The brisk wind tumbled into the leaves, getting caught within the wilting trees. Hazel was strolling through Evergreen Park, watching the breeze sweep the streets. She stopped when she saw the empty playground, wrapped with caution tape tied on the equipment. Hazel stared at the swings, recalling a memory that seemed so distant.
“I want to touch the sky! Push me harder!”
“Henry, you're such a kid! I can’t take you that high babe, your going to break the swing. Then no one will get to play on the swings, and I’m next!”
“Come on Hazel, I can totally fly higher than the kids here. We can’t let them show us up, we are not old farts!”
Hazel silently shakes her head and smirks at how ridiculous her man-child is being competitive … with other kids. But as silly as Henry can be, she gave it her all to push the burly, 5 feet 11 stud. She launches him with one last attempt and Henry rockets to the sky. So fast he drags leaves from the ground, which then clouds Henry as he starts falling to the ground.
“Woo hoo! Look Haze, I’m Superman!”
Hazel stood back from the swings, admiring how joyful Henry was that he reached great heights. She shyly giggled at how much Henry was still broadcasting his excitement that he is about to kiss the sky.
THUMP!
Hazel blinked a couple times, and her memory spell had broken.
The sign in front of the playground fell over from the gush of wind. Hazel went over, bent down, and retrieved the folded sign from the ground. She propped it up, and read what was written on it.
PLAYGROUND CLOSED
To help stop the spread of COVID-19 , this playground has been closed until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Stay safe, stay home, and we are all in this together.
Thank you
With a disappointed sigh, she dusted off the dirt of the sign. As the wind continued to pick up, Hazel zipped her jacket closed and started to head back towards the pathway. Having one last look of the haunting and lifeless playground, Hazel set her eyes to the park exit and made her way home.
“Oh, Hazel!” : Henry hollered up the stairs.
“Oh Henry!” She yelled back from her office.
“Can you come in the kitchen?”
Hazel poked her head out of the office door and replied “I’m in the middle of paperwork. What is it?”
“I need you! Come to the kitchen!”. Hazel sniffed in the air, scenting a hint of something burnt. “Baby, did you burn tonight’s dinner?”
“Not really. Just come down, would you? I need you!”
Hazel’s eyes fixed on her laptop, and glanced at the desktop clock. It was quarter till 8. She is still fingering her laptop and hunching over the lit screen, stressing over the documents. Hazel poked her head out one more time and shouted: “If it’s not urgent, can’t it wait? I have work to finish!”. Henry walked up a couple steps up their staircase replying: “It’s not urgent, but it can’t wait! Just come down for dinner would you?”.
Annoyed, Hazel saved her work, pushed her office chair away and quickly made her way down to their kitchen.
“Henry, I have so much work to do and need to meet the deadline. What is it that you wanted me so badly?”
“Look!” then Henry presented a black plate, with a lopsided squared piece of cake partnered with a fork on the side. Stunned, Hazel took a glance at the awkward confection, noticing the icing is gloopy and looked at her sweetheart. “What is it?”
“Chocolate Cake. My own take of the best chocolate cake you will ever eat” : he proudly announced. “I know how much work has been keeping you lately. So to keep my boyfriend of the year award gleaming, I learned how to and made your favourite dessert. It’s not gourmet but it has extra, extra chocolate” he said. He pushed the plate towards Hazel, and gestured to her to sample it. Hazel took her fork, a chunk off the burnt corner. She gave it a sniff, and looked at the icing that was a little bit on the runny side dripping off the cake. The dessert had a seductive sugary musk, and she grinned in delight, then popped the piece through her lips. As the cake piece swished in her mouth, Hazel took a hard evaluation of her partner’s token of affection. “It’s a little burnt and dry, which explained the smell earlier. The icing is kind of thick, but the flavour is actually quite tasty. What did you use, I can’t put my finger on some of the taste.” Henry was thrilled his attempt as a pastry chef paid off, and said: “I added my own secret ingredients besides what the box said. I melted Oh Henry! chocolate bars in the mix and added hazelnut flavour in the icing”.
Hazel suddenly realized the wordplay.
“Oh my god, Oh Henry! and hazelnut! Babe ... you're such a dork” she said as she blushed a bit but was charmed by his witty creation. “Thank you, it’s exactly what I needed. I will get chocolate everywhere on my face!” she said. “You're welcome my little nut. That’s okay, I will still love your face even if it’s caked with chocolate”. Hazel swiftly dipped her finger in the icing and marked Henry’s cheek with an X. He countered by taking some extra icing in the mixing bowl, and slathered it across her mouth. Soon after, a cake fight broke out between the couple and they were like kids running around the house, echoes of silly screams and playful laughter filled the house.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
Hazel rolled over on the couch, bothered but didn’t open her eyes.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
Her phone was ringing. Getting more agitated, she started to frisk the coffee table for her cell.
“Hello?” Hazel groggily answered.
"Hello Hazel? It's Mom. Am I bothering you?"
She rubbed her tired eyes, and slowly opened them. “No, no. I was just taking a nap” she answered.
“Oh sorry dear. I’m just calling to see how you're doing. What have you been doing at home?
“Nothing. Still in quarantine Mom”. Hazel pulled herself up from the couch and sat herself upright.
“Honey, I’m worried about you. I haven’t heard how Henry is doing.”
Hazel choked a little bit. “He’s … not here Mom. He’s been in urgent care at Saint John's Hospital for the month”.
“I’m so sorry, Hazel. I’m sure Henry will be fine, this will be over soon enough. You’ll see. This flu is just - ”
“Mom, I have to go!”
Hazel abruptly hung up the phone and threw it down on the couch. She ran her hands through her tangled hair, taking a deep breath followed by a long exhausted sigh.
It was time to search for food.
Hazel went to the kitchen, rummaging through the sea of takeout and junk food on the counter, her hands patting down whatever she could find until she noticed an index card hidden under the Chinese takeout. She pulled the card out, and scribbled in blue pen:
Super H & H Chocolate Cake
1) Refer to Duncan Hines cake mix box and frosting mix
2) Add melted Oh Henry chocolate bars, and add hazelnut flavoring in icing
3) Don’t leave cake too long that it gets burnt, Hazel will know
She pressed her fingers tighter to the index card, and let out a whisper of a giggle. Then, her giggle slowly morphed into a sad whimper until tears filled her eyes. Her cries grew louder, her shoulders shaking as her left hand masked half her face. She flung the recipe card back to the edge of the counter, and crouched down to the floor. She felt beaten down … it was too much for her. The pain, the solitude, the anxiety of some possibility that her Henry was … or could be…
BUZZ! BUZZ!
Hazel was surprised. Quickly wiping her tears, she rose up and geared her way towards the couch. Swiping her phone off the cushions, she answered : “Hello. This is Hazel”. She stood still, listening while wiping her nose with her sweater sleeve. “Alright, I’ll be there really soon. Thank you Nurse”. She shoved her phone in her pant pocket, and rushed to the doorway. Scooping her keys and her face mask from the bench, she promptly slammed the door and the lock clicked. The strong door swing gushed the opened mail flying to the floor, and some leaves came in from the outside. The leaves swayed for a bit until it settled also to the ground, all shriveled and dying.
About the Creator
Ivy.W
Writer with a humorist personality. Storyteller, comedic, and enjoys quirky subjects to write. Whether expressing personal experiences or geeky homages of my obsessions, I write to get my fix of creativity.
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How the internet is changing your brain
How the internet is changing your brain. Imagine life without the internet. Some of us remember a time before everything was connected, but now the idea of living without smartphones, maps, and search engines at our fingertips seems completely alien. Our increasing reliance on the online world is affecting us in many ways: it changes our relationships, alters our sources of information, and transforms how we interact with each other. These shifts are even having noticeable effects on our brains. As more devices depend on the internet, global access is continually increasing. In 2016, an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide accessed online services. The top three countries were China with 721 million users, followed by India, and then the US with 290 million users. The most common language used online is English, followed by Chinese and Spanish. Our dependence on the internet is significant and growing. The use of technology varies significantly across generations. Those who had to adapt to new technology and those who grew up with it readily accessible show distinct patterns. Generation X, born between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, logged an average of 110 minutes of mobile internet usage each day. In contrast, Millennials, born from the early 1980s onward and who grew up with the internet, averaged 185 minutes per day. Social media and messaging apps have become crucial for how we live and communicate, with over a billion people regularly using apps like WhatsApp, and even more using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. As internet use increases, our behavior changes accordingly. Communication through these platforms has become more common, leading to a decline in phone calls and text messages. The rise of online shopping and services has also caused a sharp decline in the use of traditional high street stores, transforming the look of our towns and cities compared to a few decades ago. This shift can be attributed to the availability of online resources. With such a wealth of information at our fingertips, how is all this affecting our brains? The prevalence of the internet Is changing the way we work. Millennials, for example, have been found to be far more forgetful than previous generations. This is thought to be a direct result of the constant distractions that connectivity brings. The basic principle behind memory is that the more a piece of information is repeated and thought about in your short-term memory, the stronger it is stored within your long-term memory. However, constant new information prevents this process from taking place as effectively, resulting in less information being permanently stored. Additionally, knowing that information is readily available online makes you less likely to form a memory of it. For example, while previous generations would have memorized directions on a map, there is now a reliance on accessing GPS apps. We are also becoming more addicted to our smartphones, with constant glances to check for messages or updates. This habit of being distracted means our brains are less used to transitioning into deeper modes of thinking, making it more difficult to do so when needed. Research has shown that the constant flow of information has led to a loss of cognitive control. This means our ability to control our minds and decide what to think about is reducing. The more you rely on your phone and apps to provide information, the less able you are to determine what is important to focus on. We are increasingly concerned with new information rather than what is actually important. So, what can be done? Although technology is clearly affecting the way our brains work, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Throughout history, inventions have always enabled us to focus less on one thing so our time can be used elsewhere. For example, washing machines mean that people spend far less time cleaning clothes, allowing these extra hours to be taken up by work or other activities. Similarly, the ability to communicate and find information much faster on the internet means we have extra mental capacity for other processes. However, reducing screen time can help keep our brains more active and malleable. It’s a good idea to be aware of how much time you spend on distractions each day. My advice is to keep track of your screen time and unplug every once in a while.
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