The Panda-Emic: Part II

Everyone was tired of the pandemic, including Amy.

She loved her Panda-Emic panda stuffie, and spending extra time with her parents, but she missed her old routine.

She liked going to school every day, knowing that her parents were away at work. One of them was always there to get her when the final bell rang. Then they would talk about their days while cooking dinner.

Amy liked to help by setting the table. She took care to make sure everything was arranged properly, with napkins tucked beside each plate.

After dinner, when the table was cleared, the dishwasher loaded and the dog, Pixie, was fed, they would take her for her evening walk in the neighborhood.

Since the pandemic started, Amy’s parents often worked from home, at odd hours, or so it seemed to her. And sometimes, Amy wasn’t allowed to go to school for weeks – or months. It was hard to tell what day it was, and everyone still wore masks when they were at the store or wherever there were lots of people. Everything was topsy-turvy.

Everyone kept talking about the “new normal”, but Amy liked the “old normal” better.

After the pandemic had gone on for a long time – it seemed like forever! - her Mom explained that doctors and scientists had worked hard to develop medicine to help make the pandemic go away.

The new medicine was called a vaccine, and people had to get needles for it.

Amy didn’t like needles.

Her parents got the vaccine needles, and said it made them feel safer.

“The vaccine isn’t a ‘cure’, exactly,” her father explained. “It helps protect us from getting the virus, or from getting really sick if we do.”

“Did it hurt?” Amy asked.

“I barely felt it,” her Mom said. “I almost wondered if the nurse had just swabbed my arm with alcohol, then forgot to put the needle in!”

Her Dad said his shots hadn’t hurt either.

“We have made an appointment for you to get a shot, too,” her mother said one day. “It is safe for kids to have it now, and we want you to be protected, like me and Daddy.”

Amy was afraid.

“You had needles when were little, to keep you safe from other diseases,” her Dad reminded her.

“And you were very brave,” her Mom added.

Amy didn’t want to be brave. But she didn’t want to get sick, either.

When the day came for Amy to get her shot, she took Amanda the Panda with her.

“That’s a pretty panda!” The nurse said when it was Amy’s turn. There were lots of kids and parents in line ahead of her.

“Thank you,” Amy said shyly. “She is my panda-emic panda.”

“Panda-emic!” said the nurse, with a delighted laugh. “That is perfect.”

Amy looked the other way when the nurse pushed her sleeve up and wiped her arm with something strong smelling.

Her Mom, held her other hand, and Amy kept Amanda the Panda clutched tightly to her chest.

“All done,” the nurse said.

Amy had barely felt a thing.

The nurse put a funny cartoon bandage on the spot where the needle had gone in, and a matching one on her panda.

The nurse and her Mom told her she was a good, brave, little girl.

“Thank you for doing your part to help keep yourself and everyone else safe,” said the nurse.

“You’re welcome,” said Amy.

Amy was glad she had been able to help with the pandemic, and the needle hadn’t been so bad after all.

She was happy that she and her family and her friends were all safe and well, and hoped the pandemic would go away soon. In the meantime, they were lucky they all had each other.