It is fifty years from now, in a world that we can only imagine. People who look back on the year 2020 call it "The Chrysalis Time". A woman is working in the garden with her grandson, weeding.
"Grandma, what was it like?"
She straightens up, tossing weeds into her basket. "What, dear?"
"During the sickness." He wipes his face, smearing dirt across his cheek. "Mom says you remember it all. So what was it like?"
She frowns and looks off into the distance, absently wiping her hands on her jeans. "Well, it was awfully scary. It started so small - just one person, then a few more, then more and more, until lots and lots of people were sick, and no one knew who was next. The hospitals were full of sick people, and doctors and nurses worked to try to save them, and they got sick, too. Lots and lots of people died. So, to stop the sickness from spreading, the governors told everyone to stay home."
He squints up from where he kneels in the dirt. "Everyone?"
She nods. "Well, everyone except doctors and fire fighters and people who really had to keep things going. Everything was closed. The streets were empty. We stayed at home, day after day, worrying and trying to keep busy. I couldn't go to school, even - kids had to stay home, too."
"Was it sad?"
"It was awful." She sighs, and squats down, beginning to weed again. "When my aunt Maisie died, we couldn't hold a funeral to say goodbye to her - that was really painful. And it was lonely, too. We couldn't come close to each other, even though we really wanted to. People couldn't hug or shake hands or have dinner together, or even walk side by side. It was really hard."
They work together in silence awhile. Then he asks, "Were there good things, too?"
She smiles. "Well, with everyone staying home, the wild animals stopped being scared, and they came out and started coming in to town. I saw deer in the park, and one night I saw a fox, just trotting down the street!" She laughs. "And you know what? Lots of people started doing good things for each other. They called each other more, and brought each other food. People did amazing things! I never knew how brave and good people could be, until that time."
He tosses another bunch of weeds in the basket. "But how come everyone calls it the Chrysalis Time?"
Now she pauses, thinking. "Well, remember when you and I watched that butterfly come out of its chrysalis?"
The boy laughs, his eyes bright with the memory. "That was amazing! Remember how it came out all slowly, and its wings were all crunched up? And then its wings dried out, and it kind of waited and waited - and then it flew away!"
She smiles. "That's what it was like for us! We had to grow out of our old ways and become something new - just like that butterfly.
"See, people aren't always good at getting along. Fighting, blaming, wars, hatred - we were our own worst enemy." She shakes her head at the memory. "But suddenly there was something bigger than any of us. We all had to start working together, and we made it through."
She turns and looks at him, smiling. "You see, it made us all stop and think about what was really important. All the things we thought were so important suddenly didn't matter anymore. It was a waking up time - we had to change in ways we never thought we could. Suddenly we realized if we could do that - well, we could build a whole new kind of world. From then on, everything was different. We were on our way."
"Hey, you two!" They look back at the house, where a woman stands on the porch, a toddler clutching her skirt. "Come on in for lunch!"
The woman tosses a last bunch of weeds in the basket and smiles at her grandson. "Come on, let's go get cleaned up. We got a lot done this morning!"
He jumps to his feet. "Race you to the house!" he shouts, and starts to run.
I wonder if that might possibly be what people will say, someday, about these days. You know what I saw just yesterday? I saw a news headline: "Leaders Urge Global Ceasefire." Those are words I never thought I'd see.
We're in the middle of a global crisis, thrown out of our old habits and ideas. Things that seemed important, old bickering and differences, have been blown away in the storm. Suddenly we're faced with a common enemy - and, even while we face disaster, with our letting go, everything is possible.
Maybe this will be a new beginning. Maybe this is our chance to take the fork in the road away from the edge of the cliff, and start mapping a new and better world.
Maybe this is our Chrysalis Time.
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