The Covid Vaccine Extravaganza

The mobile network bars disappeared all of a sudden. And here I am amidst the chaos. Of a covid vaccination drive. Where somehow I was able to get a slot. There seems to be a sea of people chatting in front of me as I try to make sense of where the inception of it lies. Pretty sure it shall take at least three hours before I reach the light outside the tunnel. An unknown bird laughs from a secret bush. Is it mocking me?

A little movement. Did I also see a snail smiling at the vaccination line as it moved faster through the side of the road? The furious sun looks down at us, trying hard to make me sweat a bit more. Busy day for him. But the clouds seem to be on my side, soon covering the face of the sun. Would it be too much if I expect a gust of wind as well? Maybe a shower as well? That bird laughs again. Is it reading my mind now?

A thirty-minute lunch break for the doctors. There's a sad look of despair in the crowd. Lines thin down considerably as many scatter around to roadside hotels to grab some lunch themselves. Some meander to a corner for a smoke. Some try to loosen the mask a bit to inhale some fresh air. That's not recommended though, but anyways. Others, like me, stand still in the line, afraid to lose the spot otherwise. An anxious elderly person had to be calmed down. It's really difficult for them to withstand the heat. A sudden gust of wind that smells of rain crisscrosses my senses. What a relief. The bird laughs again. This time I don't know why. I try navigating my surroundings, but no sign of the invisible bird. Meanwhile, the proceedings restart.

A little chaos. There's a person who seemingly jumped the queue. He's eventually sent to the end of the line. Some of the vaccinated ones with a variety of expressions. They are mostly elated after finally getting it done; a few are worrying about the side effects. But there's a sense of relief on everyone's faces. The line moves like a snail. But I do not see the snail. Maybe it has already reached its destination. Does it know about covid? Better off not knowing about the thing, I feel.

After a grueling three hours, finally, the first dose is done. The health workers were amazing: once inside, it was super swift. While I was boarding an auto-rickshaw, I saw a bird on the broken wall of a nearby building. Pretty sure it was the one that kept on laughing the entire time. Now, it just kept looking at me, wide-eyed and curious. I did the same, too.

While the auto-rickshaw took a turn, it started to laugh again, probably found someone else to have some fun with.

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This was written as I was waiting in line at a Covid Vaccination Centre in India.

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As a community, we should definitely support whoever writers we can. I have been reading the work by many amazing ones on vocal. So, if you're reading my piece, do also visit their work and I am pretty sure you'll love them too:-

• Poetry: A Child's Fantasy by Jennah Casey

• Poetry: Things that look like things by Michèle Nardelli

• Poetry: The Magic Horns by Meghan Watt

• Fiction: The Woman From My Dreams by Micheal Sean

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• Fiction: Chance, Fate & Chocolate Cake by Jessie Waddell

• Fiction: The beginning of the end by Dani Banani

• Book-Review: The Lion, The Witch And The Giving Tree by Annabella

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