“Inside”: Stuck indoors feels, quarantine vibes, and more // StayHomeWriMo Day 1

Hey everyone and happy April Fools Day! I’m planning to prank my parents and I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow 😉

Welcome to Day One of the #StayHomeWriMo challenge. Just to familiarize everyone with what’s going to happen every day for the next month, I’ll just start off with the prompt and short story that I used for the day. I’m pumped!!

Prompt: Write a story about a character who’s stuck inside. How do they feel? Why are they there?

Kate stared out of the window. She was met with the same landscape as fifteen minutes ago: yellow-green hills, gray skies, the sun playing hide-and-seek with the clouds. It wasn’t the most ideal climate for most people, but it wasn’t like it mattered to her.

After all, the last time she had been outside was three years ago.

She missed the feeling of grass in her feet when she somersaulted across the lawn while practicing for a gymnastics competition. She missed lying down by a pool and feeling the sun’s warmth against her face. She missed running along the streets with her friends, throwing the basketball to each other and jumping to dunk the ball and run her fingers against the net of the hoop.

Honestly, she missed everything about the outside. She would give her left arm to be able to stand outside, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Kate found solace in the fact that at least she wasn’t the only one going through this. No one had been outside in at least a year. She just happened to be confined for three times longer because of her previous allergies, then her injury, and then the pandemic that swept the world.

The NOVV-42, nova virus, or whatever else you wanted to call it, was the most deadly plague that the world had ever seen. It spread through grass and pollen, which made it even more deadly to people like Kate who had pollen allergies.

At first, when the pandemic started killing millions, the world governments were worried about who would perform the essential tasks like farming and giving us food, taking care of the sewage systems, and more.

But drastic times require drastic measures, right?

“Kate. Dinner’s ready.” The robot walked over to her with a striking humanoid resemblance. Jay had been engineered to look like a part of their family, with a female appearance, blonde hair, green eyes, and even freckles. The robot looked a few years older than Kate. Sometimes Kate forgot that she- it– wasn’t her sister.

“Thanks, Jay. Is Mom upstairs?”

Jay nodded. “Yes. Your mother is upstairs. She asked me to deliver a message. Please go eat the noodles on the table. After that, go and practice the piano.”

Kate smiled at Jay. “Okay, got it. But before that, do you want to play a game of checkers?”

Jay was practically unbeatable, but Kate was improving.

Plus, for how long could you stare out a window?

I hope you liked this piece and thought I did a good job with the prompt!

What are your feelings regarding COVID-19? Are you quarantined or in self-isolation? Do you think robots will be a household staple in the future?