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It was a hot and lazy Saturday afternoon, and like most people in his neighborhood; Mark is stuck at home because of the pandemic. Lazing on his sofa and with nothing to do, the 24-year old Mark could only surf the channels in hope of finding an interesting show to pass the time. Not long after though, Mark gave up channel surfing, turn off the television and put down the remote.

He was bored… Being a coach potato wasn’t really for him.

Closing his eyes, he reminisces of the time he could go out whenever he pleases. He misses going to the malls, the movie, theater, the pub… but most importantly he misses hanging with his friends.

 Sighing to himself, he got up the sofa and walked towards the garage. Inside he saw his old but trusty scooter. Taking out his toolbox, Mark started fiddling with his scooter. 

Actually, there’s really no need to do maintenance on the machine as he already did that yesterday. But Mark is bored and needed something to do to pass the time.

Mark took his time with his scooter – checking every part – ensuring that everything is in good working condition. After making sure that the gears of the old scooter were well-oiled, and the screws tightened properly he stood up looking very satisfied. He couldn’t wait for nightfall.

Looking at the analog clock on the wall, he notices that it was almost 6 pm. After putting away his toolbox, Mark stretched his arms, went back to the house and made himself a simple dinner.  And at 9 pm Mark rode his old scooter to nearest city.

Riding his scooter at night during the weekends was one of the few things that had kept him sane during the pandemic. Mark worked online and could keep himself busy during the weekdays so he’s still fine. But during the weekends or the days that he didn’t need to work, he needed something that could take his mind off of the virus and the lockdowns.

As he drives, Mark notices that the night sky was especially clear and that there’s a full moon. It was no wonder that the surroundings were brighter than usual even in the parts where there were no street lights.

A small smile appeared on Mark’s mask-less face as he drove a little faster. About 30 minutes later, he found himself on stopping on the bridge that connects his home town and the city

He parked his scooter at the side of the road and went to the railings. There he watched the snaking river. Because there was a full moon, the water in the river sparkled and looked especially beautiful that night. Mesmerized, Mark admired and watched the beautiful scenery for quite some time.

Having had enough of the scenery, Mark returned to his scooter and crosses the bridge. On his way to the next town he stopped at a gas station and filled the gas tank of his scooter before driving off again. After about an hour of driving, he finally reached the city.

While driving, Mark notices that there were very few vehicles but upon remembering that it was almost midnight, he no longer found it surprising. He also saw many placards strewn on the side of the road. He stopped at one of the placards and saw the words “End the lockdown” written in it.

“Another one huh…” Mark thought to himself. 

People protesting the lockdowns wasn’t new to Mark. He had seen similar protest on the news so many times that he completely stopped caring about it. It’s not that he has no interest in what the protestors are fighting for but the protests won’t stop the pandemic. After all the virus won’t suddenly go away just because people want it to go away.

Shaking his head in disapproval, Mark restarts the engine of his scooter before driving off again. Mark drove around the streets of the city without any sense of purpose. He allowed the chilly wind of the night to batter his body as if wanting the wind to blow all of his melancholy away. He drove till it was past midnight – returning only just before dawn breaks.

The next day, Mark woke up with a splitting headache. He took his temperature using a thermometer and saw that it was above the normal temperature. It seemed that he had caught the cold…

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