I slowly opened my eyes and sat up in the backseat of my mother’s car.
“How long has it been?” I groaned.
“We’re here. I was just about to wake you up.”
I took a glance outside and saw the mountains dancing on the horizon like waves on the ocean. I could see birds gliding in the distance and hear their eagle-like squeaks. My eyes switched focus onto my reflection in the window. My family and I were here because last Sunday, I had been shaken by gut-wrenching but predictable news. Since middle school, I had been looking forward to a high school field trip. All the high school students would choose a destination overseas and travel as a group for a week. That would mean an entire seven days jam-packed with activities and seven sleepless nights hanging out with my friends in our room. It would have been one of the most memorable experiences of my life--but of course, the virus. With restrictions on international flights, the trip was canceled. My parents were aware of my disappointment, so to cheer me up, my mother decided it would be a great idea to go hiking as a family. At first I didn’t want to go, but after a busy week at school, I was in urgent need of a break, and now the hike seemed like a perfect idea. I couldn’t wait to be enjoying a new adventure and amazing views.
“It seems like the parking is going to be a tight fit,” my mom said. “You can wait for me outside.”
My father and I got out of the car and stretched our backs after the two-hour ride. I took a deep breath of the cool air; the smell of the mountain was new and different, a bit like mint. We walked to the nearest sidewalk underneath a thick tree that covered the sun.
“Hey, you see that over there?” asked my father, pointing at a tree.
“Where?”
“There! Look closely at the lowest branch.”
I looked closer and closer until I caught a thin branch twitching. “What’s moving that stick?” I asked in curiosity.
“That’s a walking stick bug. They adapt to their surroundings by camouflaging. This way, predators can’t catch it. Pretty cool, eh?”
I took a few steps forward and watched as the creature inched its scrawny legs up the branch. As I did, I heard quick footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw my mother jogging over with a worried expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“We have to go back. They are closing the gates to the hiking trail.”
“What? Why?”
“Someone tested positive for Covid, and they are here in the mountains. Many other people are probably infected, too!”
And there it went. A perfect hiking trip once again ruined by Covid-19. I gazed at the sky and let out a deep sigh. Then I looked back down and tried to find the walking stick bug again; as hard as I tried to locate it, it was nowhere to be seen. But I knew that somewhere on the rough bark of the tree, a cautious stick bug lay hidden, anxiously clinging to life but determined to keep on going.
“How long has it been?” I groaned.
“We’re here. I was just about to wake you up.”
I took a glance outside and saw the mountains dancing on the horizon like waves on the ocean. I could see birds gliding in the distance and hear their eagle-like squeaks. My eyes switched focus onto my reflection in the window. My family and I were here because last Sunday, I had been shaken by gut-wrenching but predictable news. Since middle school, I had been looking forward to a high school field trip. All the high school students would choose a destination overseas and travel as a group for a week. That would mean an entire seven days jam-packed with activities and seven sleepless nights hanging out with my friends in our room. It would have been one of the most memorable experiences of my life--but of course, the virus. With restrictions on international flights, the trip was canceled. My parents were aware of my disappointment, so to cheer me up, my mother decided it would be a great idea to go hiking as a family. At first I didn’t want to go, but after a busy week at school, I was in urgent need of a break, and now the hike seemed like a perfect idea. I couldn’t wait to be enjoying a new adventure and amazing views.
“It seems like the parking is going to be a tight fit,” my mom said. “You can wait for me outside.”
My father and I got out of the car and stretched our backs after the two-hour ride. I took a deep breath of the cool air; the smell of the mountain was new and different, a bit like mint. We walked to the nearest sidewalk underneath a thick tree that covered the sun.
“Hey, you see that over there?” asked my father, pointing at a tree.
“Where?”
“There! Look closely at the lowest branch.”
I looked closer and closer until I caught a thin branch twitching. “What’s moving that stick?” I asked in curiosity.
“That’s a walking stick bug. They adapt to their surroundings by camouflaging. This way, predators can’t catch it. Pretty cool, eh?”
I took a few steps forward and watched as the creature inched its scrawny legs up the branch. As I did, I heard quick footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw my mother jogging over with a worried expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“We have to go back. They are closing the gates to the hiking trail.”
“What? Why?”
“Someone tested positive for Covid, and they are here in the mountains. Many other people are probably infected, too!”
And there it went. A perfect hiking trip once again ruined by Covid-19. I gazed at the sky and let out a deep sigh. Then I looked back down and tried to find the walking stick bug again; as hard as I tried to locate it, it was nowhere to be seen. But I knew that somewhere on the rough bark of the tree, a cautious stick bug lay hidden, anxiously clinging to life but determined to keep on going.
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