Being an accounting of the recent and continuing pandemic and its various circumstances, from the perspective of an inhabitant of the regions lately called the Lost Quarter. Dates unknown.

Day One Hundred Sixty Two

It occurs to me that it has been some time since I wrote about the dread lord and really gave consideration to his continued presence in the Lost Quarter. That is not because his depredations have ceased or that I, or anyone really, has lowered their guard against him. It is just that those measures have become matter of fact, barely noticed, like slipping on shoes before going outside.

Of course autumn nears, as the chill that greets us each morning reminds, and with it will come schools reopening and a return to the indoors. I imagine we will all become hardier sitting upon patios and park benches as temperatures drop, but even the toughest among us will have to draw the line when the snow comes and winter with it.

What will happen then, when we can no longer wander outdoors as a distraction and a relief? Perhaps we as members of this great wintry dominion will embrace the cold as never before. We will spend time outside and find that it isn’t really so bad. Though on those days when the temperature plummets near forty below, one can hardly linger.

Secluding ourselves will only last for so long, especially in those darkest months of winter. And so we will gather and mingle indoors, perhaps not in quite the numbers we did before, but still enough that the grippe reborn will find his way among us. If things go badly we will be back to where we started, trapped in our homes, waiting to see if the dread lord can slip through our defences.

It is exhausting to think about, as everything seems to be these days. And so instead we try to enjoy these last days of summer as best we can.