The Glooming

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic on February 1, 2024, after more than four years of global efforts to contain and eradicate the virus. The announcement came as a result of the successful vaccination campaigns, the development of effective treatments, and the cooperation of governments and communities around the world.

However, the WHO also warned that the pandemic had left behind lasting impacts on the health, economy, and society of many countries, especially the most vulnerable ones. The WHO urged the international community to continue supporting the recovery and resilience of the affected regions, and to learn from the lessons of the pandemic to prevent future outbreaks.

That was the official statement. But there was something else that the WHO did not mention. Something that only a few people knew. Something that changed the world in a subtle but profound way.

It started with a rumor. A whisper. A hint. People began to notice that some of their loved ones who had died from COVID-19 were not really gone. They were still there, in some form, in some place, waiting for them.

Some said they saw them in their dreams. Others said they heard them in their thoughts. Some said they felt them in their hearts. Others said they sensed them in their surroundings, or in the cars which drove them to their workplaces. Some said they spoke to them through signs and symbols. Others said they communicated with them through memories and emotions.

No one could explain how or why this was happening. Some thought it was a miracle. Others thought it was a curse. Some thought it was a gift. Others thought it was a burden. Some thought it was a blessing. Others thought it was a punishment.

But they all agreed on one thing: it was real. And it was not going away.

Some people tried to ignore it. Others tried to embrace it. Some people tried to hide it. Others tried to share it. Some people tried to understand it. Others tried to accept it. Some people tried to deny it. Others tried to celebrate it.

But they all realized one thing: it was changing them. And it was changing the world.

Some people became more compassionate. Others became more bitter. Some people became more hopeful. Others became more cynical. Some people became more grateful. Others became more resentful. Some people became more spiritual. Others became more skeptical.

But they all experienced one thing: it was a new reality. And it was a new way of living. And then one day came, when everything changed.

The end of the pandemic was not the end of the story. It was the beginning of a new one. A story of magic and mystery. A story of love and loss. A story of life and death.