What might happen . . . .

Streets normally filled with hustle and bustle were suffocated in a cloud of fog. The air was infused with an eerie silence. There were no vehicles to speak of except for a few semi-trucks taking their wares to market. An emergency vehicle or two slowly passed and the officers waved to each other. Their friendly gesture gave way to vigilance as a group of teens walked together with arms locked. They gave their warnings of social distancing and drove on. The warnings went unheeded.

It had been several weeks of the cloistered lifestyle. Those who once had weekly appointments scheduled for manicures, pedicures, massages, hair styling were now stuck in the confines of their homes, with broken nails and hair that needed coiffing. It was a sad state of affairs. The luxuries people used to enjoy were no longer available to them. They began to do those things for themselves.

In time they would learn to go back to the simpler life – a pioneer spirit was being reborn in them. They’d eventually forget about grooming all together. With the warmer weather about to descend upon them, spirits began to soar. At least they were allowed to be outdoors and enjoy the springtime weather. They sat around bon fires and made S’mores It felt like an extended camping trip, but the feeling of freedom would soon be thwarted by longer periods of isolation and eventual confinement behind closed doors.

The animal habits began to change as well. Stray cats were becoming even more prevalent. Their numbers increased along with their size. Typical tomcats looked more like Cougars and mountain lions. Domestic pets were quick to do their duty so they wouldn’t be chased by the giant cats. Food was easier for them to come by, because people were more generous and treats more abundant.

Bears returned to the city limits. They seemed more confident about reclaiming what once was their home turf. Wild turkeys, swans, cranes, egrets, geese and ducks congregated on residential streets. They wandered about two by two. There were so many of them they swam beak to beak through the rippling water. Birds filled the trees in pairs of every. The cacophony produced by their constant chirping resonated into every home. Deer and elk walked the city streets. They grazed in and out of abandoned restaurants looking for anything to nibble on. Soon their meals would come from the earth once more.

The grasses grew. With no one to cut them or tend to the yard, it soon became a wealth of nourishment for the wild creatures. Trees grew taller. Prairie flowers covered the fields. The landscape was alive with color and the scent of fragrant blooms. Mosquitoes and honey bees thrived even without human blood. They swarmed and dove around the untended gardens and shrubs – a place of plenty for them again. This new bounty caused them to mature into much larger insects.

People began to retreat even further into their world of cyberspace. This was their only link to the outside world. They heard that animals were growing larger in every land. It was almost as if the dinosaurs were returning to the earth. Every creature was free to roam wherever they chose. They had no boundaries while the humans remained confined. It was the 8th week.