Bedtime Story.

It was the year 2050. The floor creaked as the grandmother made her way over to the room down the hall, a small but bright light illuminating her path. Her back ached, but she had motivation to keep going. You see, it had been several years since she had been nurturing her grandson, and every night they ended with a plate of cookies, some milk, and most importantly, a bedtime story. 

These bedtime stories were usually about the grandmother’s past, as it reminded her what she was living for everyday. Of course, while sweet and innocent little Jim didn’t know that, a simple story to put him to sleep was a grasp of reality for the grandmother. And today, she reflected on a story she knew she would never forget. The day that everything fell, even when nothing felt amiss, and the only worry she had was if she and her old friend would make up after their brawl at the coffee shop during lunch.

As she walked in, she looked at the tiny body resting in his bright blue bed. She made her way towards the bed, and tucked Jim in. 

“So Grandma, what’s the story today?” Jim asked.

“Well, this one is a special one. It not only includes me, but the whole entire world.”

As Jim’s big blue eyes eagerly stared up at her.

"THE ENTIRE WORLD?" Jim clapped his hands, jumping up and down, the springs on his bed screaming.

The grandma he took a deep breath. Although even the idea of sharing this story flustered her, she continued, 

“I will never presume the fact that I was once able to walk around without a mask ever again. Prior to the pandemic, I was able to do anything I wanted.” 

She glanced at Jim, and was grateful. Grateful that the pandemic was finally over. Grateful for the simple fact that Jim wouldn’t lose his childhood like so many other children did. She tried not to daydream too long, as she could see Jim wide awake and fully vigilant, intrigued in the story. 

She continued, “It was March 13. It had been a couple weeks since the coronavirus first was heard of. It wasn’t like it was a nuclear war or even a salvo near our hometown. We all thought it was like the flu. It would come and go. But then schools were shut down, grocery stores closed, and we weren’t allowed to leave the house. Soon, says became weeks, and weeks became months. Before I knew it, I was looking at the one year anniversary of quarantine. Of course, it wasn’t all bad because I became proficient in some things with the seemingly endless amount of time I had. But that didn’t make up for all the struggles.”

“What were they Grandma?” Jim asked, excited to hear more.

Jim always looked forward to the bedtime stories for before he went to bed. They were the highlight of his night, and hearing his grandmother's voice soothed him, allowing him to fall asleep at ease.

His grandmother knew this, and it was one of the only reasons she was glad she kept going when all hope seemed lost for her. Seeing Jim's life improving compared to hers made up for all of the struggles she had been through.

"Come on, Grandma, keep going! I want to hear more please!" Jim exclaimed.

The grandmother snapped out of her thoughts, not realizing how long she was lost in the waves of her thoughts of the past.

She sighed, remembering back 30 years. “Well, there were thousands upon thousands of deaths. But the most notable thing that most people from my generation will remember is the long, long quarantine. I couldn’t see my friends for months. And even after then, the only way I could see them was by wearing a face mask. Not to mention, we were only allowed to be at minimum, 6 feet apart from each other. I wasn’t allowed to hug any relatives, including your mom, Jim.”

“That sounds horrible, Grandma? What finally ended it?”

The grandma half heartedly smiled. 

“Well, the momentum we were moving at in the beginning was slightly discouraging. The hospitals were shutting down or overcrowding, and there still was no cure. We were running out of ventilators, and worldwide, economies were collapsing. Slowly but surely, the entire world felt they could see the wrath of the virus was really starting to come upon them. But, eventually, we grew out of the fledgling phase, and started to actually take steps to work towards a solution. Soon, vaccines were made, and we were able to open up schools and stores again. But it took a long time for things to return back to ‘normal.’ The entire world suffered and grieved losses for almost a year, and it seemed to never end. But like everything else, this bad thing ended as well. And that concludes my story.”

The grandmother looked over to little Jim, and saw his eyes shut, soundly sleeping. She reminisced about the “good ol’ days” where she had to hang on by a thread, trying to keep herself going. There was little to no motivation for her and her friends, and being trapped inside a house all day wasn’t helping her either. 

But now, she was at peace, living in a small cottage with her grandson Jim. She was able to see her grandson’s smile everyday, and hear his laugh everyday. Because even though that one year almost broke her, she now knew why she kept going. This one story was something she knew would stick with her forever, for that exact reason.

The grandma remembered back to all the nights she spent alone in her room, weeping about being alone, scared, and even nervous about the future. But looking at her little grandson Jim soundly dreaming, she smiled. She knew that the pain she went through during the pandemic was all worth it, being able to see her grandson smile. Having a childhood. Being able to play with friends. All things that were taken away from her.