This writing piece has been amazingly written by Munira aged 16. She has written about Covid in a Future tense, showing the drastic change Covid has made to our lives. The mentions of children really captures the sincerity of the piece. It has taken a lot of courage and bravery to write about such a sorrowful period in this young girls life. Lets congratulate her by appreciating her wholehearted work:

Mummy what happened in 2020? Listen here my dear child, 2020 was a new year, a new decade filled with anticipation and many expectations. We weren’t prepared for what was yet to come, a year surrounded by grief, suffering and isolation. The year started light heartedly and we kicked it off with a huge celebration to commemorate one another and the start of something new. The next two months were just as ordinary as any other; but then it hit March this was when everything started to go wrong ‘many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time’ that’s what Boris said. March 23rd 2020 mark your calendars this was the day when the world went insane. What happened on March 23rd Mummy? Well, that was the dawn of COVID 19. COVID 19? Covid 19 roamed the world taking over nations, claiming it as its own, stealing lives, stealing hope and damaging homes. Families seeing their ill loved ones almost dragged from their homes, being wheeled into hospitals, being trapped in dark wards with nothing but their thoughts, almost being taunted by the devil himself. But still there wasn’t ever a guarantee you would come home. It wasn’t only about losing a loved one physically; I was once a little girl too. I didn’t go to school for months, going into my last year of high school never feeling confident I would pass those ever so important exams. And not seeing my friends, teachers and even the dinner ladies that always brightened up my day. Going through such a traumatic and unforgettable time in my life left permanent scars. Having panic attacks nearly every day for two weeks and unable to do something as simple as hugging my mum to comfort her, to let her know she will be ok but that was taken away from us. Imagining my mum in a hospital room alone gasping for air and holding onto her life like a piece of string, seeing her pale face, letting out those horrific, haunting coughs sent shivers down my spine. Only a few days later our father caught this ghost of a virus, seeing those blue lights devouring our neighbourhood hood, hearing those deafening sirens, paramedics in and out of our house trying to treat, defeat and save my father from the ghastly beast. And in the midst of all this I never thought I would lose my grandmother only a few days later, never being able to say goodbye. Your aunties and I had a loving, beautiful and precious relationship with her; she never failed to make us laugh. She was bubbly, wise, caring, funny yet stubborn but that’s what I loved about her, and seeing her go left a huge whole in not only my heart but in everyone else she knew.
Society as a whole started to break apart, most of us not seeing our beloved family and friends, not going to school or work. It was just too much. There was no real support for those who had a hard time coping with school work, losing a loved one or the possibility of losing someone. We had to wear masks to protect one another but some used it to cover up the pain. The news constantly reminds us about death and seeing those numbers rising but you can’t help but think someone you loved is a part of that chain.
Wait, will anything like that happen again?No, little one there’s no need to worry, if something like covid happens again we SHOULD be prepared.I give her a reassuring look and pull her in for a tight hug.‘I will protect you, there’s no need to be afraid’ I said softly with a worried look in my eye. She knew I was still hurt and bruised by the effects of covid 19. She knew that hug wasn’t there to confront her but was my way of letting go of all the sadness and grief I still had after all these years. But going through something so dreadful will never go away. As I tucked her into bed, sorrowful thoughts were rushing through my head. I can’t promise anything so detrimental will happening again. Can we really prevent the events of 2020?