Infectious Love: How One Self-Less Act Changed the World
The tale that follows is a reimagining of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Wuhan China, a historic city in China with a long river flowing through its diverse metropolis. With this river, there are food markets such as the Huanan Seafood wholesale market, which sells any type of animal dead or alive. One day, a lonely bat was wandering around her cave when an intruder startled her. She had no prior experience with a predator invading her colony. She fiercely defended her homeland, leaving this man to scamper; though unbeknownst to her, her bite sent a lethal dose of viral venom, into the veins of the perpetrator. She asked her colony about the encounter. After chatting with her colony, she realized that she had fended off a human, potentially saving her entire colony (as all the bats are neighbors in a cave system) and was a celebrated heroine. But one’s hero is the other’s villain. After the unsuccessful capture of fresh food, the hunter retreated to his work at the wholesale market. He did not just sell food, but also kept control of livestock. After his day’s work was done, he retreated to his home outside the metropolis, and developed a bad cough…
A few weeks go by, and everyone in Wuhan has been notified of strange conditions surrounding the market. An almost untreatable anomaly has begun to spread–. a vaguely familiar strand of virus that mutates faster than any before it, and is immune to traditional practices to treat it. Almost half a year later, the virus spread overseas. The bats notice this as there is noticeably less human activity around their colony, and word comes out that it was spread from a bat. The heroine, once showered by glory, is now feeling internal feelings of guilt and shame. Even though her colony doesn’t suspect/care about the outcome of her encounter almost half a year ago, she continues to hold on to it.
The next day, Bat speaks to her colony and tells them about the dread humanity faces. No one cares. Why should they? Humans are only able to attack and destroy natural beauty and all its inhabitants. But Bat holds hope that if humans are met with compassion and forgiveness, they will be willing to help their colony stay safe. Without any options, the bat heads to the city to tell everyone how this outbreak started., She is desperate to help, but is struck down by the breath and patter of a thunderstorm, knocking her unconscious. She had landed in a ship bound for the U.S.
She wakes to find herself in white bliss with faces staring at her. She doesn’t know it yet,but she has come to a lab for research. She asks about her location and purpose. The humans explain that they found her unconscious on a cargo ship that was quartered for viral inspection, and that she was brought in for testing for rabies. This meant she would lose her head…
Through her instincts, Bat desperately flees and claws at the scientists to escape, remembering the damage her bite cause. When she reaches the front door, she pauses for a moment to ponder why she’s here. She remembers her mission to tell the world’s best scientists about what she knows. The bat returns with a written note in Chinese in which shehe points out that she and her bat colony were unaffected, meaning they might have some special antibodies able to reduce Corona’s plight. After translating, the scientists understand that this little bat is the key to ending the Covid Pandemic.
The scientists write to her asking for permission to take a quick look, and she writes back in agreement. She is put under microscopes, multiple tests of fluids are run, x-rays taken. And what they discover is the key. The scientists write to her about their findings, telling her that her blood is the key. They explain that they can perform an operation to research a bigger blood sample to create more trials of vaccines They warn her of her dangers, writing that she may return home if she chooses, but Bat is determined to stop Corona, she writes no. She wants to help them, and laments that she was the one to cause it. She says this is the only way to not only right her wrong, but to stop this disease. The doctors proceed and see one last note, coordinates to her cave, to help protect their colony so this situation never unfolds again. She gives them all her blood, her eyes flickering, the light fading, and gone, nothing. She is gone. Gone across the sea to save humanity. The vaccine is launched, but she is not around to see it. Her friends back home smiled, knowing she had saved them, and humanity, and the natural beauty of the world. This little bat not only stopped a global pandemic,she also brought the world together. The world celebrates an end to this virus, as only smaller flu-like mutations are left. The global pandemic is over. Bats, along with other animals, are treated with more respect. A little sympathy can go a long way and carry one little hero across the globe to bring hope and health to millions.
