The electricity is out. Maya is sitting on the dinner table with her 6 year old daughter, Hana, in near darkness, waiting for the electricity to come back. The backup electric torch is… out of charge.
Maya (calling out to her husband): Farouk! You forgot to charge the electric torch! The electricity is out again. Where are the candles?
Hana: We could use one of the candles from daddy's birthday last night, I'll go get one.
Maya: good idea. I'll light it up while you finish your dinner.
Hana comes back with the candle, Maya lights ut up, and Hana plays around with her food, but doesn't really put it in her mouth.
Maya remembers a similar day 30 years ago. She starts speaking aloud to the audience (not to her daughter).
Maya (to audience): Staying home all day, for days on end, because of COVID-19, reminds me of other days of fear and isolation I had lived through when I was around my child's age. It was 1990 and I was sitting with my mother at the dinner table in our apartment in Kuwait in August during the gulf war. My dad was on call at the hospital. It was a scary and depressing time. I remember my mom wanted to show care by making sure I ate well. But I was too depressed to eat. And as I sat there, she would tell me "the food is getting cold" and it would annoy me so much! Why didn't she instead give me something to distract me or entertain me? I didn't want to ask my daughter why she wasn't eating. She might say "the food is cold" or she might say something else. Instead, I thought of letting her do something fun. We can't go out, for fear over our safety, but also because of curfew. Even when I want to go out for a walk, Hana is too scared to go out!
Maya (to Hana): hey honey, let's play something while you eat.
Maya looks around the dinner table and finds some paper.
Maya: Do you want to make a paper boat and color it?
Hana: how about making a paper airplane?
Maya: OK, do you remember how to make one?
Hana: Sure, how hard can it be?
Hana starts making a paper plane
Maya: Do you want to color it as well?
Hana: Nah, I can't see colors well with the light of just one candle… I want to start flying it around.
Hana gets up and starts throwing the paper airplane around and running after it.
Suddenly, Hana's airplane falls near the candle and lights up a fire. Hana and Maya scream in shock.
Farouk comes running out from the bedroom into the dining room
Farouk: What's going on here? Why are you….? Oh oh! Fire!
Maya: I'm calling the fire department. Get Hana away from the fire. It's moving towards the door and we can't get out. Get a blanket! Why oh why didn't we just get a fire extinguisher like we said we would 6 months ago?
There is a knock on the door. Someone speaks from behind the door.
Person behind the door: What's going on in there? We are smelling smoke!
Farouk:wWe have a fire!
Person behind the door: I'll run upstairs to my apartment and bring the fire extinguisher!
Farouk and Maya use blankets to put out the fire but do not succeed. A few minutes later...
Person behind the door: I got the fire extinguisher. Open the door!
Farouk: I can't reach the door. The fire is going towards it!
Sound of someone trying to break down the door. Followed by sounds of a siren. The door is broken down and the neighbor and firefighter help extinguish the fire.
Maya and Farouk: Thank you so much!
Hana runs and hugs the firefighter and neighbor. Her parents pull her back forcibly.
Farouk: Uh-uh, social distancing, baby, remember?
Hana: sorry. But wow, those are the first visitors we have had in over a week! Since that day we had the water leaking out the apartment and couldn't stop it.
Hana (to the audience): I wonder what I will do next week! I'm too scared to go out, but I miss seeing people!
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