"Coronavirus” floated in the air. The lips saying the word were big and small; young, mature, and drooping old. Copies of the word in every accent and intonation filled the air in my bedroom – from floor, to ceiling, to walls.

My head shifted on the pillow and I turned to sleep on my right side. A minute later I switched to my left side. My hands pulled the bedspread over my head. Then my legs pushed it off to my feet. My body now alternated from too warm to too cold!

Suddenly, a big, red face with pursed lips appeared. I swallowed hard.

“Coronavirus is a hoax, fake news, folks. It is Chinese.” the pursed lips announced.

 I relaxed. Turned to lie on my back.

“Who said the Coronavirus is a fraud, guys?” The pursed lips said. “Few cases in our country, that’s all. May be fifteen. We are taking every measure to protect our citizens.”

I shivered—pulled the bedspread up to my shoulder. Still cold, I pulled it over my face.

“Don’t pay your taxes on April 15, much later, three months later,” the pursed lips announced!

My body switched from cold, to warm, to cold, to warm.

Then the pursed lips started to produce a series of statements that seemed to adapt to some sort of audience reactions. “It is okay, guys--we will give incentive checks-- to stimulate the economy—to those who need them—in accordance to their income---.”

In a daze, I jumped out of my bed, dragging part of the bedspread with me to the floor. “A check! A check!” I mumbled. “I’ll cash it and pay my taxes.”