Friday the 13th

By Cici Weir

 

It was Friday the 13th, everyone was on edge. Before I went off to school my mother told me strange things, like to ‘stay away from people and to not get too close’. It was very clear that she knew something bad was going to happen. 

In a sense she was right. 

The school day was alright, some could say normal. Suddenly, something unusual happened, an announcement from the loudspeakers said “school is canceled for the next 2 weeks.” Most kids were happy as could be for this unexpected break. I remember one of my friends running down the hallway yelling something about, “ this is the best day of my life.” 

He moved away and that was the last time I ever saw him. Yet something was off. Still I hopped on the bus to go home. That night after a tasty dinner, my mom and I settled down by watching our favorite ghost hunter show. My sister, as usual, was up in her room playing video games. It was dark and rainy, the moon was bright. 

That’s when my mother started to explain, it was that dreadful virus that had been shown on the news. It had infiltrated our small rural town. That was the reason why school had been canceled. My mom is a doctor and in her professional opinion, school was going to stay that way. 

She turned out to be right (as usual). 

I was heartbroken and scared. A few hours go by of us watching our show then suddenly my mom gasps, 

“What is it?” I ask.

 “I have a great idea,” she replied.

What she told me changed everything, the entire lockdown. Sleepless nights became the norm. Food disappearing was on the daily and items torn to shreds was expected. 

“We should get a dog!” 

I have never been more confused and excited in my entire life.  I was not expecting her to say that at all. My sister and I had always wanted a dog, but the answer had always been, “we are never home enough for a dog.” Now, because of Covid, we were going to be home a lot more. So this was the perfect opportunity. When I heard this I started jumping around the living room screaming, “Really? Are you joking?” The commotion brought my sister out of the black hole of her room. When she came downstairs, we told her, and her face lit up with joy, just as mine had. 

Fast forward a few weeks, we were bringing our new puppy, Dolly, home for the first time. Covid was hard,but Dolly made everything better.