Hitting us without a warning late last year, Covid-19 marked one of the most drastic pandemics ever faced by man-kind. Having already taken thousands of lives with millions left to suffer, the virus changed us all in a way we had never imagined. Although the situation is easing for some of us, the day that the whole world would be free from this era seems far ahead…
It is definite to arrive one day, but today we can only imagine it. A world we could be ourselves again. A world free of Covid-19. A new world, with hopefully our habits and thinking patters changed for the better. A world where we would be more understanding of people, our relationships and our planet. A world we wouldn’t take for granted and will protect for our future. A new beginning with new understandings.
A New Day in the Covid-Free World
Slowly, Sam cracked his eyes open. The sunlight streamed down from the open windows, to the bed he lay in. The sky has never looked bluer, more beautiful in all the years he spent in this world. Birds chirped outside, adding a fitting cheerful tune to the morning. Yes, it was true. Finally, the world was free of the pandemic.
Starting off as a virus bred through animals, Covid-19 spread like wildfire across the globe from a remote market in the corner of the world. It engulfed everyone in its dark wings, leaving in its wake a plethora of heartbroken souls who looked up at the heavens through face shields made of plastic, gushing out their terrible prayers from behind their masks. It was the black plague of the modern age, the worst nightmare come true for humanity.
But now, after years and years, mankind’s resilience has pulled through. They have all made it to a world free of the dreaded pandemic.
For the first time in as long as he could remember, Sam walked through the open doors into the sunshine that lay beyond. It was a beautiful feeling; neighbors and relatives all flocked along the roads to embrace each other, some in happiness, some in grief, but all in solidarity. Gone were all the differences that divided humanity. Everyone perceived everyone as their own, and new friendships kindled like flames everywhere he looked. It was the dawn of a whole new era. An era of humanitarian growth, friendship and fellowship across lands and seas.
The world too had changed. The gray clouds that hung around the cities were now merely a forgotten memory. So was the ozone layer that was torn apart. Nature had finally made its peace with humans; animals roamed freely in the urban parks, birds nestled peacefully on abandoned office blocks, and flowers blossomed on the vast graveyards. It was as though mother nature had decided to forgive humanity for all the suffering that she was put through over the centuries. The skies looked bluer, and the grass was greener.
Sam felt an oddly giddy feeling of happiness taking over his body. Looking around him broadly, he took his first steps on his long adventure on mother earth, promising himself to venture far and wide, experiencing everything this world has to offer to him. He would strive to always be a responsible person, to make maximum use of this valuable opportunity that mother nature had bestowed upon him, as one of the lucky few who survived one of the darkest eras of humanity. He promised to leave the earth a better place than the one he lived in. Looking up at the heavens high above, Sam smiled.
Written by: Rtr. Hiru Ihalakorala
Edited by: Rtr. Kalani Siriwardena
Editor