“I wonder what it’s like out there. All the green. All the sounds and contaminated air. I bet I’d die if I went out there– one breath and I’d be a goner.” Emma said as she stared intensely out the window. I looked at her disgusted. I couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not.
“You are joking– right?” She continued to stare out the window and made a repulsed face then looked over at me.
“Absolutely not! Do you know how many people have died from that virus?!” I shook my head and shrugged and stood up from the couch. She looked me up and down, questioning my actions. I made my way to the back door and put my hand on the door nob. I paused to glance back at her and her eyes widened as she quickly jumped off the couch. “What are you doing?!” She questioned.
“Oh nothing. Just getting some fresh air.” I smiled at her maniacally and began to twist the door nob.
She glared at me. “That isn’t funny.”
I smiled and shrugged. “Hope I don’t get contaminated.” She stood shocked as she studied me and before she could say anything, I swung the door open and jumped outside. The soft grass beneath my feet and between my toes welcomed me as a cool breeze gently blew on my long brown hair. I looked up at Emma who had a look of horror on her face and rolled my eyes. “Oh comon Emma. It’s not that bad. It’s beautiful out here! Come on out, it’ll be fun!”
She backed away from the door, shaking her head. “You seriously think I would risk my life to have fun?! Oh no. Oh oh oh ohhhhhh no. You’re an idiot– I hope you know that. Because now you can’t come back inside this house.”
I scoffed. “Don’t you think if the air were really as deadly as you think it is, I would be coughing up my lungs by now?” I took a deep breath and exhaled, meeting her eyes that stared me down and then began looking around the room.
“That’s because… just give it a few more minutes. It’ll get to you.” she looked away and we stood for a minute without talking. I sighed and sat down in the grass, plucking pieces from the ground. I looked up at her and was still standing in the same spot, staring out the window.
I sighed again, even louder to let her know I was still alive and I looked around at my yard as I got an idea. I laughed slightly to myself and then yelled to her. “Emma! Come quick! There’s a cat out here!”
Without hesitation, she sprinted outside to me and looked desperately around, immeadilty dropping her head. “Wait a minute… There is no cat, is there?” I started laughing and shook my head.
“Nope. But now you see that its not so bad out here… right?” I asked hopefully.
She looked around and slightly smiled and shrugged. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” She sat down beside me and we both laughed and then took in the nature around us in silence.
“Do you want to go on a walk?” I looked over at her with an overexaggerated smile, hoping she’d say yes. “I mean. After all, there’s nothing else to do…” my voice trailed off and I started looking around at the trees and flowers blooming under the warm blue sky.
She stood anxiously and took a deep breath. “Yeah… Why not? It’s not so bad out here.” We smiled at each other and spent the rest of our day enjoying what we still had.
I love this story! I like how it focusing on the positive side of things.