Together, We Can!

Polly continued, “Even Ms. Quarantina tried to make everyone stay away from the virus, but it still found ways to keep spreading...

Suddenly, they heard a loud, powerful voice, “I’m Mr. Disinfector Man, and I can fight the virus!”

“and we all need to commit to 5 important actions.”

But once again, the virus won because even the valient Mrs. Vaccinator could not defeat it, and the icky, sticky virus kept spreading...

Many people were scared because they didn’t know what was going on or what they could do to defeat the virus.

Ms. Quarantina tried to stop the virus in its tracks by separating it from everyone else. She tried to use her powers to hold it away.

The virus did get smaller, but the powerful Ms. Quarantina could not defeat it, and the icky, sticky virus kept spreading...

Everyone in the town made a commitment at that moment to do as the mayor said and declared, “We are coming for you, virus, and we won’t stop until we defeat you!”

Her parents told her that the virus was a germ they could get from someone else or from objects that a sick person touched. Her dad explained, “We are staying at home so that we don’t get sick from others or get others sick.”

”If you have to go out, wear a mask.”

”Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds and sanitize everything you touch.”

“Mrs. Vaccinator tried to find a cure and other medicines to take down the virus, but it just kept coming and getting stronger and spreading...

The next day, the mayor decided to hold a digital town hall, inviting the whole community to talk about how to defeat the virus. Even the superheroes showed up!

Polly’s mom said that people are wearing masks and gloves to protect themselves and others so they don’t share their germs because people who are sick may not even know it. 

“Thanks, mom and dad, you always make me feel better. I understand now, and I’ll be careful.” She then asked, “What can we do to stop the virus?”

“Doctors and nurses need to keep caring for the sick, researchers need to keep working to find a vaccine...”

“Instead of fighting it alone, maybe we all need to fight together.

The next morning, they were out gardening when they heard a loud, echoing BOOM! They looked up into the sky and could see something flying toward them.

”Even though it feels like we are alone, we are in this together, and we should all fight the virus and make it weaker and weaker until we defeat it.”

A week later, Polly was out watering her flowers when, once again, she heard a loud, echoing, BOOM!

A little girl named Polly was scared too. She decided to ask her mom and dad about it. “Mom and Dad, What is a virus? Why are so many people getting sick? Why are people wearing masks and gloves? Also, why can’t I go to school, to my favorite restaurant, or even out shopping?”

She saw someone flying down from the clouds, heard a powerful surge of air, and heard someone declare, “I am Ms. Quarantina, and I can fight the virus!”  “Everyone, keep away as I kill this virus once and for all.”

“What do you mean we all need to work together?” asked the mayor. Polly explained, “Well, Mr. Disinfector tried by himself to fight the virus by disinfecting each city with soap and sanitizer, but the virus kept spreading....

And all was going as planned... until it wasn’t.

From that day on and every day after that, the icky, sticky virus slowly got smaller and smaller and smaller ... until it finally disappeared.

After she finished speaking, the mayor and everyone else in the meeting cheered. 

The mayor asked everyone else to be quiet so they could hear the little girl. “What’s your name, little one?” “My name is Polly.”

No one seemed to have the answers and people started getting upset. Some were angry. “Mr. Disinfector couldn’t do it, Ms. Quarantina couldn’t do it, Mrs. Vaccinator couldn’t do it. What are we going to do?”

A thunderous voice from a distance said, “My name is Mrs. Vaccinator. I have defeated other viruses like the flu. Let me take it down! I will defeat this virus too!”

It was supposed to be a perfect spring that led to a perfect summer...

Thank you, Polly!“ said the mayor. “You are right! We all need to work together to take this virus down.”

Polly’s mom explained to her that people all over the world had been trying to fight the virus but weren’t sure how.  Everyone was hoping that someone would figure out a way to stop it.

It started out as a whisper, caught in the wind, “Did you hear about what’s going on in China?”

Polly exclaimed, “that sounds perfect! We shouldn’t fear this virus because we are bigger than it. All of us in this town and this world, together, we can fight and defeat this virus.”

A couple of weeks later, Polly was reading when she heard another loud, echoing BOOM! She ran out to the front porch and looked up into the sky.

“If you have to go out, keep a distance of 6 or more feet from others.”

Then, just as it seemed they would never find an answer, a small, hesitant voice piped up. “Maybe we can’t fight this alone. Maybe it takes more than one person. Maybe we all need to work together.”

Then, the volume intensified, and people began talking about Italy, South Korea, and Germany. The sound got louder still as friends and neighbors started talking about what was happening in the United States.

Without hesitation, Mrs. Vaccinator loaded her needle and shot the virus with one vaccine after another, stopping only when she ran out of ammunition.

“Stand back, while I will make this virus shriek like a baby!” Mr. Disinfector Man sprayed and sprayed and sprayed the virus until his canister was empty.

You see, there was a virus, an icky, sticky virus that went around trying to get others sick. It was selfish, not caring what it was doing to others. It was sneaky, silently moving from person to person. It was hungry and greedy too, always trying to find ways to spread to more people.

One town member asked the superheroes,” Why can’t you defeat the virus? If you can’t, who can? Who is going to help us?”

The virus got smaller, but the mighty Mr. Disinfector Man could not defeat it, and the icky, sticky virus kept spreading...

A special thank you to Kayla Farkas, Dimitry Farkas, Maddie Martinez, Joey Mooney, and my sisters, husband, and mother for their wise and helpful feedback on early drafts of this book. This book is dedicated to the heroes who continue to fight.

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