Most kids would love to get a sick day. I mean, you get to stay home from school and spend the whole day in your pajamas, watching TV on the couch. What could be better than that? Well, it’s different when it’s just a cold or a flu. But the Coronavirus is serious, serious enough to spend weeks in agony with a bad cough and high fever. It’s so serious, that people have shut down schools and businesses for what could be months. It’s a scary time for kids, enough to make you actually WANT to go to school!
This is not the first virus that has caused a scare in the USA. Let us go back to New Orleans, 1853. Marie Grace Gardner and Cécile Rey, two well-to-do girls, meet during voice lessons from the beautiful and compassionate Mademoiselle Océane. Despite their different skin colors, the two quickly forge a special bond between them, having fun and learning about themselves.
Just when they’ve cemented their friendship and everything seems perfect, a deadly yellow fever breaks out in the South, endangering the people of New Orleans—and life as Marie and Cécile know it. The sickness takes over the people they care for, like Mademoiselle Océane and Cécile’s older brother Armand. Half of the people who fall ill even die from it, like the Reys’ beloved maid, Ellen. The orphanage is becoming crowded with children who have lost their parents.
As sickness and death surrounds their beloved hometown, Marie-Grace and Cécile fear gravely for their future and the futures of their loved ones. But using their courage, special gifts, and strong friendship, they lean on each other as they get through this uncertain time and find a way to truly make a difference for the people they love.
Back then, Marie-Grace and Cécile could not help the sick without leaving home. But in this day and age, there are so many ways to spread positivity and hope from your house. Thanks to the internet, social media and messaging, you can keep spirits high by making positive posts, or sharing art and stories online to keep people entertained while they’re stuck in quarantine. You can still see your friends and family face-to-face without going out and risking spreading infections, thanks to FaceTime.
It’s time to take a page out of Marie-Grace and Cécile’s book and give it a modern spin. Let’s band together like they did!
Written by Colleen O. working from home. Yes She Can!