“Once there was a Pandemic”

Once there was a pandemic, everything started when a certain country who
loved eating all of the animals whether they were clean or not; began to succumb
on an illness that was normal in symptoms but can kill you as the days go by.

Meanwhile, the Philippine’s citizens were just living out each of their busy days
continuously striving hard because life, for them was never easy. The news
started spreading like wild fire and the first reaction of these people were on how
this country is so disgusting because they ate bats, YouTube videos showing them
eating their food was streamed for weeks and bashing or the apparent distance
anyone will do when they see Chinese people or anyone whom was tall, white and
has small eyes happened. The social media’s posts were full of fear, disgust and
even the phrase ‘they deserved that’ is seen every time you scroll.

Now, what was Chariss (our protagonist) doing at that time?

The pandemics news started at the first month of 2020 but was mostly ignored by
people and she was one of those. She was busy working at a company for her
grades (intern) as a Content Outreach Specialist (international) and would ask
about it to her colleagues but never opened her social media because of her
irregular schedule (work starts at early afternoon ends at late midnight) she
mostly slept the whole morning wakes up at 10, get ready for work and sleep late
at night as soon as work was over.

As soon as her two and a half months of work was over she was then bombarded
by assignments, tasks, midterms, finals and the requirements that you must have
from the company you were assigned at and of the school, Her plate was full
already when the pandemic started spreading to every country and the number
of deaths increased still she didn’t let it affect her life.

Chariss was busy but despite that studied so hard because finally the long wait
for her source of excitement the “Graduation” is near, so imagine how hard it was
for her not to think too much when the government announced for the people to
stay at home, for the business to stop, for the students to stop going at school for
the following days and make sure to avoid contact outside because of the virus.
She was sad, stressed out but diverted her attention to her favorite activity which
was watching anime, thus as soon as four months of 2020 came she has lose her
interest to it. The things that she once loved no longer held her attention and she
started thinking ‘what was I supposed to do now?’ she started reading novels
since she was grade 6, started watching anime since grade 7 and both ended at
August 2020.
 The only thing that’s keeping her attention was reading Japanese, Korean comics,
playing Mobile Legends which lasted only for two months, and singing. Those
weren’t enough, even the household chores isn’t enough to make her entertained,
she learned how to do skipping ropes and she completed it for three months and
can finally jump until fifty, so her next goal was 100; but still this didn’t last. The
sad realization she had at this year was: Financial status is near exhaustion, No
Graduation, No Summer Job, the people kept dying; last month my niece died not
from COVID 19 but from heart failure, my Uncle and cousin was sent to prison
under false claims, I didn’t want to have my class be held online but my mom
wanted me to continue studying, my course is not what I actually wanted, I did
not have anyone to talk my feelings with, because my mom’s advice don’t really
make me feel better and my friends are too stiff, we don’t have a WIFI connection
because of various reasons, and that she was nearing her breakdown.

An apparent change to her behavior was observed, as soon as online class started
she began to reach out through messenger, began acting ‘feeling close’ when she
rarely talks to strangers, she wanted to cry but she would stop because of certain
a thought ‘your tears won’t help’, she was always angry, she can barely talk to
her parents because she was tired from online school and just to ease her stress
she would sing aloud off tuned.

Once there was a pandemic, a year full of devastating news, a year full of
disappointments, a year full of tears and a year that made Chariss realize

“This year may be hard, I may shed a lot of tears but I will never ask my life to
end; NEVER AGAIN”