COVID-19

Idan Nutkevitz, 11 I was sitting on my soft bed, and was finishing up with my online classes. I preferred to work on my bed. It was a lot more comfy than a chair anyway. I was in 5th grade and I’d be going to middle school in several months. It was a warm late May day and I had just finished my class when my mom opened my creaky door and slowly shuffled into my room. “Idan, are you done with your classes?” my mother asked. “Yep,” I replied. “I just wanted to let you know that I got an email from the camp and-” But I already knew what she was going to say. Coronavirus ended a lot of things. Certain means of transportation, restaurants, and stores had all been victims of this deadly virus. After a while though, I became used to it. Every so often I would hear that something else closed due to the virus. I’d hear snatches of New York 1 saying things like, “Restaurants have been notified that they have to close due to the ongoing pandemic.” One example that had a bit of an effect on me was my school closing.I was slightly downhearted when my mom said, “Idan, I just read that in person school is cancelled for the rest of the school year.” But similar to how I reacted to the other things closing, I shrugged it off and tried my best to keep unperturbed. But there was still one thing, one thing that had not closed that I kept wishing would not. This was my sleepaway camp, Peconic Dunes. Let me tell you a bit about Peconic Dunes. It was a sleepaway camp that I had been going to for the past 3 years. It was one of my favorite places to be in the world. There is a huge green field, a private section of beach (on the Long Island Sound), a big pond, and a forest with wooden cabins where we slept and hung out. There were many activities you could do as well such as kayaking, some cool sports like ultimate frisbee, walking in the forest, and fishing. There is also something called corkeling. Corkeling is pretty much kayaking but in a circular tube which is very easy to fall out of. Oh and did I mention eating? Eating is always an enjoyable activity. Anyway, for the past year I had been really looking forward to going back there. The previous month we had gotten an email from the director of the camp. He told us that they would put it on hold until the following month to decide whether they would stay open or not. I am a very optimistic person so of course I was hoping that they would stay open. The only problem was that I didn’t really prepare myself for that obstacle. I should’ve told myself that there was a good chance that it would happen. I should’ve told myself to look forward to the next time I’ll go. I should’ve told myself that it’ll be for a reason if they do close. However, I was optimistic the whole way through and I didn’t end up doing any of these things. I kept telling myself and my parents that it would stay open because things would get better. I also tried to think about how overjoyed I’ll feel when I get there. “- the camp had to cancel.” she said. There was an empathetic look in her eyes. It took me a few seconds to process what she just told me. Deep down, I knew it would happen, but it was a blow nevertheless. I didn’t utter a word and I kept hearing her words over and over again in my head. I slumped onto my pillow, and began to cry with wet tears trickling down my face. My mother sat down on my bed next to me and tried to make me feel better. She consoled me. She told me that I would go the next time I had the chance. But all I could  think about was Peconic Dunes. I thought about all the people I wouldn’t be able to see. I thought about all the activities I wouldn’t be able to do. Peconic Dunes was the onlything in my head. After a couple minutes I got up and every step I took felt heavy and I began to trudge along the floor. Then at that moment, I began to vocalize my thoughts. “Why did they have to close!” I exclaimed. “How can they predict how the virus will be in a month! What if things get better by then!” I tried to think about every reason why they should’ve stayed open. But my list of reasons was not very lengthy. “Idan, you know that they had to close for a reason. They would never close just like that if they didn’t have a reason behind it. They did it for the right choices.” Even though I knew she was right, I was still very crestfallen. Over the next few days, it still felt like a heavy weight on my chest. One night I just couldn’t contain my feelings and I began to cry again. I wasn’t very pleased at the time as one could probably tell. It was one of the worst feelings I had ever felt in a while. I couldn’t be cheerful because my thoughts would always drift back towards Peconic Dunes. Those were some very miserable days. And everyday I kept trying to make things better. But it was tough, really tough. When I finally began to calm down again, I tried to think about good things. For example the fact that just because I couldn’t go this time doesn’t mean I won’t ever venture there again. I told myself that next year would be better and that if it’s safe, I would go back to camp just like any other year. It was still

Lauren Manca, 11 My family’s house in Connecticut was massive. It had a huge green backyard, with the woods behind it. You could often find my family in the sunroom, where so much light comes in. It was a great place to relax, but also it was good if you kind of just wanted a little alone time. The almost constant sunshine made it a serene area, a room where only good energy may enter. But, with a horse ranch as our neighbors, and the nearest stores 20 miles away with not a child in sight, I was lonely. I would wake up and go about my daily routine, doing school work, eating food, playing, and going to sleep, but I did it with little laughter and emotion. I didn’t have a way to communicate with those who made me laugh the most. I watched the news, the horrifying knowledge of the COVID-19 creeping into my mind. I was terrified of the growing sickness, but mostly the fact that we didn’t know when it would be over. This was the time I needed my friends most. I loved being with my family, but sometimes I just wished I had a friend with me. There were days when I would just kind of wander aimlessly around the house, wishing for my friend to appear in front of my very eyes. Of course, that never happened. I continued to see the news about the coronavirus, the frightening disease already spreading across the world. I was scared about what might happen to us, and with no one my age to talk with, I was sad and unhappy. Sometimes I would bike down the road with my older sister, Chloe, and my dog, Willy, saying hello to the horses next door. I would often stop in the small clearing and watch them for about five minutes before leaving to go back home. They looked so peaceful, so happy. I wished I was able to ride them, but of course, they weren’t mine. I had ridden a horse a few times before, and I liked it. But now, the ranch was closed due to COVID-19. During that time I only felt trapped, trying to find my way out of an isolated place, with no way to reach out to anyone. My family had come up to Connecticut from Manhattan, New York, in order to escape the chaos of the growing covid. I was used to the loud sirens of ambulances driving up the street to go to Mount Sinai, the chatter of kids walking home from school, and the occasional taxi honk. I missed that. Up in Connecticut, the only sounds to be heard were birds chirping and trees swaying. There were a few passing cars once in a while, coming from a little down the road where the other residents live. I hadn’t seen almost any people, they decided to lock themselves in their houses out of fear of the COVID-19. I was so desperate, I would’ve settled for seeing a stranger, a kid who I had never seen before. I was disappointed, because that never happened. Wilbur road was filled with life, but unfortunately, not much of it was human. “I’m gonna go text Alex!” I called to my mom. She was sitting at her desk, working away. She nodded and responded with, “Go ahead.” I ran out of the room and picked up my computer, opening Hangouts. I typed in our chat, Hi, Alex. How are you doing? And waited for him to respond. The house smelled of fresh air and sometimes delicious food, and I was serene. I tapped on the computer keys, waiting for a response from Alex. His little profile picture showed that he wasn’t even on the site. I frowned. This had been happening for the past few days, and I was a little annoyed now. I would text Alex, wait for a response, then just sit there for a little. He might respond the next day, but only a simple, Hi. Bye. I crossed my legs, waiting and waiting. My other friends kept in close contact, but since they had some little things to do, they were sometimes busy. Alex on the other hand, I hadn’t heard from in a while. He was my best friend since Pre-K, and I was a little disappointed that he wouldn’t talk to me. The sound of a soft breeze echoed through the house, momentarily calming me. I ran through a few scenarios in my mind. Maybe he has a family matter, or…a class! But I knew the latter wasn’t the case. All businesses had been shut down because of COVID-19, so he wouldn’t be outside. I thought some more. It’s possible that he just forgot about our chat and didn’t see my messages. That wasn’t it either. Every time I would text him, I would check the next day and it would say that he read it. But, he didn’t respond. I frowned. Maybe it’s just a temporary thing, I thought. I mean, it had only been going on a few days, so he’d probably text me soon. I still sat. I clasped my hands in my lap, biting my lip. I checked my messages again. Nothing. Not even one little, “hello.” I was nervous to leave the screen because I thought that once I was gone he’d text, and if I didn’t respond Alex would leave the Hangout again, so I waited some more. The computer was warm against my fingers from constant use, but the house was a little on the chilly side. I kicked my legs back and forth, making a very annoying sound. I expected someone to say something, but they weren’t watching, so I went back to observing Hangouts. I clicked on my other chats, but no recent messages. I cracked my knuckles. Someone had to text me sooner or later. A letter might be nice. It wasn’t only Alex, though. I had lost