The Story about the story

In March of the year 2020, something happened that still befuddles the minds of millions – the world went home and stayed there. Life as we knew it changed overnight, and the ripple effects of the great pandemic of 2020 are still unfurling in 2036. Life never returned to normal after the virus eradicated itself in 2022. In fact, for lack of a coherent explanation, society was unable to recover from the effects of COVID 19, not because of the lost lives, the downtrodden economy or the profound sense of loss, but because something bizarre happened during the worldwide quarantines. Researchers are still trying to determine how and why the world began to rewind in late 2021, and continues to do so today.

Many people attribute the beginning of this phenomenon to the American president, Donald Trump, who was in office during the early part of the pandemic. Let me say up front, that I was never a Trump fan, but in the light of my other choices, I decided I would learn to like him. This proved to be a ridiculous idea, so I ended up not liking him so much, but I really liked the way he just said what he thought. I too am of the belief that all the phony B.S. that spews from people’s mouths has brought us to this junction, but I digress. While being blatantly honest doers not always win friends, it helps me sleep at night. While it is a bit of a stretch to blame Trump for the events that took place as the pandemic was winding down, his administration certainly had their hands on the switch that virtually turned the clock back to the Victorian era, and we can thank him for that.

It has been sixteen years since the pandemic swept across the face of the earth, and whether you are a believer or not, in hindsight, the hand of God was certainly at work during those fateful years. Lives turned around - some families reunited, while others split apart. Kindness and caring for one another became the norm, while bigotry and hatred declined. Then suddenly, with the election of a new president, the tide turned. Hatred and violence, like nothing I ever dreamed I would experience, erupted in cities nationwide. Remarkably, the trend toward mass shootings in schools and public gatherings virtually ceased, as there was no longer any gathering to disrupt. As the playing field downsized, all the pent up hostility broke out in riots, murders, blatant thievery and destruction, while we sat back and helplessly watched it take place. The new “democratic” regime encouraged defunding of the police, forgiveness of crimes and encouraged riots and disruption. Thieves were allowed to blatantly steal merchandise as store-owners helplessly stood by and watched. Thousands of Covid 19 infected immigrants poured across the southern borders. It was a horror movie gone viral. For most of 2021, we lived in fear of our personal safety, let alone, what kind of future was awaiting our children and grandchildren. Doom and gloom prevailed.

One thing that became so apparent to me through all of this was man’s ability to lie to himself – to convince the mind that right is wrong and vice versa. The human innate ability to justify actions based on public opinion, and the susceptibility to the influence of others astounded me. The pendulum would swing one way to the far left, then a week later, some incident would push it back to the right. Perhaps that, in part, is how we got back to where we are in 2036. The change was initially so subtle, you could have missed it, but the momentum built and the American people regained their courage and faith and pushed forward for a “brave new world.” I wondered how far this would go, but I cannot say I am afraid of the evolution that continues to take place – I just wish I could be here to see it all unravel, but at my age, I doubt I will live to see the full rebirth of our nation. For now, I am content to sit back and enjoy the show.

Throughout 2021, a crazy phenomenon unfurled that rivaled the Jedi mind trick. I have to mention this, because it was so incredibly bizarre you would laugh if you had not lived through it. I don’t know how many times I turned on the TV and heard some ridiculous story, like “The president says we must all wear green to help the earth renew itself,” and little by little you would see more and more people wearing green and looking at their neighbors in pink as if they had leprosy. I am not a big Star Wars geek, but I found all of this entertainment truly hilarious. Of course, the vodka helped me chill.

Through the summer of 2021, things continued to ramp up periodically in the big cities. Chicago was under the tutelage of a woman of questionable mental health. I frequently thought about running for some office, because surely I was smarter than the Bozos in charge. Ruthless narcissists, greedy for power, were running New York and California. Our president was incoherent and ineffective. No one was running the country. We all knew something had to happen before we self-destructed. TV became a playing field for obscenity, propaganda and mind control. I thought I had seen it all until I was interrupted by a commercial “showing” a woman shaving her pubic hair. I was mortified, angered and disgusted at the level of depravity that had infiltrated our world – my world! Each time I thought it could not escalate to a lower level of decadence I found I was mistaken. As a Christian, I felt I the vomited sins of the evil one spewed upon me in the guise of my fellow man. I grieved for those people that felt so much hatred and anger but I wanted it all to stop, and then a lot of the time I just laughed.

We had little choice during this time-period. They literally removed the word “choice” from the dictionary.

Suddenly, on October 23, 2021, a light emerged in the sky at 12:33 a.m. Of course, not everyone was awake, but for those who were watching that fateful morning, the impact of the event was momentous and very profitable as well. The night owls made a fortune with their renditions of the events that took place. I was not so fortunate since Vodka tends to keep you in a deep sleep.

Those who witnessed the “entrance” as it was eventually called, say there was a low rumbling in the sky, followed by a distinct parting of the clouds and a sudden burst of light so bright it blinded anyone that gazed upon it. The light hovered for over an hour, amidst periods of roaring and wailing, like a banshee ravaged by lions, during which time the TV stations and radios warned of an impending alien attack. Warning sirens were set off in every city. For only the second time in my lifetime, all air traffic was halted. Public transportation came to a halt. I sleep like death, so by the time I got outside in my Tweety Bird nightshirt to see what was going on, there was mass panic and fear. I live in a retirement village, since I am 70 years young, but you would think I was living in the dawn of the dead. From my porch, I could hear screaming and crying, and those with a spouse were holding on to each other for dear life. I have been alone now for almost 30 years, so I looked at my dog and said ‘Well it’s been a good run, Lord Byron.” That is my dog’s real name, by the way. I went back inside, turned on the TV, and fixed myself a nice triple shot of vodka and lime and sat down waiting for the “beast” to come get me. I figured I was going to go out feeling no pain, so I fixed Lord Byron a bowl of vodka and water as well. I am not a selfish person. My next thought was whether I had enough booze to get through this – whatever this was. I decided that if we made it until morning I would definitely hit the liquor store first thing. Then I would buy toilet paper and that is as far as I got, because at 6:27 a.m. we found out what was really happening. I will tell the story in another story, but it is safe to say that I am still here, sans Lord Byron who passed October 24 from alcohol poisoning, but Shahrukh, my faithful, sober German shepherd, is healthy and happy with me in our cozy little cottage by the sea.