Please Cancel It, by Aliza Parvin, Kolkata

Born and raised in Kolkata and currently residing in Howrah, West Bengal, Aliza is a combination of an introverted and an extroverted teenager.

I had my economics book in my hand, and I was studying for my board exams. My ears suddenly went to the TV, to our prime minister making an announcement. When he said, "complete lockdown from 25th March," I lost my concentration. My mouth dropped open when I realized everything that I planned on doing after my exams seemed to come to an end. 

One thing that I really wished would be a part of the quarantine, too, was my exams. My eyes looked at the sky and I thought, Please God! Please cancel it! 

That day was another disaster: our exam, all tensed and focused faces in the exam hall. While I was engaged in writing long answers, the invigilator asked for our attention, and the pens dropped. 

She continued, "No more exams from today, stay at home!" 

I saw some excited sights while others seemed unhappy. My mates turned back to me with big eyes and curious smiles, and I could notice a relaxation in those faces, like all the stress and pressure flying away leaving the blissful expressions. We finished our papers, went home happily, and for the first time, I paid no attention to my phone. 

I sat with my family, and Mum looked at me with a mischievous smile and asked, "What brought you here today?" 

I giggled and replied, "The quarantine."

We played ludo, maybe the national quarantine game, and ate a lot of ice cream. It's a beautiful world outside of social media, with your family and friends. 

Face masks! Yeah, my new friends, eventually yours, too. It's like people have now accepted the fact that this is the new normal life. Faces covered with masks, sanitized hands, fewer people outside, no school, every single thing happening online. 

I'm a teacher, and I've even mentioned, "Am I audible?" I don't know how many times, even when I'm asleep. 

I remember I asked one of my students about COVID-19, and his sweet childish voice answered, "God has sent COVID to punish all the humans and to protect our nature." 

That was an unforgettable answer. 

We continued staying inside the locked up doors, learning all the household chores, seeing people blaming the year 2020 for whatever was happening around the world. It was in March that it all started; then we blinked, and as I write this, here we are in November 2020. 

I spent almost the whole year quarantined, but still feels like it was just yesterday that our lives got confined in this way.

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(This story was prepared for an “Imagine Another World” online storytelling workshop held November 11, 2020.)

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