COVID-19: A Novella

By Hisham B. Elsheikh

Mariam continued, “Police brutality against Black people has become so common in the USA, and it reflects the fact that there are some people that still cannot tolerate racial diversity, so how come they’ll tolerate religious diversity?”

Uncle Salih responded, “This case of George Floyd that you have mentioned and other cases of police brutality against Black people reflects the evil spirit that God, the Almighty, wants people to stop and to treat each other humanly. The more harm people impose on others, the more harm will be imposed on everyone. I believe that if we do good in this world, then goodness will come to us, but if we keep trying to destroy each other because of meaningless reasons like the color of our skin, then we will forever live a life full of tragedies. God, the Almighty, reward us for our good deeds, but he also punishes us for our evil ones, this pandemic can be a punishment for our evil deeds. COVID-19 is a deadly virus, but racism is another. If we can tolerate our differences and coexist in peace, God will bless us.”

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781649521286

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COVID-19: A Novella

Hisham B. Elsheikh

Copyright © 2020 Hisham B. Elsheikh

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books, Inc.

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2020

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this novella are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

ISBN 978-1-64952-127-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64952-128-6 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

It was the beginning of Summer 2020, first week of April. No rains yet, and the sun was shining in the small village of Dome, 10:30 am. Everybody was crying. Grandma Noor was dead. They said her son came from abroad and brought the disease, as they called it in Khartoum, COVID-19. But he recovered; he was treated by the good doctors of Gazal Hospital. But Grandma Noor couldn’t fight the disease. Grandpa Hamad, Grandpa Hassan’s friend, said it was because Grandma Noor was diabetic, and her body was very small and fragile. She was eighty-three years old.

I am frail and small, and I’m terrified of this pandemic, I said to myself. I heard Grandpa Hamad saying to the ladies they didn’t need to stay together as usual because of the COVID-19, and all men would leave from the cemetery to their homes immediately after the funeral. I started crying; I couldn’t control it. I loved Grandma Noor. She used to bring me fresh dates and fresh milk, I am sure she loved me as well. What if I asked God to send me to heaven with Grandma Noor? My teacher said, In paradise they have sweet things and everything you want. The question was, how could I die? Should I pray to God to infect me with COVID-19, I asked myself. What I knew was that God was capable of doing that because he created us and created this new pandemic, COVID-19. Okay, all right, I will start praying, I thought. I went to perform ablution to start praying. I was ready, but worried, what if Mama saw me praying at this time? Because it was not time for prayers now, what should I say to her? I didn’t want to lie. I better not pray and lie, I thought, it is mixing honesty with dishonesty. This was bad, it confused me; I didn’t want to be confused. I waited a few minutes for the prayer time to start praying; I thought maybe then I would do my COVID-19 prayers.

I went outside the house to see people coming back from the cemetery. From very few among them I noticed Dr. Ali, my uncle, in the traditional uniform that he rarely wore as he always wore a shirt and pants because he worked at Gazal Hospital. I ran toward my uncle, Dr. Ali, to hug him and to kiss his right hand, as Grandma Noor taught us. Uncle Ali kissed me on my forehead; his lips felt very hot on my forehead. Yes, it was summertime; the sun was still in the middle of the sky. I ran inside to bring a glass of cold hibiscus drink to my Uncle. The hibiscus drink was commonly used to serve people in funerals. Dr. Ali sipped the drink very fast and asked me to call all the family members to come to the main veranda; he wanted to talk them.

All the members of the family came together to the veranda. Uncle Ali sat on a chair in the middle of the veranda and asked us all to keep a distance of two meters from each other, and he started by saying, My mother, Noor, passed away today, it’s our destiny…we will all die one day…but we don’t know when…only God knows. Mother Noor was infected by COVID-19. Coronavirus disease, COVID-19, it is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer, are more likely to develop serious illness. The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is be well-informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes, and how it spreads. You must protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and not touching your face. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette—for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow. At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments.

My older sister, Mariam, who was in her third year in the School of Science, University of Gazal, asked Dr. Ali, I don’t understand why Uncle Salih first brought the disease in the family, recovered, and Grandma Noor couldn’t make it?

Dr. Ali answered, My brother Salih is still young, he is only twenty-nine years old and healthy, but my mother, Noor, as we all know, was suffering from diabetes for a long time, and she is eighty-three years old, and as I said, older people and sick people may have a slim chance of recovery, and I would like each of you to remain secluded from the other in his room for two weeks, we are going to follow instructions to sanitize all places, utensils, surfaces, and other equipment in the house, and I will run a simple check on you for infection. Any one of you will have his own cup and dish and is to eat alone, and I will stay here with you for the two weeks. My brother Salih will remain in Gazal. If you need him, you can only talk to him over the phone.

Silence had taken over the veranda, and I broke the silence by asking Uncle Ali, Can I go to school, Uncle?

As my tears began rolling down my cheeks, my uncle said, No, honey, you have to stay at home, no one is allowed to go out, and I assure you that all the schools in the country will shut down, we have to be strong to overcome these bad days.

Grandpa Hassan Garad, who was sitting on the frontline, five feet from Dr. Ali, pulled out his Hoga (chewing tobacco) box from his pocket and started talking loudly. I remember, when I used to drive a taxi in Gazal, the model of the car was Toyota Corona. Does that Corona, Dr. Ali, have anything to do with this corona disease?

Dr Ali smiled. "No, no, no. That model of Toyota car has nothing to do with the corona disease. The word corona means a small circle of light seen around the sun or moon, and also in anatomy, it means the crown-like shape of the virus."

Grandpa Garad, again, asked, How is your brother, Salih, doing, why didn’t he come to his mother’s funeral?

Dr Ali replied, Brother Salih is doing well. He recovered from the disease, but he is feeling bad about the death of Mother Noor…he is also feeling guilty, he is praying all day, he is always silent, and I saw him reading the Holy Qur’an most of the time. I hope he comes back home soon. I am now very worried about all of you, because you have socialized with Mother Noor. I want you to follow the instructions very carefully for the coming two weeks, as I said to you earlier.

I whispered to my sister, Mariam, who sat near me, I miss Uncle Salih, he used to teach me how to pray, he also knows how to beautifully recite Qur’an.

Dr. Ali asked me to bring the box that he had brought with him from Gazal. He opened the box and gave everyone a bar of soap and a surgical mask. He demonstrated to us how to use the mask and how to use a handkerchief to sneeze or cough while covering our mouth and nose. These instructions scared me to death. I ran outside the veranda to confine myself in a small room near the kitchen. I sat on a small rug on the floor, and I began to think, Does everybody in this world believe in God? I wish Uncle Salih was here to ask him. I heard one day that people in America and Europe and many other countries believed in Jesus; Jesus was their God. In other places, people had different gods, and some others don’t even have a god.

In two years, I would go to college, and I needed to work hard for it. I wanted to study theology and medicine. I was a Muslim by birth, but I wanted to know God personally… I was sure there was one God who created the whole universe and controlled the world. God knew all details of our life. He knew when and how we would die. Grandma Noor died of a virus only discovered recently (COVID-19). I was sure that God knew this virus would spread, thousands of years ago. He also knew Grandma Noor would live for eighty-three years. God knew me, Sara, granddaughter of Grandma Noor. He knew that I loved Grandma Noor, and I loved her fresh dates and fresh milk.

Mama stepped in, holding a bowl full of sugar, and asked me, Honey, why are you still alone?

I sat up