➛ March 13th, 2020
I didn't realize that yesterday was my last day on the slopes of Killington. It made me incredibly sad when I woke up to rain pounding on the window. I looked out at the slopes longingly, I wasn't ready to go home yet. Yes, my body hurt from skiing all week, but I definitely was not one to give up.
Everyone was huddled in the living room watching the news and I could practically feel the gloom. I thought it was because of the weather but it was actually the news. Their faces were grim. There were reportedly four new cases of COVID-19 in Vermont. Killington was considering shutting down and it was a big resort with over thousands of people.
Suddenly, I knew it was time to go home. We packed up the condo and loaded the truck in the rain. I bid Killington goodbye with a heavy heart but with hopes that I could come back next year. We stopped for breakfast and then we started our seven hour drive to get home.
It was raining most of the time until we finally stopped at a little gas station. My Mom and I waited outside the gas station while the rest of our group grabbed some snacks. I watched a school bus drive by and drop kids off further down the street. It felt like spring, there wasn't any snow on the ground, and I imagined what summer would look like in a few months.
Right before dark, we pulled onto campus. That's where my Dad was picking up my Mom and I. We unloaded our gear and said our goodbyes. I wondered if I would ever see the people I had gotten to know again...where would their lives take them? I glanced at campus as my Dad drove home and somehow, in the pit of my stomach, I knew things were going to be different. How different? I didn't know.
My Dad filled us in on the latest news of COVID-19. It was getting worse - more serious. President Trump declared a state of emergency for the United States. They were banning social gatherings of over 50 people. Some states out west were going into total lockdown, like Italy had done. I was baffled. How serious was this virus going to get?
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Ostracism
Non-Fictiondefinition: ostracism; exclusion from a society or group. ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ It feels surreal...but it became our reality. The COVID-19 outbreak caused a lot of chaos but nothing could prepare us for the aftermath. And I'm just a nineteen year old gi...
