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The Curios Case of a Little Virus

No rain. I was lying malnourished and sick.

Finally, it started raining, and soon there was water everywhere. They say I am a pluviophile because I love rain so much. When rain first mixes with dry soil, the smell it gives off—no perfume can beat that. I would splash myself in the roadside rainwater, my excitement never fading. I would play in the rainwater, follow its flow wherever it led me, and stop only when I couldn’t move any further.

One day, while hopping in the rainwater, I slipped into a well. I cried loudly, but no one heard or saw me. It was dark inside. I feared there might be deadly creatures in the water, but before I could look around, I heard a chug-chug-chug sound and was suddenly sucked through a narrow pipe into a water tank.

Soon, whoosh! I was pushed through another pipe and landed in a water can. Someone shouted, “Babu, fill the mineral water can!” A man quickly picked me up and poured me into the can.

From there, I could see a small, busy bus stand. People were waiting for buses, some were running behind buses, and others were getting in or out. I even saw a few uncles staring at girls, and many vendors selling snacks and drinks. It was such a lively place!

While I was enjoying the view, a group of schoolboys came to the shop and said, “Chetta, five kulukki sarbath!” (That’s a yummy, shaking lemon drink.)

This time, I trickled into a small glass, and a boy drank me.

What happened next was quite an adventure. I travelled through his mouth, bumped my head against thin mucous walls, and screamed for help—it was dark inside. Soon, I found a tiny cell and quickly stuck to it. I felt safe.

Over the next few days, I thrived in my new home. It was a perfect place to multiply, and soon I had many companions. Some relocated to nearby cells. Just as we were establishing our base, we were attacked. Many of my brothers were killed, but a few of us survived. Then they launched more powerful weapons that wiped out almost everyone. But I survived. I was stronger—I had grown up tough, unlike my brothers who had lived an easy, cozy life and couldn’t withstand the fight.

I was planning to rebuild my empire, but then the boy sneezed – Achooo- and I flew out with a blast!

I floated in the air for a moment and saw the boy having breakfast with his parents. I heard his mother say, “It’s the third day, you still haven’t recovered from this viral fever. You’ve already missed school for three days.” I didn’t wait to listen to her long speech. I decided to visit her instead!

I entered through her nose. Oh no! This lady was super noisy! She just kept talking and talking. Inside the boy, I had peace. Inside her, I had noise all the time.

I heard her say, “Seems you shared the virus with me when you sneezed. I’m suddenly getting a headache.” By evening, her chatter had reduced. But before I could establish my base, the attack started. I fought hard, but this time, I couldn’t win. They quickly defeated me.

I surrendered.




Nisha Kurian (O'Rodha)

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