COVID-19

The Battle of Justice, a Captain Corona adventure story by Saanvi Garg, 8

Saanvi Garg, 8Livingston, NJ The Battle of Justice Saanvi Garg, 8 One afternoon in Ratburg, at the castle, Captain Corona, the king, was planning out his evil plan with Spiky The Sidekick, The Deadly Disguiser, and Gus The Gardener. “Ha, ha, ha!” cried Captain Corona. “We shall destroy the world !” he yelled. “Yes king, we shall,”  Gus said glumly. “Do not call me king!” he screamed. “A king is a lazy person who orders people around!  I am a captain who leads us to evil success!” he demanded. “Yes captain,” Gus replied. “Here is our master plan!” cackled Captain Coronoa. Step 1 – The Deadly Disguiser invites the #SUPERSONIC to dinner in his good form. Step 2 – Gus prepares a special menu. Step 3 – They eat their food and die.  To make sure they are dead, Spiky will stab them with Poison Point. Step 4 – We rule the universe! “Step 4 will be extremely simple,” said Spiky. “Oh it better be,” said Captain Corona. Meanwhile… (AKA the superheroes) were exploring their new gadget. It was called a sneaky shield. It is a shield that is invisible. It protects you from anything. The Thoughtful Turtle came up with that. He was inspired by his own powers. They made it for Slithery Snake. It wasn’t because she was weak. It was because she was the captain of #SUPERSONIC. That meant she was the target for most people. “Why don’t  I get any of the new gadgets?” Zelda complained. “Well that’s because you’re fast as lightning,” Turtle replied. DING DONG. “Who is it?” Snake replied. “B-B-Berry Bunny? Anyway we are here to invite you to Ratburg castle tonight for dinner.” “Why?” Zelda asked with suspicion. “Ummmm… we would like to hold a party for all the kind-hearted rescues you have accomplished. “Hmmmmm… maybe,” the Turtle said softly. When they left they got ready. Then they put on all their gadgets. They were very suspicious of the party. “We have to stay alert at all times,” Snake informed them. Soon they left for the party. Back at the Ratburg castle… “Wait I got an idea!” said Spiky.  “If they find out about the food poisoning then we will need something to kill them.” “Yeah,” muttered Captain Corona, “I was just about to say that,” he said. Then they decided to make a bundle of poison plants over their seats. If they pulled a switch it will fall on their seats. Now they were ready. BING BONG. “Oh, they are here, try to look welcoming,” Captain Corona said in a surprisingly nice tone. “Hello, hello, welcome to the Ratburg castle!” Captain Corona said with a grin. “Oh, it is a pleasure to be here, as well!” Snake said cautiously. “Thank you, shall we start eating then?” Spiky said trying to use his best manners. They took their seats. The #SUPERSONICS were on one side and Captain Corona, Spiky, and Gus were on the other. Zelda carefully examined the room. She thought nothing was wrong until she looked up and took a look at the lights. Something was not right with the lights above their seats. She became a little worried. Gus told them the menu. It  is: Appetizer – French Fries and Dip Main Course – Spaghetti or Salad Dessert – Pudding or Ice Cream (that is the poisonous dish but the #SUPERSONICS didn’t know) Then they started to eat. The dip was Zelda’s favorite. She loves to eat chips and guacamole. They filled up their stomachs. Then it was time for dessert. One of The Thoughtful Turtle’s superpower is an extra observant eye. Because of that she thought there was some kind of chemical their dessert. He was right. There was poison in it.  But they didn’t know. Snake saw Turtle’s discomfort with the pudding. That is why she didn’t eat any. Zelda or Turtle didn’t eat any either. Soon Captain Corona noticed that they didn’t eat any pudding. He became red with anger. He tried to control himself but he didn’t have much self-control. “WHY DIDN’T YOU EAT ANY DESSERT?” he shouted with anger. By then they had already blown their cover. “Well.. BECAUSE YOU POISONED IT!” Slithery Snake exclaimed. They quickly got out of their seats, but as soon they stood up, Spiky pulled a switch and poison plants fell from the lights aiming for their seats. Turtle blocked it with his shield, Zelda speedily zipped away, and Snake used the Sneeke Shield, their new gadget. Then they all ran away. But before they were fully out of the castle Snake purposely threw a mini bomb into the castle. Then they ran back safely.  Then… BOOM! The bomb exploded in the castle. But Captain Corona, Spiky, and The Deadly Disguiser ran out just in time, but the whole castle exploded into pieces. It was a truly unfortunate event for them but they deserved it. But there are many more innocent lives that they have killed. Much much more. But don’t worry, there is more that is about to happen to them by our brave #SUPERSONICS. Stay tuned for our next adventure with our heroes: Slithery Snake, The Thoughtful Turtle, and Zelda the Zapper. BYE!  

Static, a poem by Callum Hicks, 12

Callum Hicks, 12New York, NY Static Callum Hicks, 12 The electric blue buzz of the computer screens. The soft hum of the machines keeping us alive. An evil cackle of a monster behind me, casting a shadow on the cold concrete. Snap. My legs break in half like breadsticks. The masks I am wearing. They let me breathe. Living history as if it’s some sort of consolation. The shrill voices. Crackle. The pressure. Ping-ding-ring. The drone. Zoomzoomzoomzoomzoomzoomzoomzoomzoom. The whir of white noise. Zzz. Zzz. Zzz. Author’s note: The poem plays on both definitions of the word “static.” It’s about the sounds of quarantine during Coronavirus and also the fact that I had to stay in one place. I thought quarantine would be quiet and boring but it has been the polar opposite! I wanted to convey the loudness and chaos of my quarantine experience. With all of the FaceTimes and the Zoom calls and the texts and emails, it’s been overwhelming.  

Coronavirus as a Supervillain, drawing by Amruta Krishnan Srinivasan, 9

Amruta Krishnan Srinivasan, 9San Jose, CA Coronavirus as a Supervillain Amruta Krishnan Srinivasan, 9 This drawing was made in response to our Daily Creativity prompt #73, in which former contributor Anna Rowell asked our readers to imagine what Coronavirus would look like if it were a supervillain. Coronavirus as a Supervillain by Amruta Krishnan Srinivasan, 9