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Sci-Fi: Cornice Visa's Untold Story

A #covid19 story +++

Hi! How are you?

You might be annoyed or you might think I am being sarcastic by asking you this question though. But, I truly wanna know how are you right now under this community quarantine.

Are you okay? Or not?

If you are okay, I am relieved to hear that. If it is the other way around, I am sorry. Regardless of the state you are in right now, I apologize.

I am sorry for starting a war whom everyone is not prepared to put a fight against it. It is time to confess something that I should have done a long time ago.

It was the start of a new year in Tsina - a year to start something new, a year to become better versions of ourselves. Thinking about starting something new; the perspective, the view of the world pushed me to make the greatest decision of my life. I participated in an experiment as a test subject for a syrup from bats and snakes. That syrup was created for better metabolism and to refrain us from getting poisoned against venom. It took an hour until the tests were finished. Days after the experiment, I can say that my body is in a better shape not until that evening.

That evening that changed my life. I started to feel cold. Coldness that sent shivers to my spine that eventually led to cough. Three days after, I stayed in bed because I really feel weak and was suffering from high fever that much. I even vomit the food that I eventually ate. My parents decided to rush me to the hospital and contacted the team that handled the experiment I participated in.

Various tests were conducted but the news brought by the team was mindblowing. "There was a side effect from the syrup. We just discovered it from the findings earlier. I-I'm sorry for developing a disease out of a supposed to be cure." The words of the doctor was crystalline in my mind.

COVID. Mutation took place that enabled the creation of a strain of coronavirus. A new coronavirus that is much stronger and dangerous than the previous coronavirus diseases (SARS and MERS).

I wasn't able to sleep that night. On second thought, maybe I did fell asleep after releasing liters of water from my eyes. A cure was no where to be found yet! I cannot do anything but wait for a miracle to happen. I feel lost. The immune system is it's target. They say if you have a strong one, your body will be able to overcome it. I had to be quarantined for 14 days. I spent those 14 lonely days in my room to avoid physical contact with people. Even those at home were monitored for possible symptoms. With that, my family got judged by people in our neighborhood. The pain was excruciating. We couldn't go out of the house easily. Even buying the necessities we need gave us a tough time. No one wanted to help. They were afraid.

Last day of my quarantine, I was shocked by the news that several people in our place tested positive. World news immediately reported that a new virus emerged in our country. Such headlines were: "New Disease Emerged from Test Subject" and "From Cure Creation to Disease Creation". Though my identity was hidden, I knew it was me. Until, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus a pandemic because it was rapidly spreading in different borders around the world.

Countries in the world declared their own quarantine and safety measures to avoid getting infected. It has been 5 months but the world is at chaos. It is saddening that the everyday vibe we look forward to suddenly ended and changed. Gone are the busy streets, the people buzzing everywhere, the daily gossips, streetfood, the vehicles that bring us to our destination. From this routine, fear together with risk entered the picture. Consuming the whole society. Fear to go out whenever you want; if ever given the chance, only to buy necessities. Frontlines risking their lives for virus prevention, for implementing protocols, for curing those considered infected, for distributing relief goods, for discovering the cure that can end this war. Despite the fear, I have seen how the world slowly changed. Mother is slowly healing and cleansing. Unity and Cooperation blossomed again.

I am deeply sorry for the trouble that I have caused. Mother, I am sorry for worsening the situation you are experiencing right now. Before this, I have seen you getting burnt, damaged, heated up to the point you erupted to release it all out. Sadly, I added up to the burden you currently feel. You are the home that I feel at peace. You are my safe haven. You are my world. But because of the things being done to you, that peace of mind slowly faded. I betrayed you, therefore calling me a traitor is a must. I chose to contribute in destroying your peace of mind. I am an agent in tearing apart the world I used to call my home. Sadly, the essence of home is not felt anymore.

To the one reading this, I am sorry. At this point, you might be afraid of me but I tell you that this is not a joke. Stay home and avoid going outdoors except for important matters, monitor your health condition, stay healthy since prevention is better than any cure, pray and remember to think wisely before deciding on something. Please avoid being too stubborn. Take it from me, what we experience right now is a choice of stubbornness as I neglected the reminders of my parents.

The burden that I carry may not be as heavy as before upon this confession. Therefore, I take further responsibility for the crisis right now. If given the chance to be invisible or to fly, I will choose to become invisible thinking that maybe upon my ability to become invisible, the disease, the crisis, the deaths will be gone as well. May you heal to your fullest potentials and may this really be the start of something new.

This is the story of the first ever recorded COVID-19 patient. Coincidentally, my name is the English word for the pandemic's first word too. Surely, words are not enough to lessen every negative vibe everyone is feeling right now, I know. How can a sorry ease the pain? Again, I am sorry.

Cornice Visa

Note: Cornice is Latin for Corona while Visa is the Sanskrit for Virus (Source: Merriam Webster Dictionary) patingnan nalang sa origin mehehe