Life During A Pandemic

It began like any other day, really. He was awakened earlier than normal by the dog, wanting to go out for its morning pee and eager to be fed breakfast.  After taking care of the pups’ needs, he ritualistically made the bed, brushed his teeth, and splashed water on his face to wash away the sleepiness.  After pulling his legs and arms into some form of clothing attire appropriate for walking the dog, he silently leashed her and set out for some exercise.  

The birds were singing their usual tunes and there was a slight breeze helping to ease the morning mugginess into submission.  There was little activity around the neighborhood and as he contemplated the silence, it occurred to him that it must be Sunday.  Lately, the days had been blurred because of the lockdown and he often had to think about which day of the week it was.  

While the day appeared normal to the unaware observer, this was no longer the case.  Life was surreal; as were the headlines in the news and the chatter amongst the community.  There was a virus that was making people sick across the globe; some were dying but no one he knew as of yet.  It was the beginning of the third month of social distancing (a new term that was used to describe staying 6 feet away from humanity)  and there were hints in the news that it might continue through the end of the year.

Fear of the virus had caused the economy to almost completely shut down in the service industry.  Many small business owners were worried that they would be unable to reopen their establishments.  Millions were out of a job while others were working from home.  The school playground was eerily silent; police tape roped off neighborhood parks in an attempt to curb people from gathering.  Walking around the town felt like what he imagined it would if he were starring in some sci-fi dystopian movie.  

The new normal involved wearing a homemade mask to the grocery store and he would often be met with empty shelves or limitations on what he could purchase.  Showers were taken more frequently; often late in the day after going out to run errands or after his run.  It was suggested by government officials that clothing be removed and washed after reentering the home and showers be taken to wash off any possible contamination.  He wondered frequently whether or not any of this was helping but found himself unable to stop in fear of contaminating others for whom he cared.  

The slight pull on the leash as the dog stopped to make its morning poop on the lawn of an unsuspecting neighbor jarred him back to the current doldrums of life.  He removed the plastic bag that was previously secured to the leash for this exact purpose and slowly bent over to scoop up the mess...his dog almost never had a full solid movement as she was allergic to many things that caused a slightly loose stool to ever be present.   This always made it fun to separate it from the grass and get it cleanly into the bag.  

Having successfully removed the excrement from the ground, he expertly tied the bag in a knot in the hopes of keeping the smell contained while he searched for the closest waste bin.  It took almost a half mile of walking in the opposite direction of where he was headed to locate the necessary garbage can.  Walking towards it and tossing the bag into the face of its opening, he turned on his heel and proceeded to retrace his steps.  His goal was to walk along the river and he was hopeful that it would be unusually quiet as the clouds were growing both dark and threatening and it was still rather early in the morning.  If it were not for those factors, dozens would be found walking the trail along the river.

As he worked his way back towards the river path, he realized that the hair was standing up on his neck.  His body was sensing something that he was not yet comprehending.  He began to look around and take a sharper look at his surroundings.  He didn’t see anything that appeared out of place.  There was the woman wading in the river.  She seemed harmless enough; in fact, appeared to be tripping on something because why else walk around in the river submerged up to your shoulders like that?  There was the lone runner that passed him a minute ago, nowhere to be seen at the moment.  What was he missing?

We are all prescient in some way, but he believes that he is an empath.  Knowing this caused him to almost lower his defenses and blow off the warning.  Almost.  It was just in that moment that the truth revealed itself to him.  The dark cloud looming overhead was no longer visible; in its place was what appeared to be a UFO.  

He blinked his eyes; nope, still there.  

As he contemplated his options, he began to feel himself floating above the ground, rising in a slow, steady pace.  He struggled to move and found he was unable to gain control of his extremities.  At least he still had control of his mind, for now.  Not that being trapped in a body he couldn’t control was easy...he was feeling slightly claustrophobic in the few short moments of his plight. He took notice of the fact that the dog was floating up towards the ship alongside him.    

He reached the ship in minutes and the doors opened to receive him.  He found himself being placed on a stainless steel table in the middle of the room.  The dog was on the end of the table near his feet.  He sensed the ability to move had returned and quickly sat up on the table to look around.  What he saw was perplexing; it appeared to be several human looking individuals.  And not just any humans: Before him stood Elvis, Micheal Jackson, John Wayne, and Patrick Swayze!  What was happening? 

The being that resembled Elvis moved closer to his dog and crouched down to meet her eye to eye.  There was some gesturing, sighing, and other vocal noises coming from the Elvis impersonator and he got the distinct impression that they were having a meaningful conversation.  About what, he had no idea.  And why was Elvis communicating with the dog rather than himself?

He was more perplexed than scared and thought to himself,  “Could someone please explain to me who you are and what you want with me?” 

“When we are done extracting information from your leader you may ask questions,” Elvis drawled.  

“My leader? Wait, you think my dog is my leader?” he asked puzzled.

“We observed you picking up the excrement and could only assume that you were a slave to this animal,” it replied with a slight condescending tone.

He laughed out loud in such a thunderous way that all of the ‘impersonators’ were startled and jumped a bit.  

“Your dog informed us that what we observed was accurate and you are in fact a slave to this being,” Elvis stated.  “Do not concern yourself with our business and your dog will inform you of anything you may need to know,” he continued.

They seemed to communicate for several hours and the boredom of simply sitting and waiting was driving him mad!  Could his fate actually be in the hands of his own dog?  During the wait, he contemplated his relationship with his pet and hoped that she had considered it a pleasant one.  He couldn’t help but smirk at the possibility of the fate of humanity being in the hands of a boxer.  

They appeared to finish the meeting they were having and Elvis quickly explained that they were going to be taken back to the surface of the planet.  When he attempted to ask questions about why they were there or what their intentions were or, more importantly, why did they resemble famous people, Elvis simply informed him that they needed to be leaving and any questions he had could be answered by his leader.

“Wait, what?  I can’t understand the dog!” he yelled excitedly.

“Then I suggest you learn!” Elvis responded, and with a flick of his finger, opened the bay doors and started the process to return us to earth.  

At the end of the experience, his most important revelation was that there was more going on with the dog than he had ever imagined!