That morning was just as mundane and sad as any other morning after the weekend is. I got out of bed. Brushed my teeth. Put on my uniform. Gobbled down my breakfast (the only exciting part of the morning). And went off to school…thinking it was going to be just a normal and boring day ahead, that made up a normal and boring week to definitely look forward to.

Except, I had no idea how wrong I was…

On my way to school, I made a harmless wish. A silent prayer. I wanted school to close and all my exams to get cancelled. I only wanted to play and have fun. Little did I know the power of my small, but deadly wish…

A few days later, my wish was granted. But the upheaval it created, was definitely not worth it.

The chaos created had us all devastated. It was a whole new world in itself… a new virus originated!

The tragedy this virus caused, triggered many calamities.

A name, I’m sure, which is well-known by now across the world – Corona Virus – Public Enemy Number #1.

I definitely wanted school to close. But along with school, I didn’t want the entire world itself to come to a standstill! I’m shocked I’m about to say this…but I never imagined life to be so gloomy and dull without school. There’s only so long a person can go without interacting (and I mean face to face) with someone, and only so long they can sit in front of the TV.

At first, we could at least go out, but now, we’re prisoners inside our own homes. I really wanted a change in my routine, and I got it, but not exactly the way I wanted it. I guess next time I should be more specific while making a wish. Oh well…

Then finally (FINALLY!), the teachers started online sessions. This was one of the very few times I was actually happy and relieved (don’t forget relieved!) that school had begun! If I was going to sit idle at home any longer, I would have started pulling out my hair!! Or worse, died of boredom!!

The classes started off with a BANG! It felt good to fuel my brain with knowledge again, but that feeling didn’t last long. Something was not right about these classes, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

That’s when realization struck me! I was learning, but I wasn’t enjoying. And enjoying, as the teachers say, is an essential part of learning. The reason for that was because there is a world of difference between sitting in class and studying, and sitting in the comfort of your home and studying. Though, I need to laud the efforts put in by the teachers to make the classes as engaging and enjoyable as possible

It’s a whole new feeling when you’re sitting in class. The rickety benches creaking as you rock them back and forth. The teachers punishing you for disturbing the class and making them lose their ‘thought process’. The students rejoicing because the teacher’s absent. Free periods. Substitutions. PE classes. Pranking the teachers…you don’t get to experience all this online, now do you?

COVID-19 is changing lives. But maybe all this less interaction with the world and amongst each other is for the better. Better for the environment. If you haven’t noticed already, Mother Earth is FINALLY healing.

For the first time, flowers of hope are blooming in Mother Nature’s garden. The shards of pollution are not stinging as much. We might have just found ourselves the solution to global warming and the best part is that families and friends are now reconnecting. Small moments will hold great significance in this difficult time. If we don’t help each other now, who will…?

We’re all big fans of Batman, Superman and oh, Avengers!!!...right? We admire them for their brave choices, superpowers, and don’t forget EPIC dialogues!!! Hate to break it to you, but they’re not the real heroes. The REAL heroes (the ones we should actually be admiring), are out there, away from their families, trying to make the Earth a better place to live in. The scientists. The doctors. The nurses. The cops. All of these brave people are playing their roles and rescuing us from falling to our doom…so why can’t we play our part and stay indoors, where it’s safe, and prevent the virus from spreading, and shattering more lives! It’ll just make everyone’s job easier…won’t it.

“COVID-19 will reshape our world. We don’t yet know when the crisis will end. But we can be sure that by the time it does, our world will look very different.” And all we can do in the meantime, is carry out our roles and responsibilities dutifully, help one another, and above all…no more making wishes…you never know, they might just come true!