2019-nCoV
“I wrote a book about SARS. Due to the new virus, the safety of Chinese people is a big concern again. Should I start a new book about Coronavirus?” I said, looking at my fiance.
He laughed really loudly, nodding his head, “Go ahead. I gotta play some games while I wait for the laundry to be done.”
Where should I begin?
Coronavirus is easy to spread. Basically, anyone can get it. Once you have seen one with this virus, you may get it as well. It’s a punishment from the mother earth. I call it fate.
Corona, that’s what I would call him. He’s not my fiance. In fact, I have no clue who he got married to now. The only thing I know about him is that he got married in 2017. He’s like a virus that I cannot get rid of. Whenever I have insomnia, it makes me very tired, my blood alcohol increases, and it reminds me of drinking beer. Yes, perhaps Corona beer. It’s a very unisex name. Who would name their kid Corona? No one. No one except his parents. I guess they were really into beer or something.
All I know is, after September 22, Corona will be gone from my life forever. That’s because Corona never tried to be in my life. The only reason he’s not gone yet was because I was banned from drinking beer. All sorts of alcohol actually, but since beer was my old time favourite, I told people I was banned from it. Why September 22, you may ask? That’s the day I turn into a wife. Then I will be living a married life. Cooking using a knife.
“Who’s the original image of Corona?” My fiance asked me while he finished a bottle of Corona beer. Looking at his pink cheeks, dreamy eyes, I lied.
“It’s my brother.”
“What brother? You mean cousin?” I am an only child of my parents.
“No. My brother.” I insisted.
“ARE YOU DRUNK?”
“You are the one that’s drunk.” The buzzing noise from my laundry machine covered my voice. He seemed that he could not believe me.
I cleared my throat, and tried to pull out a picture of my brother on my phone, but realized, wait a minute, I don’t have a photo of my brother. What happened to so many years of him trying to help me when I am at my weakest? I can’t seem to remember his face anymore.
Okay, now I remember, my brother was perhaps imaginary.
He truly lived in this world, once. He could be a sister. He died.
I learned this from my mother, so I kept thinking of my brother since the story was told.
“But babe, you don’t have a brother. Who’s the original image of Corona?” He asked again. He stared into my eyes, so if I lied again, he would be able to tell. I am not a good liar.
“Corona is completely imaginary.” I said, thinking: Just like my brother.
“Huh?”
“He could be real once in my life, but he is now a blurry image.” I said.
“My crazy girl. In six months, you are going to be my wife. I can’t believe I’m marrying an insane woman.” He said, laughing. He seemed happy with his life choice though.
I deeply sighed, corrected him, “I am lunatic. Not insane!”
“Fine, fine. Like you quoted from that Japanese writer’s novel.” He still remembers Haruki Murakami. I guess that’s the only famous writer that I am still able to pay attention to. My attention span is bad, for a normal person.
I am not normal though. I am allured by the moon. I am…
I remember now.
I am a victim of Corona. In 2019, Coronavirus was hoarding its potential to wreck human beings. People that were partially insane ate some random bats and turned themselves into infected patients. Their presence made a big impact on people. Healthy people were physically trapped in their own homes.
I am trapped in this room, with memories of Corona and my brother. A room that I tried to burn down but failed to do so. It’s a place inside my mind. There are a lot of trees. It’s a forest until you reach the end of the forest. Then you find this room. It has no doors or windows. It has no locks but it is locked. My brother showed up in my mind because of the first contact with Corona. Sometimes, I feel my brother will take over my mind. However, my fiance didn’t let it happen. He took away all Corona beer bottles and drank all of it, so I couldn’t get a drop of alcohol.
Although he drank so many Corona beers, I couldn’t see any sign of my fiance going lunatic.
I guess I really found a strong man.
“If I write about Corona. Do you wanna read it?” I asked.
“Sure.” He said.
That’s how I started writing this book.
