The Four Letter Word

I was excited seeing grandpa at home after school everyday. I ran and hugged him. He rightly sensed that something was wrong. "What is it", he asked. "I am bored with school. I wish I could stay with you all day at home", I said. "Come, I'll tell you a story" he said with a grim look. We settled down in our usual story place.

"When I was a small kid just like you. The world froze and stood still" as he said this his eyes became big and wide and I could literally see the story come live in his eyes. "Everything came to a halt. All of us stayed inside. We were all scared of it. All the people were hiding in their homes for a long long time." "Was it a dinosaur or a big monster" I asked , the story just got interesting. "It was a tiny virus. We cannot see it with naked eyes. But it was all over. It spread from person to person. 

When they sneezed or coughed, it traveled in the little droplets. It was there wherever it landed. If some person touches it, it sticks to their hands and if they wipe their face with the same hand, it gets inside their nose or mouth and they fall ill. It was like a chain process. It was going on and on. So, people decided they need to break the chain and they stayed inside." He said. I asked, " So, what about schools. Didn't you have to study at all." " I was very young. My mother taught me stuff at home. I remember having a lovely time. My father stayed with me and we all spent lot of time together. We did gardening, we played games, we cooked together, watched movies, read books it was like a fantasy. None had such a time ever before that or after that. It was a tough time but still we made the best out of it" Grandpa said.

" The whole world had a great holiday then?" I asked surprised. "Oh no no. Each of them faced something different. The doctors and nurses were working hard. The sanitary workers ensured hygiene. The police maintained law and order and kept everything under control. The Government was running heading it all. The essentials were supplied by shops and the people helping in delivery did an exemplary job. The scientists were busy finding ways to identify the infected people and worked to find vaccines to prevent and medicines to treat the infection.  They were the main frontline warriors in the war against the virus pandemic. They were our super heroes. We kids wanted to become one of them when we grew up. I wanted to research and discover a cure so badly" he said.

"Wow, so that's how you became a scientist grandpa. I am so proud of you. Hmm Tell me more about the war" I said. " Yes. Each family, each person fought his own small war admist the big virus war. What do we do for food if we don't go out. I thought we could always get food delivered but that was just not it. My father was working in the computer from home so we got some money to buy us things. The shopkeepers had money from the goods they sold. But the people who worked for daily wages had no work, had no money. The farmers, business persons, workers, fishermen, drivers so many people suffered. One day we also did, they said shops don't have things to sell. That day was when even the rich could not get food though they had money. So we all had our part in the war, every single person" he said with a sigh.

"Grandpa, that would have been very hard. What happened then", I asked. "We learnt to share and care, love to live, respect and treat all as equals, lead life with bare minimum essentials. Nature taught us many lessons. After months of quarantine, the warriors took control over the situation and we won the war over the virus. We did lose a lot of people in the battle. We lost warriors as well as people. We still think of all the sacred souls and we salute them" he said teary eyed.

"It is getting dark. Come let's go inside. Your mom will be here to take you for your first COVID all vaccine. Its discovery is one huge milestone in human history. Did you know that COVIDV20 found in 2020 is the father of the COVIDallV vaccine that we scientists found out sometime back for all of the Corona virus diseases? It is like a magic potion for the virus that was, is and yet to come. Scientists made sure none of the future generations suffered as we did way back then. That's why even if there is a COVID90 in 2090 at present, we don't have to worry dear" he said enthusiastically.

Mom took me to the doctor and he was poking the injection. Ouch it pained a lot. So I screamed in pain and opened my eyes. My five year old son was standing with his toy syringe. "Ma, look I found a vaccine for Corona virus. I am a great scientist" he said and jumped all around. Was it all a dream? 

I sat up and looked at my phone it was still 20th April 2020. My son dragged me to the living room..The news on the television showed increasing stats of Covid19 victims. My son looked into my eyes turned my head with his hands and showed me all the four letter words he had formed in the game he played. I could see hope, life, love, care, help, live, fate, stop, stay, safe, home.

Let's spread HOPE. LOVE all. CARE for each other. HELP those in need. After all we have one LIFE. Let's all LIVE till the end. STOP worrying. STAY HOME. STAY SAFE!

Aruna Dhanapal

A Budding Writer