“Phillip.”
It's the fifth time he heard his mom calling him. This time the intensity in her tone made it obvious that she started to rage.
"Phillip." The sound appeared closer as he heard the foot steps stomped in his room. His grimace was invited by her sigh when he turned around.
"What are you doing there standing on that little stool like that?" Came the question from her sharply.
He slowly jumped from the little stool which he used to reach the windowpane and look out at the insanely calm neighborhood.
"Why the streets are empty? Why aren't we going any where? Why dad quit his work? Does Jessy quit her college too? Why aren't you taking me to the park? Where are everyone on the street? Why isn't Nicky coming to play with me? Why our neighbors aren't meeting us? Are we banished or something? Did our school got flooded?"
So many questions in a five years little head. His dazzling blue eyes shone brightly when he asked all this questions hoping that he would get an answer. But something with his face tells his mom that he was so moody. His mom took his little hand in hers. "Do you want to hear a story, Phillip?"
The innocent boyish grin invaded his face when he nodded his head and followed her out of the room into the dining hall. His mom started to feed him with bread when she began the story.
"There's an invisible monster invaded our country probably the entire world."
His eyes popped out as he enthusiastically digested both the food and her words.
"The monster enter into the bodies of people whoever came at his sight. He lived in them for many days and then started to kill them from inside. "
His hands involuntarily reached his chest in terror at her words.
"Because no one could see him, the king ordered all his people to stay at home."
He swallowed another gulp of milk and questioned, "What if the monster goes into the houses too?"
"No, he can't unless someone comes into the house or goes out of the house." She assured.
"If everyone stays at their houses, who will fight the monster? The king?"
" Sort of. There are other warriors who are fighting for us. So, until the war ends, no one goes out and comes in. And we are locked down. “She sighed." That's why dad is at home, you are at home, Jessy is at home. "
'What do we do until then?" He asked her in a low tone, his head held down." I want to go to the beach, like last summer."
"Go to your dad and sister. See what they are doing."
He briskly moved to the other room before he turned back and asked," Is there any spell to see the invisible monster? "
She laughed at his question and kneel down before him holding his arms." There's no spell, there's a technical procedure called CT imaging. And we can't do that at home. Only warriors could do." She answered anticipating his unasked question.
He watched his father in front af a laptop busy in typing something. He had his headsets on. All of a sudden he heard him talking, but not to him. He is on phone talking some business. So he didn't quit the job, he is working at home using the laptop. He thought.
His sister was busy in taking some notes while her eyes moved from her smart phone to the books time to time. He could see some man in that phone continuously talking.
"What is he saying?"
His sister recovered from startled expression from his presence to ignoring expression realizing his presence so soon." He is teaching. " She drawled.
"Oh." That's all he could say and thanked god because he don't have any of these online classes.
"Jess."
"Hmm?"
" Morning, you did workouts watching a girl from YouTube."
"Umm..?"
"Yesterday you cut your bangs watching another girl from Instagram."
"So?"
"Now you are seeing this guy and taking notes.”
Annoyed, she glared at him,' So what, Phillip?"
"I just wanted to ask...umm...could you do anything without that phone? Or laptop? Or internet?" He asked her in a low voice with his eyes fixed on the door routing for an escape plan.
"You don't understand this little one. It's a technical world. We can't live without the help of technology, especially in lockdown. You knew nothing. " She said totally ignoring the little one's fuming face.
"I knew many things. I knew how could one see the invisible monster. I am not the little one. “The little one argued.
" Jesus! The invisible monster? "She mouthed in wonder and disgust.
Phillip crossed he hands against his chest saying," Yes. The world is invaded by an invisible monster. Mom said, we need a technical procedure to find him in a Man's body. Do you know what it is called as? It’s CT imaging. "
"Really, Do you know how you are watching all your favorite cartoons on TV?"
"No." He shook his head.
"Through internet. Even you are surviving on internet, you fool. Now stop wasting my time and get out." She showed him the way out using her stretched hand towards the door.

As he hopped into the kitchen, he saw his mom taking the mouth watering cake out of the oven. He can't wait to taste something homemade that he has been buying at the bakeries. So there were many changes. Many things happened. Things he understood to some extent. After he finished devouring the delicious cake, his mom switched on the TV where his favorite cartoons came to life. It amazed him. So this is technology. He thought.
Even though things changed, they are okay. Things seem to be alright with so called "technology." But what's good when he could not step out of the house. It’s not like his cartoons talk to him like his dad's colleagues did or his sister's teachers, his mom's friends did. May be superheroes are in space. They are taking time to come to the planet Earth. Once they land here, they will kill the invisible monster then everything will be normal.Untill then, we just have to survive with technology. Nothing goes out and nothing comes in. He thought to himself. And when the dog slipped from the stairs, he couldn't control his laugh and started to laugh widely at every action the dog did on the TV.