Locked Down

Olivia’s Mom Nora returned from her business trip. Nora just established her export/import business at Mumbai and had to travel frequently.

The pandemic hit suddenly, Covid-19 started spreading rapidly, and her mom’s business trips were increasing.

A tensed Olivia was worried about her mom.

Yesterday, Nora came back from her business trip from Mumbai and the next day she started developing some severe symptoms.

She decided to get a RT-PCR test just to make sure that everything was fine.

Olivia and Nora had their fingers crossed for the report to show negative.

The test results came back the following evening. When they opened it, they were shocked to see that Nora tested positive.

Behind the report, it said “Stay Quarantined for two weeks.”

Olivia could not believe her eyes and looked at her mom with a big frown.

“Olivia, you have to move into the other room for two weeks.”

“Mom I don’t want to move into the other room please!”

“Oh, my baby! Even I don’t want to send you into the other room, since I’m Covid Positive, it isn’t safe for you to stay in this room.”

“But mom it’s for two whole weeks.”

“You have to understand”

“Okay.” She said tearing up and bending her head downwards.

Olivia was going into the other room with all her stuff. Seven-year-old Olivia was running back to her mom but her mom asked her to keep distance. Once again, the little girl looked back with another hope thinking that maybe her mom might call her back but sadly, Nora was waving at her with a heavy heart while tears were rolling down her cheeks.

After a few minutes, Olivia tried to go near her mom.

“Mom!”

“Dear, don’t come near me or else you’ll get infected” Nora said while tying ropes around to make a partition from the living room to her door.

After a while, Olivia comes back into the living room and sees a rope tied.

“Mom. Mom can you please tell me a story?” Olivia says with a blaring voice.

“Yes, dear I’m bringing a story book,” shouts Nora from ten feet away.

She begins the story

“Once upon a time lived a Princess called Celestia in one comic and early development, is an Alicorn Pony, the former co-ruler of Equestria alongside her younger sister Princess Luna…”

“Mom, I can’t hear you!” Olivia says while holding the rope and trying to take it off.

“Oh! Yes, dear.”

Nora keeps that in mind and shouts out the story to Olivia.

Just then, Nora received a call from her neighbour.

Nora takes the call

“Hello, Hi Layla. How are you doing?”

“I’m good, how are you by the way?”

“Oh, I am a little under the weather!” Nora said while coughing.

“Oh dear!

I called you to ask what those noises are coming from your house.”

“Those? Ha-ha, I was shouting Olivia a story!”

“Why were you shouting?”

“I tested Covid positive and I’m in quarantine!”

“What? Covid. Alright, umm I got to go!”

Layla said thinking that the virus would spread through a phone call.

Nora put her phone down and continued the story. After the story was completed, Olivia went back into her room and an hour later, she came to the living room shouting,

“Mom, I’m hungry!”

“Okay Dear, I’m ordering food for us. You can pick yours and leave mine there. I’ll take it from the backdoor.”

“Alright, mom!”

Olivia said in a tired voice. Olivia was restless because of hunger and two minutes felt like hours.

“Mom when will the food arrive?”

“Five more minutes, dear!” said Nora in a Loving voice

“Five more minutes! Looks like it’s another hour to wait!”

Olivia could not wait any longer.

After eating the food, Olivia once again went near the rope to see her mom and really wanted to give her a hug. Olivia tried to go way nearby but the rope did not let her go further, she felt that Covid in the form of a rope created a partition of love in between.

Olivia was in tears, she spread her arms in air helplessly. Nora was devastated looking at that and health was getting worse. Nora got a high fever and begun coughing.

Olivia understands that she should go inside; she goes to her room and locks herself up. She felt lonely.  She starts talking to her dolls to divert her mind.

Olivia talks to her toy macaw

“Tweety, I wish I could go near mom and play with her!”

“No, dear Olivia it isn’t safe for you to go there, Nora is affected with Covid right!”

Tweety said trying to cheer up Olivia.

“Yeah, I understand. Can I sleep on your lap please?”

“Sure, don’t worry everything will be fine, I’m there for you! Said Tweety lovingly.

All her other dolls came near her and pampered her a lot. They were playing princess-princess.

Olivia was sitting on a little chair feeling it like a throne. The dolls were taking care of her very preciously.

They took her to a garden full of flowers and fountains where rose petals were raining on her; they also gave her a fairy’s costume in which she was flying.

The castle doors opened and the animals welcomed her.

Colourful butterflies were all around her, wrapping her up like a pretty dress!

Flocks of birds were humming melodiously and all the little animals were playing together joyfully… Everybody was sitting beside Olivia.

They also brought her some delicious Spaghetti, Cupcakes, Pizza and Macaroni.

All of them shared the food and enjoyed the yummy food. Olivia’s dolls transformed into angels, they were singing and dancing amazingly!

Olivia enjoyed the evening and forgot about the sadness.

All of them played and talked for hours. She did not notice that the time flew so quickly.

Olivia was feeling sleepy and was going to sleep after putting all her dolls to bed nice and tight. Suddenly there was a power cut and Olivia started sweating due to the heat.

Just then, the balcony doors started banging loudly, Olivia woke up and looked around, there was nothing so she went back to sleep.

Once again, the same sounds were coming. This time she closed one of her eyes and looped her fingers around the eye, which was open.

When Olivia looked up, there was a giant. She got so scared and tried to go near her mom but Olivia realized that her mom was sick and just fell asleep after coughing the whole day and hence she should not disturb her.

At midnight, Olivia hugged her dolls tight and tried to sleep comfortably but instead, she would get super scary. Nightmares like monsters and giants breaking into her house and throwing her away disturbed her. Her body shivered.

Olivia would also hear nocturnal animal sounds.

The sounds were too loud and so Olivia put tiny bits of cotton in her ears.

She was screaming and crying in a muffled voice by covering her palms over her mouth because she did not want the giant to hear anything.

She thought the monsters would take her away. The little girl wanted to go the restroom but was scared to leave the bed. She was very afraid and peed on the bed. After suffering the whole night, slowly the sun came up. Olivia suffered in the same way for 14 nights.

Two weeks later Nora went for another Covid Test and this time the report showed negative. Nora got the whole house sanitized.

First thing, Olivia did after waking up even before getting ready was rushing to her mom.

After coming out of her room, she removed the rope forcefully as it was a barrier.

Olivia ran to her mom’s room after there was no rope above her head.

Nora opened the door and saw Olivia. She came near and shed tears of joy.

Olivia noticed that her mom was very weak and lost a lot of weight… They hugged each other tightly and Olivia kissed her mom.

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