which were at the top of their respective field.
♪ HOW CAN YOU SING ABOUT SEX WHEN THE SCHOOL IS ON LOCKDOWN, LOCKDOWN ♪
Not only the contrast in story between these 2-masterpiece aligned with the life ahead of me but also the trip. As I told you previously, the trip was made by my sister and her friends. The friends who later would be important in the several activities throughout the years of lock down. Even though this trip was a small event which occurred throughout the forever and eternal Covid age, the long-lasting impact it had, pinned my depressive episodes, or season, down to the ground.
♪ NOW BABY MAYBE WE'RE NEXT ♪
August 15, 2020 - Russia begins production on Sputnik-V, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
As the days of staying at home and deleting my sister’s character in battle every afternoon passed by, the next school year was about to begin. The last 2 months has disappeared into thin air as if it never existed. My mind was filled with despair and sadness. The school year was beginning with all of us being onsite. The first covid wave ended right before the school announce its “Good News”. The return of social interactions and transportation sucked away my hopes and dreams. The hours wasted on the train and the masks people put on after leaving their house. The day before I was forced to go to school, insomnia hit me. Ironically, this wasn’t caused by the thought of going to school but the unadjusted sleep schedule I wrecked during the break. No more were the days where I go to sleep at 8 am and wake up at 5 pm. No more were the days of not doing work and chilling all day. No more were the days where no walking was needed. No more were the days where serotonin was produced 24/7. No more were the days when there is a single voice in my head. No more...
My eyes slowly closed, and the long-lasting sleep began...
♪ SO SHUT UP THE INTERNET IS MAD ♪
September 24, 2021 - CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky diverges from the agency's independent vaccine advisers to recommend boosters for a broader group of people.
My body sprang out of the bed. My body shaking in from the cold air produced from my air conditioner. The mood and tone of the entire house was far different. The presence of my sister has disappeared. She has now been imported back to England to continue her psychological studies.
Many loud and controverting noises screamed through my mind.
“It’s fine, you’ve been through this before”
“You have 3 more work dues this afternoon, better get to it now”
“Open you iPad, let’s check YouTube”
“Why does it feel so lonely?”
“Why the fuck are you guys screaming? Shut up please”
“Am I needed? What is happening?”
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG
“Finally, some silence, those fuckers are so goddam annoying. How the fuck did those guys appear out of nowhere”
The silence was returned with the help of the mysterious sound.
I continued with my day clearing out the missing assignments and taking mild breaks in between.
The origin of these perplexing voice in my head is unknown, but they started coming after a year of quarantine.
Even though I’ve experienced the presence of being alone once already in my life without a single problem, this time, it was different.
My brain was fixed on the quote:
“Everything will be fine. It will be fine. No matter what, it will be fine”
I don’t even realized how corrosive being inside all day without doing any huge activity or having any social interaction. My physical and mental state of minds feel fine. Nothing seems wrong with it everything was casual. But that seems to be a lie.
♪ THEY SAY YOU'RE PROBLEMATIC AND YOU BETTER TAKE IT BACK ♪
On the same day, my house practically turned into an abandoned graveyard. The usual sound of the tv was gone. No source of light can be seen on the first floor. No smell, no taste, no nothing. I went into the kitchen and grabbed my processed frozen dinner. The packaged container would make every Italian scream in agony. I put the microwavable lasagna container into the microwave and set it to 10-minutes. Every single voice I heard while I was waking up was still “dead” from the imaginary gunshots. Patiently waiting for the heating process to be done, I sat down in the dining table with my mind blank. I repeated the same routine as I did every day. Clicked the top button on my iPad. Punched in my password. Enter YouTube. Checked out any interesting videos title.
“TING TING TING” the microwave howled.
In a zombie like gesture, I dragged my body into the kitchen and carefully lifted the tray.
My trembling legs stepped forward and back towards the dining table.
I placed down the tray and started “enjoying” the meal.
Only by one, I cut through the multiple layers of pasta, sauce, and meat.
Signaled my triceps and all the muscles controlling my arm and leisurely navigated the spoon towards my face.
My mouth opened with the activation of the lateral pterygoid.
The small piece of lasagna advanced into my mouth and was gradually digested down into the abyss.
♪ THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO THAT THEY WON'T MISUNDERSTAND ♪
Halfway through the meal, the sounds were revived.
“I can’t do this anymore”
“Why am I feeling this”
“What am I doing?”
“We’ve done this before, why is this time so hard?”
“Everything will be fine. It will be fine. No matter what, it will be fine”
♪ THEY WON'T FEEL ANY BETTER TILL YOU FEEL BAD ♪
The meal continued in utterly silence. Only the sound from the videos opened can be heard.
The plate of lasagna was steadily disappearing
“What is this mysterious feeling?”
♪ AND GOOD GOD WE NEVER CATCH A BREAK ♪
The meal came to an end.
I stood up and rushed into the kitchen to wash up the dishes.
I don’t know why I was in such a hurry, but I sense something was flowing out of my face.
♪ WHATEVER'S ON THE NEWS THE OTHER SIDE'LL CALL IT FAKE ♪
A cold liquidly substance composed of lipids and water was pushing its way out.
To prevent any complications, I ran up into my room.
My comfort zone.
The zone where I can fully express any emotions and thought going through my mind.
The room where 4 royal blue walls protected me from the outside world.
The room where I spent most of my time in.
The room where no one can come in and interrupt any activities going on.
The room where songs echoed against the sapphire walls.
♪ I WISH I WAS THE QUEEN, I'D TELL 'EM ALL TO EAT THEIR CAKE ♪
Grabbing my phone and ear buds.
I put them on, and the songs started flowing through my ears and into my brain.
The sadness and craving tone of each song
Building up
Ready to be broken down.
♪ MAYBE HUMANKIND WAS JUST GOD'S MISTAKE ♪
I fell onto my comfortable and soul-sucking bed.
The lights went out
Darkness engulfed the room
Tears started to swim their ways out of my eyes.
Streams upon streams of liquid moved itself down my face.
“Everything will be ok; it must be ok”
The reasons why depression and tiredness caught up with me was still unknown until today.
Covid-19 has hit everyone hard.
Even though I acted as everything was fine
It wasn’t
Being locked up in a small house 24/7 is corrosive.
It secretly eats up your mind
Slowly, little by little, bit by bit
The damage might not look brutal, but it is
The next 20 minutes were the catharsis of emotions.
I dried out my lacrimal glands and flushed out my brain
The quote “Our galaxy contains a black hole into which our solar system, including earth, will ultimately collapse” floated into my mind after the crying has stopped. My response to the question after the endlessly quarantine would be:
“Ah, I see, well that’s good.”
After experiencing many “traumas” and incidents constantly happening throughout life, numbness and staleness is brought to my mind. Covid-19, the set of genetic codes and spiky proteins have kicked, pushed, and suffocated us into a square box we call a room or home for 2 years. Nothing would beat that, hopefully. Nearly 6 million people died and nearly 400 million infected. Saying to me that the universe is ending is nothing in comparison. I feel happy it is happening. At least it would bring people out of the miseries we are in now. No more pain, no more deaths, no more people, no more life, no more Earth, and no more virus. Only darkness, silence, and nothingness.
♪ HOW CAN YOU SING ABOUT LOVE ♪
♪ WHEN THE KIDS ARE ALL DYING ♪
Thank you for reading :)
TT.
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